Environment and Ecology News

Fight Brewing Over the Cahaba River
CBS42
Hundreds of neighbors crammed into a standing room only auditorium to learn about the Cahaba River Refuge and Conservation proposal. ...
Property owners fear land grabs in Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge ...al.com (blog)
Cahaba River FightCBS42
Meeting to address expansion of wildlife refugeTuscaloosa News (subscription)

all 4 news articles »

Bigfoot...I am attaching a photo of our group of ten guys that spent the weekend backpacking, fishing and exploring near Three Finger Jack peak in Oregon. Three of the guys had never been backpacking before and shared that they liked it when it was all over. They experienced setting up a campsite on a durable surface, disposal of waste properly, and cleaning up the site when it was time to trek out. They even got a taste of camping in a summer rainstorm Saturday afternoon. A great weekend overall.Kevin PennerPortland, Oregon

Check it out! American River Blog - Leave No Trace

Raindrop Festival Moves Outdoors
Birmingham Weekly
“The trust was founded when Shane Hulsey, who was an environmentalist and a kayaker that worked for the Cahaba River Society, died in a boating accident on ...

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On Wednesday this week we presented to student leaders of Princeton University's Outdoor Action Program as they gear up for one of the country's largest freshman outdoor orientation programs. In small groups of 12, these leaders will be venturing out on week-long backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing, bike touring, community service, and sustainable farming trips with over 800 new students on campus. We were excited to attend a pre-trip planning day to share with the leaders various methods for teaching Leave No Trace to the trip participants. Our goal was to inspire the 230 leaders to approach their opportunity with the perspective of William Butler Yeats: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

The group leaders asked thoughtful questions and were very appreciative of the opportunity to develop their leadership skills around all things Leave No Trace for their upcoming adventures!

All the best,

Agata and Jason

Cahaba River Fight
CBS42
Now, an expansion is planned to further preserve the Cahaba River. However, some land owners are not happy. Bibb County landowner, James Potts owns more ...

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Three charged with arson of historic cabin
WBRC
... grand jury Wednesday indicted three people in connection with the 2009 fire of a historic building in the Talladega National Forest near Anniston. ...
Federal grand jury in Birmingham hands down indictments on child porn, arson ...al.com (blog)

all 4 news articles »

Explosion erupts at sewer pumping station
WBRC
Authorities say the Cahaba River Sewer Pumping Station suffered minor damage after the explosion on Wednesday morning. The County would like to know if ...

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Interacting with people from all over the country is one of the definite perks of our job as Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers. Two questions we commonly hear on the road is "How can I get you guys to come do a FREE training?" and "Where can I find out if there are other training opportunities if you aren't in the area?" Here are the answer to those two frequently asked questions:

HOW DO I SCHEDULE AN EVENT WITH ONE OF YOUR TRAVELING TRAINER TEAMS?
The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers provide unique hands-on educational workshops and trainings. They work with a wide range of audiences such as youth serving organizations, college students, outdoor guides, clubs, land management agency personnel and outdoor companies. Our teams of educators are split into East and West Coast teams. Please request all Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer visits online. If you live in the West, click here,if you live in the East click here. You will generally hear back from us in 4-6 weeks to discuss a possible visit from one of our teams.

Each year the Center juggles the challenge (and opportunity) of increased requests for Traveling Trainer visits. As more organizations and individuals learn about the Traveling Trainer program, the demand for training continues to escalate. Due to this ever-increasing demand there is no guarantee that we will be able to attend your event. Thank you for your understanding.

I DON’T SEE ANY TRAINER COURSES OR AWARENESS WORKSHOPS LISTED IN MY STATE. WHEN WILL THERE BE A TRAINER COURSE OR AWARENESS WORKSHOP IN MY STATE? OR, HOW DO I FIND A TRAINER COURSE OR AWARENESS WORKSHOP IN MY STATE?
1. Visit the community page for your state (and nearby states) to see if there are any Trainer Courses/Workshops listed.

2. Contact the State Advocate and Master Educators listed in your area and work to set-up a Trainer Course/Workshop by clicking here to reach the Community Page.

3. Check the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer schedule and request an event (3+ months in advance).

4. Contact the Center with questions or for more information?

You can find the answer to over 60 other Leave No Trace FAQ's regarding Leave No Trace and the Center for Outdoor Ethics, membership and partnership, education and training materials, training education and outreach, and techniques and practices. Click here to reach the FAQ page.
Pictured above are Leave No Trace Trainers from a course last season at Government Canyon State Natural Area.

