Teaching campers to be stewards of the environment.1861--The Gunnery Camp is founded--The Gunnery Camp is considered the first organized American camp. Frederick W. Gunn and his wife Abigail operated a home school for boys in Washington, Connecticut Washington is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,596 at the 2000 census. It was supposedly the inspiration for the fictional town of Stars Hollow on the WB/CW TV series Gilmore Girls. . In 1861, they took the whole school on a two-week trip. The class hiked to their destination and then set up camp. The students spent their time boating, fishing, and trapping trapping, most broadly, the use of mechanical or deceptive devices to capture, kill, or injure animals. It may be applied to the practice of using birdlime to capture birds, lobster pots to trap lobsters, and seines to catch fish. . The trip was so successful that the Gunns continued the tradition for twelve years. For more than 140 years, since the Gunnery Camp was founded, the tradition of camps in America has grown exponentially ex·po·nen·tial adj. 1. Of or relating to an exponent. 2. Mathematics a. Containing, involving, or expressed as an exponent. b. . The American Camp Association (ACA ACA - Application Control Architecture ) estimates that nearly three million children attend ACA camps each year. That is a lot of footprints, campsites, campfires, and potentially a significant impact to the land. However, it also presents one of the greatest opportunities ever to teach the youth of today how to be stewards of the environment and guarantee the future protection of the natural areas we all cherish. Leave No Trace is a cooperative education
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view program that teaches outdoor enthusiasts how to protect the places they love. It is not about rules and regulations. The principles of Leave No Trace originated out of a need to protect backcountry back·coun·try n. A sparsely inhabited rural region. and wilderness areas Broadly, a wilderness area is a region where the land is left in a state where human modifications are minimal; that is, as a wilderness. It might also be called a wild or natural area. (Very low or immaterial human impact or "footprint. from human-caused recreational impacts. The Leave No Trace program is managed by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (the Center), based in Boulder, Colorado The City of Boulder (, Mountain Time Zone) is a home rule municipality located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. Boulder is the 11th most populous city in the State of Colorado, as well as the most populous city and the county . The mission of the Center is to promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation through education, research, and partnerships. The Center is the headquarters for the national education and training program and unites land management agencies, manufacturers, outdoor retailers, media, conservation groups, recreation groups, organizations, clubs, outdoor educators, and individuals who share a commitment to maintaining, preserving, and protecting our lands. Leave No Trace information is rooted in scientific studies and common sense. The message is framed under Seven Principles: * Plan Ahead and Prepare * Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces * Dispose of Waste Properly * Leave What You Find * Minimize Campfire Impacts * Respect Wildlife * Be Considerate con·sid·er·ate adj. 1. Having or marked by regard for the needs or feelings of others. See Synonyms at thoughtful. 2. Characterized by careful thought; deliberate. of Other Visitors However, the application of this educational program extends far beyond these areas. From attending trainings to utilizing educational and training resources to simply teaching campers about the environment, Leave No Trace offers a variety of programs specifically geared to youth--whether they are on a day hike at camp or a month-long mountaineering mountaineering or mountain climbing Sport of attaining, or attempting to attain, high points in mountainous regions, mainly for the joy of the climb. expedition. Reaching Out to Kids--The PEAK Program The PEAK program, based on the seven Leave No Trace principles, aims to teach minimum-impact, outdoor skills to children between the ages of six and twelve. Incorporating elements of experiential ex·pe·ri·en·tial adj. Relating to or derived from experience. ex·pe  ri·en and
environmental education, the program includes four lessons--each with
activities designed for different age groups.
