Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers Host Special Events to Help Citizens Learn How Preserve and Protect Treasured Areas for Generations to Come
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Las Vegas - The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and its Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers team are partnering with Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area to host community events and educational activities March 28-April 2, 2016. The scenic and popular Red Rock Canyon has experienced an increase in desert dumping, graffiti and user created trails over the recent years.
The Hot Spot Program, a key component of the Leave No Trace In Every Park initiative, raises community awareness and brings solutions and prevention measures to popular natural areas around the country facing heavy recreational use and consequently, the misuse of trails, parks and open space areas.
The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers travel throughout the country providing public education about how to reduce impacts in the outdoors and improve the trail user experience. Simple Leave No Trace tips visitors of Red Rock Canyon can use to protect the outdoors are:
1. Trash your Trash
Put litter—even crumbs, peels and cores— in garbage bags and carry it home or throw it in trash receptacles. Extra food, even apple cores and banana peels can do great damage to wildlife. Did you know it takes up to two years for orange or banana peels to decompose in nature; more than 10 years for plastic bags and more than 80 years for aluminum cans to decompose?
2. Dog Dogma
Use a plastic bag to pack out your dog’s poop to a garbage can. Dog waste can be harmful to the natural environment and can cause the spread of disease.
3. Take Only Pictures. Leave Only Footprints
According to U.S. state and national park services, Americans logged 1.6 billion visits to national and state park lands last year. If we all took a memento from nature during those visits, the landscape would change dramatically. Fill the memory card on your camera rather than your pockets and leave nature as you found it for others to enjoy.
4. Keep Wildlife Wild
Human food is unhealthy for all wildlife and feeding them can have unfortunate consequences such as drawing them to people and roads and making them sick.
5. Refuse the Makeover
No need for a major remodel of nature. Bring your own lightweight camp or picnic furniture and conveniences such as camp gas stoves, sleeping pads, chairs and lanterns. When you leave, it should look as though you were never there.
“The cumulative impact of so many people enjoying Red Rock Canyon can have a negative effect,” according to Blake Jackson, Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer. “In most cases, the land impact isn’t due to a malicious intent to harm nature and wildlife. Instead, it’s simply lack of Leave No Trace education and practices.”
“We are thrilled to work with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers to help educate our community raise awareness for the future enjoyment and preservation of our beautiful landscape,” said Catrina Williams, Red Rock Canyon/Sloan Field Manager.
In addition to school presentations and agency trainings taking place throughout the week, the following is a list of events happening on and around Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers are free and open to the public:
Wednesday-Saturday March 30-April 2: Trailhead Outreach and Interactive Activities: 9 a.m. -2 p.m.: Join the Subaru/Leave No Trace traveling trainers for interactive presentations and on how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. Participants also will be provided with information on how to easily and effectively integrate Leave No Trace into their daily lives. WHERE: Willow Springs, Lost Creek, and Sandstone Quarry, Red Rock Canyon.
Friday, April 1: REI Leave No Trace Presentation: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Join the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers and Red Rock Canyon National Conservancy for an interactive presentation where they'll talk about leave No Trace Principles and tips and how to help preserve Red Rock Canyon. Where: REI Boca Park, 710 S Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas.
Friday-Saturday April 1-2: Red Rock Rendezvous Climbing Festival: Join Leave No Trace at the RRR to learn more about tips and information on Leave No Trace climbing principles and trail clean up. Where: Friday, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, 6375 Nevada 159, Blue Diamond, NV.
Sunday, April 3: Leave No Trace Family Day at Red Rock Canyon: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Families and children of all ages are welcome to stop by the Leave No Trace booth for fun and informative games and activities to learn Leave No Trace principles and tips while enjoying the outdoors.
About Leave No Trace
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics in a national nonprofit organization that protects the outdoors by teaching people how to enjoy it responsibly. Their Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers are mobile teams of educators that visit 48 states every year delivering Leave No Trace programs such as Hot Spots to over 15 million people. For more information, visit: www.LNT.org.
Media Contact:
Rudy Evenson, BLM Nevada State Office, revenson@blm.gov, 775-861-6411
Kate Lessman, Think Big Media PR/Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, kate@thinkbigmediapr.com, 970-333-3395
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.