Last Friday evening we were invited to talk about Leave No Trace with a pack of 14 Cub Scouts and their families in northern Pennsylvania. The opportunity to work with the kids through PEAK pack activities such as Minimum Impact Match allowed us to help the scouts make connections between the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace and enjoying the outdoors responsibly.
The evening wrapped up with a group discussion about the group's next adventure into the outdoors and how to approach outdoor recreation in a responsible way.

Ahead this week the Traveling Trainers visit Princeton University to work with students who will be facilitating outdoor recreation trips for incoming freshman during the fall of 2010.

All the best,

Jason and Agata

Remember this blog post: Art or Impact?

Apparently there was action taken: The stones were removed by the land managers, and the area was fenced off.






Is this the best solution?

Bigfoot has had an extremely active summer! There have been rumors of sightings at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City and the Lights On summer camp in Lander, WY. There has also been confirmation that Bigfoot was seen dancing up a storm at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Rocky Grass and Folks Fest, the Planet Bluegrass music festivals in Colorado. Apparently he likes to boogie! Keep your eyes peeled because Bigfoot could be attending an event near you. If you have not seen him yet, worry not. You can get your Bigfoot fix by taking this months Bigfoot Challenge and be entered to win great outdoor gear from our partners. Remember, you can reenter each month of 2010 for your chance to win!

Happy Adventuring...Kate, Tracy, and Bigfoot!

OUR VIEW: Trinity Medical Center's attempt to relocate to HealthSouth's half ...
The Birmingham News - al.com (blog)
During construction dump trucks raced up and down Cahaba River Road at speeds faster than on 280. When the hospital goes into operation it will be much ...

and more »

Going out to pasture: 'The best thing to improve the quality of my life ...
Anniston Star
We put it on a hill smack dab in the middle of our 320 acres, bordering the Talladega National Forest. I remember our first Christmas out in the boonies in ...

Hiking the Pinhoti Trail
Daily Home Online
Patty Hackett, 47, of Prattville hikes across makeshift bridge over a creek along the Pinhoti Trail in the Talladega National Forest. ...

and more »

The Birmingham News - al.com
Proposed expansion of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge
al.com
Description: The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed vastly expanding the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, now just a 3600 acre patch of Bibb ...
CAHABA RIVER REFUGE EXPANSIONThe Birmingham News - al.com

all 8 news articles »

Above is a photo of the ultimate non-LNT campsite, found on a Big City Mountaineers backpacking trip in the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon with a bunch of teens from the Youth Employment Institute in Portland. Brendon (guide) had just told the crew they couldn’t set up camp within 200 feet of a water source, and while looking around for a new site, they found this underwater fire ring.

For information about Campfire impacts visit our website:
http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles_5.php.

For more information about Big City Mountaineers visit their website:
http://www.bigcitymountaineers.org/

When people take the Bigfoot Challenge, we always ask for pictures and stories. This recent submission was sent to us from Mary J. Hinchman.

"I shared my love of the outdoors and hiking with my dogs with a couple young families and their dogs. We did some letterboxing after making log books."


If you have not taken the Bigfoot Challenge in August, there is still time: http://lnt.org/bigfootchallenge/index.php

We've been back east for a few weeks now and luckily have had time to do some exploring as we travel and teach. While at the New River Gorge last week, we checked out historic downtown Fayetteville and hiked a number of trails to incredible panoramas of the gorge. On our way north from West Virginia, we decided to take the scenic route and enjoyed a winding drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway as well as a great hike out to McAfee's Knob (pictured above). Shenandoah National Park was our next stop and we enjoyed our visit despite the torrential downpour of rain we experienced at the Loft Mountain campground.

Keep an eye out for us in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the weeks ahead as we continue our journey as Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers!


All the best,

Agata and Jason

On Saturday, we spent the day doing outreach at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. We talked to over 1oo visitors who came to the Visitor Center to get information about the many hiking opportunities available in the park, to catch a glimpse of the gorge, or on their way to raft down the river.



The local TV station, WOAY, stopped by and interviewed Jason about the Leave No Trace program and our important partnership with the National Park Service. The piece was the highlight of the evening news program!

A special thank you to Jodi French-Burr for putting our visit together and being such a gracious host.

All the best,

Agata and Jason