Stick 'Em Up!

Bigfoot Warns: Take My Challenge!

With bubble gun in hand, Bigfoot "threatens" all outdoor enthusiasts to spend two minutes taking The Bigfoot Challenge.  The end of October is right around the corner, so time is running out to win quality product from KEEN  Here are this month's challenges:

1. On Halloween pick up 1 stray candy wrapper for every year of your age, challenge your friends to do the same.
2. Download a free PEAK activity from the Leave No Trace website and volunteer to teach a 15-25 minute segment to kids at a local school or youth group. Downloadable PEAK activities can be found at the bottom left of the webpage:
3. Take back 15 minutes of your day and just go outside! Grab a friend and take the 15 minute Keen Recess Pledge! After recess, try to leave your “playground” in better condition than you found it.
4. Score a $150 gift card toward Keen gear by becoming a Leave No Trace member at the Wanderer level ($171.60

If one of these simple tasks is jumping out at you as easily achievable, then take the challenge and become a steward of the land.  Yes, it is that easy! 

Explore Responsibly...Kate and Tracy

Boston Backyard Session

On August 15th, Team East and Boston REI hosted a Leave No Trace Backyard Session.  Despite monsoonal-like rain, 25 people came out for an evening of networking, training, and socializing.  Representatives from many local organization came to the event including the Student Conservation Association (SCA), MA Audubon Society, American Camp Association of New England, Youth Enrichment Services (YES), the US Forest Service, and Outdoor Explorations.  With such a diverse group of people gathered, the conversations were plentiful and enthusiastic in regards to ways these organizations can connect with each other on ways to bring Leave No Trace into their community.  To make the evening more exciting, KEEN Shoes donated one free pair of shoes to a lucky participant.  Congratulations to Nunu Stevenson of SCA!  We hope you enjoy many outdoor adventures in your new Keen Shoes.
A special thank you to Dane Tullock, REI Outreach Specialist, for all of his efforts in making this Leave No Trace Backyard Session a successful event.  To find out more about hosting or attending a Leave No Trace Backyard Session in your community, click here!
Explore Responsibly...Kate & Tracy

Rocky Mountain Folks Fest

Planet Bluegrass celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Folks Fest held every August in Lyons, CO. Camping is available on-site, so for the fourth year in a row, Planet Bluegrass has partnered with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to promote the "How Green Is Your Grass?" Campsite Challenge. We challenge festavarians to stop by our booth and let us know how they are being sustainable, creative, and clean at their campsites. A random winner is chosen each day, then from those three entries the grand prize winner is chosen. What is the grand prize you ask? None other than a pass for on-site camping at the festival the following year! The daily winners received an awesome prize package including a pair of Keen Shoes, Planet Bluegrass CDs and DVD, and Bigfoot also threw in a hat, patch, and a one year membership to Leave No Trace. Congratulations to all of the campsites that took the challenge of keeping your grass green!
Speaking of membership...we had twenty festivarians join Leave No Trace as individual members this weekend. Everyone who signed up for a membership at Folks Fest received a pair of Smartwool Socks and were entered in a drawing for a pair of Chaco Shoes or a Seal Line Urban Backpack from Cascade Designs! We want to thank all of our partners who support the Traveling Trainer Program! Also a big shout out goes to all of our volunteers this weekend- Betsy, Lindsey, Alex, Molly, and of course Bigfoot!

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy