The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics will conduct two community events in Seattle, on June 27th and 28th, to raise awareness about environmental damage at Mount Rainier National Park, and to enlist local support in minimizing and mitigating these impacts by effective implementation of the Leave No Trace program.


Along with Leave No Trace representatives, Jordan Mammel, from Mount Rainier National Park, will join the sessions to provide information to the public about this important project. The sessions will provide the opportunity to meet and interact with educators, partners, volunteers, members, active outdoor enthusiasts, concerned locals as well as park authorities, over some food and drinks. Attendees will further have the chance to sign up for volunteer opportunities at Mount Rainier National Park, learn about upcoming Leave No Trace trainings in the area and discuss all things Leave No Trace for the community.

The two Leave No Trace Seattle events, called Backyard Sessions, will be conducted at different locations:


  • Monday, June 27th: The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98115, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. (Please RSVP to bigfoot@LNT.org to attend this session.)
  • Tuesday, June 28th: REI Flagship Store 222 Yale Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. (Please RSVP via the REI website to attend this event.)


The Center recently designated Mount Rainer National Park as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot. The Hot Spots program focuses on reversing the environmental damage caused in extremely popular recreational areas around the country, through community outreach, locally tailored education, Leave No Trace training for key park service staff and volunteers, messages to the public, consultation, educational material and local collaboration. Receiving 1.5 to 2 million visitors each year, Mount Rainier is a heavily visited park and the ensuing recreation-related impacts are severe.


By hosting the Seattle Backyard Sessions in conjunction with the Hot Spots initiative, the Center aims to procure local community participation in Leave No Trace efforts towards Mount Rainer – engaging members, volunteers and supporters in environmental stewardship efforts at the local level.


The program goal is to ignite a fire of responsibility in communities across the country, by making people aware of the impacts their recreational habits can have on their lands, and how simply they can avoid it by incorporating Leave No Trace into their interactions with the environment, says Dana Watts, Leave No Traces Executive Director. This is achieved by conducting Leave No Trace focused gatherings, of a social and educational nature, in as many communities across the country as possible – quite literally, peoples backyards.

 
The award-winning Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people of all ages how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly, and is the most widely accepted outdoor ethics program used on public lands.  As the leader in sustainable recreation practices, the Center trains a nation of outdoor advocates to put Leave No Trace principles into action. Through relevant and targeted education, research and outreach, the Center seeks to ensure the long-term health of our natural world. www.LNT.org.

Established in 1899, Mount Rainier it is America’s fifth oldest national park, encompassing 235,625 acres or 368 square miles. Mount Rainier has over 260 miles of maintained trails and 97% of the park has been designated as Wilderness. The park is famous for the actual peak, Mount Rainer, the tallest volcano and the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. At 14,410 ft., Mount Rainier is the fifth highest peak in the lower 48 states, and receives over 10,000 summit attempts annually.