Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The organization strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Leave No Trace is an educational and ethical program, not a set of rules and regulations. Leave No Trace information helps public land visitors understand and practice minimum impact skills and ethics.
The Leave No Trace message is framed under seven principles:
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The roots of Leave No Trace (LNT) can be traced to the 1970s and 1980s.[1] In those decades, the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service started to teach their non-motorized visitors how to have a minimal impact on the land. Also in the 70s, groups such as the Sierra Club were advocating minimum impact camping techniques. The BSA had been actively advocating training and implementation of Leave No Trace and outdoor ethics principals early in the 70's at such places as Philmont Scout Ranch in Northern New Mexico. A pilot program in the 80s between the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and the High Uintas Wilderness tried to reach a wide audience. Finally, a national education program was developed in 1990 by the United States Forest Service in conjunction with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Jim Ratz, of NOLS, was the first Chairman of the LNT Board. Jim Landmann, of L.L. Bean and NOLS, was the founding Executive Director.
Historian James Morton Turner has examined the cultural and political history of "Leave No Trace." Turner charts a broad shift in wilderness ethics, from an early 20th-century ethic of 'woodcraft' (where wilderness travelers prized themselves on their ability to rely on the resources of wild lands as a way of escaping modern society) to a post-WWII ethics of Leave No Trace (that often required backpackers to rely on modern technology to minimize their impact in wilderness areas).[2] Turner attributes the creation of the LNT ethic to sharp increases in wilderness visitation during the 1960s and 1970s, the advent of new backcountry recreational equipment (white gas stoves, synthetic tents, and sleeping pads), the commercial interests of a growing outdoor recreation industry, and the imperative to protect the wilderness system from degradation. He notes that this confluence of factors aligned with the interests of wilderness advocates, who both wished to cultivate popular support for wilderness designations and aimed to minimize impacts on wilderness areas -- severely limiting wilderness access would have jeopardized support for the Wilderness Act.[2]
Leave No Trace provides a framework for outdoor recreation decision making, which is summarized in the following 7 principles:[3]
| Leave No Trace | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Boulder, CO, USA |
| Executive Director | Dana Watts |
| Parent organization | Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics |
| Website | http://www.LNT.org |
The Leave No Trace program is managed by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, [6] formerly Leave No Trace, Inc., which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship by all people worldwide. This mission is accomplished through education, research, volunteerism and partnerships. Leave No Trace tries to build awareness, appreciation and respect for our wildlands. Since its founding in 1994, the Center has provided training in every state in the U.S. and over 25 countries. There are more than 25,000 active volunteers and members who help provide training and outreach that impacts more than 22 million people annually in the U.S. alone.
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has partnerships with the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Boy Scouts of America[7] and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The "Leave No Trace" method is encouraged strongly and used by youth serving organizations, college and university outing programs, outfitter and guide services, outdoor clubs, non-profit organizations and state and local governments. An example of how this partnership works is that wilderness areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service actively promote adherence to Leave No Trace principles. The Center has also developed partnerships with other parks, municipalities, and agencies that wish to incorporate the Leave No Trace program in information provided to the public. In 2010, the Boy Scouts of America incorporated Leave No Trace into its advancement and leadership programs.[8]
The Center for Outdoor Ethics currently has three international branches - Leave No Trace Ireland, Leave No Trace Australia and Leave No Trace/Sans Trace Canada. Additionally, the Center has partnerships or is working in over 50 other countries around the world. The Leave No Trace program is widely viewed as a successful model that can be replicated in other countries in order to minimize recreation-related impacts.
A Leave No Trace Master Educator Course is typically five days in length and designed for people who are actively teaching others outdoor skills or providing recreation information to the public. The Master Educator Course provides participants with a comprehensive overview of Leave No Trace skills and ethics through practical application in a field-based setting. The first day is spent in a classroom, introducing the course and schedule, providing in-depth information on the overall Leave No Trace program and the Center for Outdoor Ethics, reviewing gear and packing. The remaining days are spent in the field on a short backcountry trip learning and practicing the principles of Leave No Trace.
Each course is staffed with a minimum of two highly experienced outdoor professionals who are Master Educator Instructors. Participants learn Leave No Trace techniques through skits, discussions and hands-on activities. To practice Leave No Trace teaching strategies in a supportive, educational environment, each participant teaches a short session geared toward minimum impact Leave No Trace concerns.
