46ers launch new Leave No Trace course

SARANAC LAKE | Ben Bradford, Winn Rea and Lisa Crandall, all ADK 46ers and Leave No Trace Master Educators, taught a leave no trace course to juniors and seniors enrolled in a natural resource science at Adirondack Educational Center. This is the first time they have taught this course outside of the 46ers. "For our trailhead steward programs that we run every summer, we teach all of our volunteers the leave no trace principles and how to present those to visitors," Bradford said. "This is our first time stepping out." Bradford hopes each student identified at least one thing in the presentation that they've been doing incorrectly that they now know to fix. "They're going to retain it, I hope better than most of us adults," Bradford said. "And then they're going to spread that word and tell their friends or make suggestions to their friends. And the more it's repeated, the more likely people will stop doing some things that are less than leaving no trace." Leave No Trace is a code of outdoor ethics created by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. The Adirondack 46ers partnered with Leave No Trace to help with their mission: "to protect and foster the natural resources within the forest preserve located in the Adirondack Park of the State of New York and to preserve the wilderness character of the region." The 46ers have donated over $750,000 to different projects in the Adirondacks over the last 20 years. They do not receive any grants or funding of any kind. All the money comes from member donations. "Our money comes from our dues; they are $10 a year and do not cover the administrative costs and magazines," Joe Ryan, volunteer coordinator for the 46er Trailhead Steward Program, said. The 46ers is a completely volunteer-run organization; no one is paid. The class started with an activity where there were four chairs in different parts of the room. One was labeled "always," one "often," one "sometimes," and one "never." Rea read off scenarios such as "when I go into the woods I carry an extra layer of clothing" and "if fires are allowed, I keep my fire small using wood no bigger than my wrist." This got students thinking about the choices they make when they go outside. "Clearly we have a wide range of choices that we make when we're out there," Rea said. "In the course of this time together we're going to talk about some more of the information you might consider when you're making your choices when you head out into the woods." Next, Bradford and Crandall took out their backpacks full of items one might need on a hike. They pulled out each item, asking the class why or why not it would be helpful to bring. They also made sure to tie in Leave No Trace principles and how they packed each item to follow those principles. "The number one reason why anybody ever even needs a rescue in the Adirondacks is because they did not plan ahead and prepare properly," Bradford said. The next portion of the class was held outside. There was a lesson on human waste, i.e., where to poop in the woods. The rule for leaving no trace is 200 feet away from the trail and any water source. The instructors asked the students to walk across the field until they thought they had gone 200 feet, measuring after to show how close they were. They also learned that the waste must be buried six inches in the ground. After that, they discussed respecting wildlife. Instructors set down a small bunny plush in the snow and demonstrated how to know when you're too close to an animal. There's a tool that you all came out with today and this tool will help you know if you were far enough away," Rea said. Everyone put up their thumb and started walking backward. This is how one can check if they are far away enough. If their thumb covers the animal completely, they're far enough. They did this activity with a tapestry of a deer and a tapestry of a bear. When they returned inside, the instructors passed out photos from an account called ADK Fun Police. All of the photos showed a leave-no-trace principle being broken. One photo showed a lean-to that had been burned almost completely, the result of an unattended fire. Students used a list of the seven principles to identify which were being violated. They finished the class period by assigning everyone a material (orange peel, plastic bag, glass bottle) that they had to put on a timeline, showing how long it would take to decompose. "This is your home; you're very lucky to live here," Crandall said. "I care enough about it that I took the day off to share this information. I want to keep your home pristine."

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46ers launch new Leave No Trace course

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