Special Week Long Education Events at Point Reyes National Seashore with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers

Date: March 30, 2015
Contact: John Dell'Osso, 415-464-5135
Contact: Kate Lessman, 970-333-3395

March 30, 2015 (Marin County, CA) The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and its Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers team are partnering with the National Park Service and the Point Reyes National Seashore Association to host community events and educational activities April 6–13, 2015. The scenic and popular Point Reyes National Seashore has experienced visitor-created impacts in recent years, including excessive trash, damage to vegetation, disturbance of wildlife with dogs in restricted areas, and trail erosion.

The Hot Spot Program, a key component of the Leave No Trace in Every Park initiative, raises community awareness and brings solutions to popular natural areas facing heavy recreational use and consequently, the threat of harm to 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.

"The cumulative impact of so many people enjoying a great national park system such as Point Reyes National Seashore can negatively affect that place," according to Patrick Beezley, 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 excited to work with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers to help educate our community and raise awareness for the future enjoyment and preservation of our beautiful landscape," said John Dell'Osso, Chief of Interpretation at Point Reyes National Seashore.

During the week Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers will provide private training sessions with seashore staff, partners, volunteers and specific non-profit groups to encourage future Leave No Trace programing in the Bay Area and beyond. On the weekend, there will be a service project that is open to the public for those interested in lending a helping hand at Drakes Estero.

The following is a list of events happening in Point Reyes National Seashore with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers that are free and open to the public:

Saturday, April 11: Calling all volunteers! Drakes Estero Shoreline Clean Up:
Limited space, pre-registration required.
Join the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, the National Park Service and Point Reyes National Seashore Association for a Drakes Estero Shoreline Clean Up Day from 10 am to 2:30 pm. We will break into two groups to clean up onshore debris around the fingers of the bay and learn about Leave No Trace ethics. Depending on the debris load, we may hike from 0.5 to 5 miles round-trip in muddy marshes collecting trash. Volunteers are encouraged to wear layers, and bring a sun hat, sunscreen, mud boots, gloves, snacks and a water bottle. All ages and groups encouraged. Children must attend with a guardian. Some additional driving to other entry sites may be required. Please meet at the Drakes Estero parking lot to check in, fill out volunteer forms and meet the crew. To register for this volunteer opportunity, sign up here or call 415-663-1200 x310 or email.

Sunday, April 12: Leave No Trace Workshop at Point Reyes National Seashore's Bear Valley Visitor Center. Pre-registration is required.
Join the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers at Point Reyes National Seashore's Bear Valley Visitor Center from 10 am to 11 am for a free, public presentation and discussion that will focus on the elements of the Leave No Trace minimum impact program, highlighting skills, techniques and outdoor ethics. All ages are welcome. Participants will be provided with information on how to easily and effectively integrate Leave No Trace into their daily lives and programs. The Traveling Trainers are committed to teaching Leave No Trace education as they live on the road, sleep 200 nights a year in a tent, and offer this award winning program in communities from coast to coast. To register for this volunteer opportunity, sign up here or call 415-663-1200 x310 or email.

For more information about events with Leave No Trace at Point Reyes, visit here.

About Leave No Trace
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is 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.

About Point Reyes National Seashore A Natural Sanctuary, A Human Haven
From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers visitors over 1,500 species of plants and animals to discover. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, the Seashore preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people. Only one hour from approximately 8 million people, this wilderness area awaits your exploration.

About Point Reyes National Seashore Association
Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) is a cooperating association of the National Park Service. PRNSA works in partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore and the public to preserve, restore and maintain wildlife habitat, trails, and historic sites in this beautiful coastal park.

Drakes Estero is a coastal estuary of five branching bays, representing the geographical and ecological heart of Point Reyes National Seashore and is a part of the Phillip Burton Wilderness Area, the only marine wilderness on the Pacific coast south of Alaska.

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