University of Scouting Cub Leave No Trace CS-36 January 10, 2009

Leave No Trace Outdoor Skills and Ethics A National Education Program Designed to Teach Stewardship, Land Ethics, and Outdoor Skills

Video SOFT PATHS How to enjoy the wilderness without harming it The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)

Leave No Trace Started from the Give a Hoot Don’t Pollute program by the big four Federal Land Managers US Forest Service US Park Service Bureau of Land Management US Fish and Wildlife Service Managed through The Center for Outdoor Ethics

What about the Scouts? We have had a program of “leave your camp site better than you found it” for years We added “Minimal Impact Camping” in the 60’s We added the American Outdoor Code in the 70’s We added the Leave No Trace Program in the late 90’s We are in the process of updating all of our Manuals (Cub Handbook) to include a lot more on Leave No Trace for the 100th anniversary editions

What about the Cub Scouts? Kids out of control Way too much noise Group sizes way too big Inappropriate play damages the area Completely soak up popular campsites or shelters Unskilled campers using areas that call for expert skills Using inappropriate areas (hi-use, fragile) to train new campers

What About the Cub Scouts? Remember that some of this is very old history – we took trenching out of the Scout Manuals in the 50’s and 60’s for example Sometimes our Leaders have not been Trained or our Outdoor Training is out of date Don’t let your prior training stop you from Setting the Example on LNT or being in the Outdoors

What has Changed? % ? In our U.S. wildlands alone: • 1965 - 4 million visitor-days per year • 2000 - 20 million This is up 400 % ! Annual mountain-bike rides in Moab, UT area: • 1965 - Zero % ? • 2000 - 1,000,000+

What has Changed? 94.5 % of all Americans recreate in the outdoors each year ! • Declining recreation maintenance budgets

A Sense of Scale - BSA 50,000+ Troops/Teams & 17,000+ Crews 300,000+ weekend trips (unit size) 10,000+ weekend multi-group encampments (20+ units) 5,000+ week-long trips (unit size) 1,000+ week-long multi-group encampments (20+ units)

Estimated annual outdoor use A Sense of Scale - BSA Estimated annual outdoor use by BSA on public/private recreation lands: Over 15 million user days!

30,000,000 12 Hour Days per Year – USFS Method A Sense of Scale - BSA 15,000,000 24 Hour Days per Year Or 30,000,000 12 Hour Days per Year – USFS Method

A Sense of Scale - BSA We are the biggest users – PERIOD We are bigger than the Girl Scouts We are bigger than NOLS, Outward Bound We are bigger than Sierra Club Outings We are bigger than all of these combined plus a lot more

We are the Elephants in the Woods ! A Sense of Scale - BSA We are the Elephants in the Woods !

BSA has the opportunity right now More Sense of Scale BSA has the opportunity right now to quickly influence the LNT behaviors of: Over 20 million outdoor folks!

Public Eye All Scouts represent the BSA When the public sees a scout act in a certain way they associate this behavior with all scouts As the elephant we need to show and set the example

A few Definitions Frontcountry - what is easy to get to from our cars, 85% of recreating is in the Frontcountry Frontcountry Program Areas – Frontcountry areas set aside for Program use, A large part of a Boy Scout Camp for example w/ fire pits Backcountry – what is more difficult to get to, off the road, “wilderness areas”

Leave No Trace - Changes when we move from a Frontcountry location to Frontcountry program areas to Backcountry areas But the Principles and Practices stay the same !

The Leave No Trace Challenge Prevent avoidable resource and social impacts Minimize unavoidable impacts Preserve the quality of resources and recreation experiences

LNT is Research Based LNT is not “seat of the pants” It is based on research from over a 100 years of field ecological research work Recreation ecology research tells us about recreation impacts and how they can be reduced by land managers and visitors Social Science research tells us about visitor perceptions and behaviors

Leave No Trace Principles Backcountry – 7 Principles This is what Boy Scouts do most of the time Frontcountry / Parks – 6 Guidelines This is what Cub Scouts do most of the time

The Seven Leave No Trace Principles Plan Ahead and Prepare Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces Dispose of Waste Properly Pack It In, Pack It Out Leave What You Find Minimize Campfire Impacts Respect Wildlife Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Six Frontcountry Guidelines Plan Ahead – Trip Permits, Food, Trash Bags, Communications with Cubs and Parents Stick to Trails – stay on the path Manage your Pets – Pick up after them Leave What You Find – take Pictures Respect Other Visitors – watch Noise Level Trash your Trash - Use the Restrooms

What Can I Do? You are doing some of It Right Now! Leave No Trace Awareness Award Take LNT Training in Circle Ten LNT Web Site -www.lnt.org Take this message back to your Den and Pack (Peak Pack)

LNT Awareness Award-Cub Discuss with your Leader or parent the importance of the LNT Frontcountry guidelines On 3 separate outings, practice the frontcountry guidelines for LNT Boys in Tigers complete #5, Wolfs #7, Bears #12, Webelos Outdoorsman activity badge Participate in a LNT service project Promise to practice the LNT frontcountry guidelines by signing the Cub LNT Pledge Draw a poster to illustrate the LNT Frontcountry Guidelines and display at a Pack meeting.

LNT Awareness Award-Cub Leader Discuss with your Den’s Cubs or your packs leaders the importance of the LNT Frontcountry Guidelines On 3 separate outings demonstrate and practice the Frontcountry guidelines for LNT Participate in presenting a den, pack, district awareness session on LNT Frontcountry Guidelines Participate in a LNT service Project Commit yourself to the LNT Frontcountry guidelines by signing the Cub LNT Pledge Assist at least 3 Cubs in earning the Cub LNT Awareness Award.

Training Leave No Trace Trainer – 16 hour course taught in Circle Ten, must be at least 16 years old. Leave No Trace Master Educator – 5 day course taught on a National and Regional Level. Leave No Trace Awareness – 15 minutes to 16 hours taught in Circle Ten by LNT Trainers or people that are “very interested” in LNT

Training Check the Council Web Site and Calendar we are scheduling 4 Trainer Courses a year and we have people that are willing to give Pack and Den Awareness presentations. LNT 10 Feb 25 and March 14-15 LNT 11 April 30 and May 16-17

Training Our goal is to have at least one LNT Trainer in every District across the nation. In Circle Ten we now have approximately one or more Trainers in Ten Districts with a total of 78 Trainers. Ask your Cub Roundtable Commissioner Staff to put this on the schedule. You might be the instructor for this course! Are you interested? Want to be a Trainer?

Contact Information Kelly Krantz Leave No Trace Trainer 972-398-9587 214-537-8996 cell kkrantz@verizon.net Plano Texas Bob Gates Leave No Trace Master Educator Instructor 972-678-1221 214-280-5300 cell gates.rr@verizon.net Allen Texas

Summary Duel responsibility for the big 4 Federal Land Managers LNT is an outdoor code of ethics not a set of rules. Scouts are the big elephant Frontcountry verse Backcountry LNT is research based Seven principals to live by Training is available

Credits Bob Gates – Training mentor and this presentation David Downing – Master Educator Instructor Andre Houser – Master Educator Instructor Frank Cole – Master Educator Instructor Rebel Rowlette – LNT Trainer Annette McGivney – Leave No Trace, A guide to the New Wilderness Etiquette

Questions