Components of the PEAK program feature a variety of fun and colorful illustrated characters, such as Trek & Track (pair of hiking boots Hiking boots are footwear specifically designed for the sport of hiking. It is the most important hiking gear since its quality and durability can determine a hiker's ability to move farther, faster, and safer. ), Zoom (binoculars binoculars Optical instrument for providing a magnified view of distant objects, consisting of two similar telescopes, one for each eye, mounted on a single frame. In most binoculars, each telescope has two prisms, which reinvert the inverted image provided by the eyepiece ), Digger (shovel), Flash (camera), Pointer pointer, breed of large sporting dog developed in England more than 300 years ago. It stands between 23 and 26 in. (58.4–66.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 50 and 60 lb (22.7–27.2 kg). (compass), Sparks (camp stove stove, device used for heating or for cooking food. The stove was long regarded as a cooking device supplementary to the fireplace, near which it stood; its stovepipe led into the fireplace chimney. It was not until about the middle of the 19th cent. ) and Pitch (tent). Coupled with hands-on activities and interactive games, the program engages children with important environmental messages in an entertaining manner. The primary educational tool for the PEAK program is the PEAK Day Pack, an easy-to-use resource for educating children. The PEAK Day Pack contains four fun activities, including teaching tips and support materials, which can each be delivered in thirty to sixty minutes. The PEAK program provides an easy way to help campers become more environmentally aware. The PEAK program has three primary goals: * Increase children's awareness of Leave No Trace. * Promote the stewardship stewardship the occupation of being a steward or custodian. Referring to animals it implies the caring sort of relationship based on an acceptance of the need to include the rights of animals in overall plans to maintain financial viability. of public lands. * Meet the demands of diverse youth populations. Intended learning outcomes of the PEAK program are to: * Develop a sense of stewardship for the natural world. * Understand how to be safe and prepared for adventures in the outdoors. * Understand how to minimize impact on the environment when recreating. * Be able to make responsible decisions about impacts during outdoor activities. * Share the message of Leave No Trace with others. Learning and Teaching Environmental Awareness One poorly located campsite or campfire may have little significance, but thousands of such instances can seriously degrade TO DEGRADE, DEGRADING. To, sink or lower a person in the estimation of the public. 2. As a man's character is of great importance to him, and it is his interest to retain the good opinion of all mankind, when he is a witness, he cannot be compelled to disclose natural resources and recreation experiences. Camp is the ideal setting to teach campers to protect natural resources, take the responsibility to educate others, and practice the skills and ethics necessary to preserve the environment. The Leave No Trace program serves as one tool camp staff can use to teach essential environmental ethics Environmental ethics is the part of environmental philosophy which considers the ethical relationship between human beings and the natural environment. It exerts influence on a large range of disciplines including law, sociology, theology, economics, ecology and geography. . Its courses function like a pyramid. Master Courses are at the top of the pyramid, and train people to become comprehensive Leave No Trace educators, known as Master Educators. Master Educators, in turn, teach the second level, the Trainer Course, to people who become Leave No Trace Trainers. Trainers are then able to conduct the third level of training called Awareness Workshops, which are designed for the general public (including youth) to promote the environmental stewardship The integration and application of environmental values into the military mission in order to sustain readiness, improve quality of life, strengthen civil relations, and preserve valuable natural resources. principles of Leave No Trace. Through this structure, camp staff and even campers can easily be trained. Course Descriptions Master Educator Courses A 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. Currently, there are sixteen hundred Leave No Trace Master Educators worldwide representing nine countries and forty-five U.S. states A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States, although four states use the official title "commonwealth". The separate state governments and the federal government share sovereignty, in that an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and . The Master Course is a great option for training camp staff as Leave No Trace Trainers--e.g., send one staff member to a Master Course and then have them train the rest of the staff as Leave No Trace Trainers. Trainer Courses Leave No Trace Trainer courses are typically two-day trainings facilitated in an outdoor setting by Master Educators. Trainer courses are designed to help participants better understand and teach Leave No Trace skills and ethics. This level of training is most appropriate for camp staff and older campers. Awareness Workshops Awareness Workshops involve any type of Leave No Trace training that is one-day or less in length. These presentations can be thirty-minute chats about the Leave No Trace principles or full-day workshops. Because these workshops can be offered by Master Educators, Trainers, or anyone who is well-versed in Leave No Trace, they are an excellent option for campers or even camp staff. Additionally, Awareness Workshops can easily be tailored to meet camp-specific needs, regardless of where the camp is located or what kinds of activities the camp offers. Traveling Trainers Visit Camps The Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer program is in its sixth year of operation. This unique program involves two teams of professional outdoor educators, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, who have educated millions of individuals nationwide. With one team traveling the West Coast and one team traveling the East the Traveling Trainers are able to bring training, education, and outreach right to camp. The teams visit a variety of venues including outdoor retail stores, national parks This is a list of national parks ordered by nation. Africa
Moving Forward The youth of today are the environmental stewards of tomorrow. Camps' ability to promote sound environmental stewardship is far reaching, whether the camp is a day, resident, offsite, or onsite program. Programs such as Leave No Trace, which promotes responsible outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship, and the ACA's Outdoor Living Skills program, which teaches participants the skills to live comfortably and responsibly in the outdoors, are the vehicles that can be used to create a lasting impact on youth served by camps. By teaching children the environmental conservation message now, we can collectively ensure enjoyment, respect, and protection of our shared recreational resources and the natural lands we all value. Ben Lawhon, a natural resources management graduate of the University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the flagship institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee public university system in the American state of Tennessee. , joined the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics staff in May 2001, where he serves as the education director. His current responsibilities include curriculum development, management of national education and training programs, and coordinating general outreach efforts. For information on training and education opportunities for Leave No Trace, please visit www.lnt.org/training/index.html. |
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