Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics Discussion

OVERVIEW

“Leave No Trace (LNT) is a program that strives to educate visitors to public lands about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. LNT is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations. It’s a way of governing ourselves so that the government doesn’t have to.”

In other words, LNT provides an ethical foundation for how to be respectful of everything in the natural environment, while enhancing our own safety outdoors.

LNT applies to all kinds of outdoor activities. LNT looks and sounds simple, but in fact it’s pretty complex once you delve deeply into issues and realize how your actions impact the natural world in ways in which you had not realized. In this interactive discussion, we’ll focus on ways in which we can leave no trace while hiking and backpacking through the wilderness. I recently took an 18-hour course to become a certified LNT trainer, and I’m eager to share some highlights of what I learned while hearing your thoughts and ideas. I especially encourage current and potential hiking and backpacking trip leaders to attend, so that when we take others out into the wilderness, we can claim with some truth to be “good stewards of the land.” 😉 Also especially encouraged to attend are people who have been with me on UVa Outdoors / Outdoors at UVa trips since its inception 3.5 years ago — I can’t wait to catch up with all y’all!

We’ll meet on the Lawn in front of Pavilion VIII, sit in a circle, and discuss. Please bring warm clothing, a pen, a flashlight / headlamp, something on which to write, and something on which to sit in case the grass is wet. If it’s raining we’ll meet there and then seek some shelter.

For more information on Leave No Trace, please see http://www.lnt.org