Leave No Trace (LNT) Adopted by BSA

"Leave No Trace" is the name for the National Outdoor Leadership School's [NOLs] approach to wilderness ethics as sponsored and implemented by the Department of Interior's land use agencies [Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife.

BSA will announce its implementation of an LNT Outdoor Ethics Program this year with a cover story article in the March-April issue of Scouting Magazine. LNT will replace Low Impact Camping and put teeth into the BSA's Outdoor Code.

This is a comprehensive program change. For example, Venturing's new Ranger requirements lists LNT as an elective. While we do not know exactly what the requirements look like, more than likely this elective would be fulfilled by a course similar the Masters LNT Course [which is a week-long follow-on to the LNT Train-the-Trainer Course].

Training Is Now Available

We just received word from Kelly Hartsell at Shenandoah NPS. The dates for the upcoming LNT Train the Trainer course are Sept. 18 and 19. It will be held at the 4-H center in Front Royal.

This course is essential [for an adult to take] if your troop intends to work the new BSA LNT award into their program. Recall there are Scout and Scouter versions of this award. Each set of requirements includes a get-one-give-one set of training requirements. The LNT T-t-T meets the adult award's training requirement and sets the adult up to do a LNT for a select group of troop youth leaders, which in turn, sets the youth award's circle in motion.

The contact person for this is Lee Larson. His e:mail address is - l55larso@blm.gov (note: the address is "L" 55 "L", sometimes lower case l's look like the number 1.