Currently, there are over 4000+ Leave No Trace Master Educators worldwide representing dozens of countries and all 50 states. This valuable training is recognized throughout the world by the outdoor industry, land management agencies and the outdoor recreation community. Successful graduates of the Master Educator Course have the ability to train others in Leave No Trace skills, as well as facilitate Leave No Trace Trainer courses and Awareness Workshops.
Leave No Trace Trainer Course s are two-day trainings facilitated in an outdoor setting by Master Educators. Trainer Courses are designed for educators, guides, agency employees, and other outdoor professionals. There are currently over 17,000+ Leave No Trace Trainers worldwide. Successful graduates of the Trainer Course gain the skills to teach Leave No Trace techniques and ethics to their clients, friends and family. Participants learn the concepts of Leave No Trace and prepare to teach Leave No Trace curriculum in a variety of settings-schools, camps, parks, wilderness and frontcountry areas. Workshop topics include the underlying ethics and seven principles of Leave No Trace.
Leave No Trace Awareness Workshops are any type of formal Leave No Trace training that are one day or less in length. These presentations may be 30-minute chats about the Leave No Trace principles or full-day workshops.
The Leave No Trace State Advocate Program assists interested Leave No Trace educators and volunteers with their local effort to promote and teach minimum impact outdoor ethics. These active State Advocate volunteers are a key part of the Leave No Trace program because they coordinate outreach, education and training in their respective states. The State Advocates support volunteers with Leave No Trace training, increase on-the-ground awareness and attend events to further the Leave No Trace program and mission. The State Advocates have been instrumental in building communities of volunteers and educators, state-by-state.
In order to put Leave No Trace education in motion, the Center established the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers. The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers provide hands-on educational workshops and training. Each presentation is unique, from an hour-long workshop to a two-day Leave No Trace Trainer Course. They work with a wide range of audiences such as, youth serving organizations, college students, outdoor guides, land management employees and outdoor companies. With one team traveling the West coast, one team traveling the East, and the Senior Team traveling the entire lower 48 states, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers are able to bring that training directly to your park. The teams visit outdoor retail stores, National and State Parks, elementary/middle/high schools, colleges and universities, and festivals like National Public Lands Day. Ideally, training takes place outdoors where participants are able to learn about Leave No Trace hands-on. The teams are able to provide several types of outreach and custom tailor their presentations to the unique needs of each audience. With the demand for courses specific to particular audiences, the Center has developed Leave No Trace courses specific to rock-climbing, mountain biking, sea kayaking, as well as for many other types of user groups.
The PEAK Program began as a partnership program between the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and REI in 2003. The program’s curriculum centers on providing youth, age 6-12, with information about Leave No Trace through hands-on activities, referred to as “modules”. The program is presented in a “PEAK Pack,” which includes a large packet of ready-to-go activities, supporting materials and an instructional DVD. Activities can be delivered in any sequence and are designed to be 30–60 minutes lessons each. Initially, the PEAK program included four modules. Over the past five years, the program has grown to include six standard modules, a Start Card with teaching tips, an instructional DVD, additional modules (two new modules are added per year to both PEAK and Teen), a Teen Pack and both Spanish PEAK and Teen packs.
The Center does not award cash grants or international grants.
Connect Grants provide direct support and training grants for organizations and people that serve culturally diverse communities. Grant awards range between $500 and $2500 and can be used for Leave No Trace educational materials and/or to cover the tuition of a Master Educator Course.[9]
Eligibility: Applicants should be registered for a Master Educator Course within same calendar year as their scholarship deadline. Master Educator Scholarships are designed to provide partial course tuition to individuals enrolled in an approved Master Educator Course. Scholarships cover up to half of course tuition and do not include travel costs or other related expenses.[9]
The “Packing with PEAK Fund” was created to help make the Packing with PEAK program available to youth-serving organizations across the country. The Center requests that applicants be individual members or partners of Leave No Trace. Membership begins at $20/year.[9]
The Center requests that applicants be individual members or partners of Leave No Trace. Membership begins at $20/yr. The maximum value of educational materials awarded is $500 per applicant/organization per year.[9]