Mission, Objectives & History of the Leave No Trace program A National Education Program Designed to Teach Stewardship, Land Ethics, and Outdoor Skills on Public Lands

Presentation Objectives Describe the non-profit Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Describe the mission of the Leave No Trace educational program. Review the history of the national Leave No Trace educational program.

Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Partners with federal agencies, manufacturers, retailers and others to promote minimum impact messages. A non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Bureau of Land Management U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Park Service U.S. Forest Service

LNT staff develop and distribute educational materials, promote LNT initiatives with federal agencies and cooperating organizations, and conduct fundraising. For more information: or The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is based in Boulder, Colorado. Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics

Leave No Trace Mission Statement The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people, worldwide.

Leave No Trace Core Values Education is the best means to protect natural lands from recreational impacts while helping maintain access for recreation and enjoyment; LNT is founded on outdoor ethics whereby a sense of stewardship is gained through understanding and connecting with the natural world; Practicing the Leave No Trace principles is the most relevant and effective long-term solution to maintaining the beauty, health of, and access to natural lands; LNT is science-based and builds ethical, pragmatic approaches to resource protection for varying types of outdoor recreation and enjoyment.

Prevent avoidable resource and social impacts Minimize unavoidable impacts Preserve the quality of resources and recreation experiences The LNT Challenge

Regulation… or Education ? Regulations antagonize the public … education wins their support Most impacts are not due to malicious acts … education improves knowledge of consequences and low impact practices Enforcement of regulations is difficult

Educational Programs: Conception and Early Development Federal agencies developed educational brochures beginning in the 1970s Slogan-based, little national leadership or inter-agency coordination Various names: Wilderness Manners, Wilderness Ethics, Minimum Impact Camping, and No-Trace Camping

Take Only Pictures... Leave Only Footprints

The No-Trace Program Developed by U.S. Forest Service (USFS) wilderness managers in the early 1980s Humanistic approach for wilderness ethics and low impact hiking and camping practices Program success led to cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service and in the late 1980s

Creation of the Leave No Trace Program Leave No Trace (LNT) selected as the name for an expanded national program in USFS formed a partnership with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) to develop LNT educational materials and courses. Partnership formed with the four major land management agencies and NOLS in 1994.

Creation of Leave No Trace, Inc. Outdoor Recreation Summit in 1993 recommended creation of the non-profit LNT, Inc. LNT, Inc. was created in 1994 to guide the national programs development, establish partnerships, distribute educational materials, and conduct fundraising. NOLS continued to develop educational materials and conduct training courses.

Current Status The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is guided by an Executive Director and a Board of Directors with corporate, non-profit and government representatives. > 1 million budget; staff: 9 permanent staff & 8 seasonal in Funding is primarily derived from corporate manufacturing and retail partners.

Current Status: Training Organizations The following organizations have been authorized to teach the Leave No Trace Master Educator course: National Outdoor Leadership School Appalachian Mountain Club Landmark Learning Wilderness Educational Association USFS Ninemile Wildlands Training Center Boy Scouts of America

This slide set was developed for the national Leave No Trace program. Copies may be obtained from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Shorter versions can be developed by omitting slides or local images may be substituted to adapt the program to specific areas. Developed by Jeff Marion, Ph.D. Leader, Cooperative Park Studies Unit, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA ,