Work Hard, Play Hard

As Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, we live by the motto work hard, play hard. This week we put that idea to the test. After spending multiple working at the NAI National Conference in Las Vegas, we escaped the bright lights and big city as we traveled west to Death Valley National Park.

Long before we started working for Leave No Trace, we made it our personal mission to get to all of the 58 National Parks in this country. Death Valley marked park #44! This park is chock full of extraordinary features- from craters to castles, sand dunes to towering mountains, and the lowest point in The United States(282 ft below sea level!).

With the full moon as our guide, we took to the sand dunes for a night hike and it was surreal! We did not see another person as we walked around the majestic dunes, stopping to smell the creosote that grows abundantly in this vast landscape. This park is truly amazing, especially if you can get here in the fall or winter, when the weather is perfect!

We have two remaining National Parks to explore in the continental United States. Hopefully we will get to visit Voyaguers and Isle Royal in 2011. Until then…

Happy Adventuring- Kate & Tracy

Picture of the Week 11/19/10

Virginia Beach Friends School

The Virginia Beach Friends School is a school filled with 160 students from 3 years old to seniors in high school. The school integrates the Quaker values of equality, integrity, simplicity, peace, and environmental stewardship, so the Leave No Trace program fit right into the school's educational philosophy. We met with students from Kindergarten to 12th grade and everyone in between and shared the 7 principles of the Leave No Trace program through a variety of activities such as How Long Does it Last and Minimum Impact Match.

Above we have grades K-5 demonstrating "the rule of thumb" to determine a safe distance to enjoy viewing wildlife and thinking about the principle Respect Wildlife. In the photo below we had a unanimous moment of excitement when we asked the students at the Virginia Beach Friends School "who likes to play outside?"



Thanks to Jacquie Whitt and Ed Hollinger for making our visit possible.


All the best,

Jason and Agata

NAI National Conference-Las Vegas

Las Vegas, the city of lights, loud music, and lots of people, is one area of the country you would not expect Leave No Trace to be. Yet this week, over 1000 outdoor enthusiasts from around the country are swarming "Sin City" for the National Association of Interpretation Conference. We are happy to be here to take part in this national conference to educate interpreters and outdoor educators about the Leave No Trace program. We have already spoken to hundreds of participants about our Traveling Trainer program and how to get FREE training at their sites, our youth program PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids), as well as ways to incorporate Leave No Trace into their existing programs, and it is only the second day of the conference! We are looking forward to the rest of the week here, especially our adventure to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, located just outside of the city!

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy

West Central Florida & Gulf Ridge Councils Centennial Camporee

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to participate in the West Central Florida and Gulf Ridge Councils Centennial Camporee. The Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers and Sea Scouts put on the largest scouting event ever in West Central Florida to celebrate the 100th year of scouting. About 300 people came by our booth to learn more about taking care of the outdoors and they had a chance to figure out how long common trash items last in the outdoor. We also had the opportunity to facilitate two awareness workshops and teach 75 scouts and leaders more about minimizing their impact on the outdoors.

Thanks to Jeanette McCullough for inviting us!

All the best,

Agata and Jason

Winter Skills and Demo Day

Over the weekend, we were invited to present two awareness workshops at the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) conference in Keystone, CO. In our first workshop, we addressed techniques and strategies on how to run a successful Leave No Trace awareness workshop. Round two was focused on the general skills and ethics of Leave No Trace, highlighting winter and alpine environments. The participants represented a variety of schools and universities from across the country including the University of Connecticut (Go Huskies!), Southeast Illinois University, and Pacific University in Oregon. We are confident that the workshop attendees will enthusiastically bring Leave No Trace education back to their communities. It's all about sharing the ethic!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Picture of the Week 11/12/10

Sunrise at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park.