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by Ben Lawhon
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.
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. 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. The American Camp Association
(ACA) 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 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 and wilderness areas 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 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 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 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 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),
Zoom (binoculars), Digger (shovel), Flash (camera), Pointer (compass),
Sparks (camp stove) 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 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 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. 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 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. 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 and forests,
day camps, elementary/middle/high schools, and festivals like National
Public Lands Day. Generally, visits from the Traveling Trainers are free
of charge and involve fun, interactive, hands-on learning. The teams are
able to provide many types of outreach and custom tailor their presentations
to the unique needs of each audience.
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.
Originally published in the 2005 January/February
issue of Camping Magazine.
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