Watch Your Step!!!

We recently spent the day with over 200 Girl Scouts at an Encampment in Tully, NY. Many of the girls spent the night at Camp Hoover, and we were excited to meet up with them and talk about Leave No Trace. During the course of the day we introduced many girls to the 7 principles of Leave No Trace. We spent a little extra time talking about the principle Travel and Camp on Durable Surface/Choose the Right Path. During an activity called "Watch Your Step" the girls discovered all sorts of plants and creatures that live on the ground and are vulnerable to being stepped on and crushed. During the activity, we found an ant hill, strawberry plants, beetles, small saplings and a few wild flowers. We went on to talk about the importance of walking on more durable surfaces. One group even surprised us by singing a song about the importance of walking through puddles on the trail instead of around them. We want to give everyone at Camp Hoover a big thanks for welcoming us into their Encampment and for teaching us "I Love Mud."

Thompson Poudre Boyscout Camporee

To round out what has been an epic season of training we headed to the Red Feather Lakes region just northwest of the Fort Collins, CO area.  With the help of fellow trainers and Poudre Wilderness Volunteers Garin Vandemark, Bob Manuel, Mark Snyder, and Fred Allen we  helped train over 250 Boyscouts from the greater Fort Collins area on the seven principles.  Scouts rotated through four stations to learn what it takes to Leave No Trace.  For some it was a great chance to review, for others it was their first taste of the skills and ethics.  We would like to thank the Poudre Wilderness Volunteers and Dave Hattis for all their help in planning and executing this program, we hope to team up with PWV for many years to come. 

Happy Trails, 

Topher and Alexis

Water Trails Conference

This past weekend we had the opportunity to present to a collective of folks responsible for building and maintaining water trails around North America and other locations around the world.  The International Water Trails Conference put on by the Washington Water Trails Association in Port Townsend, WA featured presentations on a variety of issues related to the start up, and operation of water trails.  We found out just how big a role Leave No Trace plays in the world of water trails especially when you consider how finite the resourses are on many of the island that water trails use.  We want to thank the Washington Water Trails Association for be such great hosts, and partners of Leave No Trace.  

Openlands

We held a small awareness workshop at the Winnebago Forest Preserve District for conservation leaders and parks and recreation managers in the Rockford, IL vicinity.  Our workshop focused on discussions about the Frontcountry issues that are prevalent on the Kishwaukee Water Trail and other parks in the area.  Laura Barghusen from Openlands, a Leave No Trace partner, coordinated this event.  Openlands is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing public open space in northeastern Illinois and have secured over 45,000 acres of land in for public parks, forest preserves, land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens.  We're very thankful for what they do at Openlands and we'll be taking this Frontcountry state of mind over to Pittsburgh for the International Urban Parks Convention.

Olympic National Park

On the way to our next program, we had a chance to check out Olympic National Park in Washington state. What an amazing park, enclosed by water on three sides of the park, with a very diverse ecosystem. In one day a visitor to the park can hike along the coast and view amazing sea stacks, venture into the rainforest and view 300 ft tall spruce trees covered in moss, and gaze upon the glaciers on Mt. Olympus. We hiked along the coast, and explored the sea stacks during low tide which was  amazing  to view the abundance of life within the tidal pools. We also had a chance to camp and hike in the Hoh Rainforest, and view  the many Elk and Black Tail Deer that also live in the campsite area. This is one of the most pristine & unique National Parks, which we look forward to visiting again. 

We are now at the International Water Trails Conference in  quaint town of Port Townsend, Wa. 

Happy Trails, 

Alexis & Topher

Virginia is for Lovers!

After a quick lunchtime presentation at the National Geographic Headquarters in Washington D.C. last week we headed to Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, VA via the Shenandoah National Park. We camped at Mathew's Arm Campground in the northern part of the park and then took our time and drove down the Skyline Drive to take in all the great views and scenery. Once we had our fill we headed to Lynchburg and arrived at the Claytor Nature Study Center, an extension of Lynchburg College, to meet up with 12 Trainer Course participants.

We spent Saturday and Sunday at the nature center talking, teaching, and learning about Leave No Trace. At the end of the course 10 student leaders for the New Horizons program and the Director of the Claytor Nature Study Center were officially Leave No Trace Trainers. It was a great course and our thanks go out to all of those who participated, to the Claytor Nature Study Center for hosting, and to Paul Stern for organizing.

Thanks.

JD and Emily

Illinois Rained

We're in the midst of an extremely wet week here in Illinois, but we making the best of it.  First, in Springfield, we talked with 35 kids and 5 teachers at the Montessori Children's House on a rainy day afternoon.  Thank you to Sue Harris for welcoming us into her school.  Then it was off to Rantoul, IL for the Boy Scouts Illini Jamboree with the Prairielands Council of East Central Illinois and Western Indiana.  2,900 scouts were at this big event, and we had a great time during our two awareness workshops onstage at Grissom Theater.  Thanks to Ralph and Ellen for taking great care of us at the Jamboree.  Also, a big tough thumbs up to all the Scouts who stuck around last night and woke up this morning in a monsoon only to have to break down there tents and pack up in a downpour with no end in sight.