Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Announces 2017 Hot Spot Locations for its Leave No Trace in Every Park Program

December 12, 2016

Sixteen Diverse and Popular National, State, and Local Parks and Protected Areas Have Been Selected as Leave No Trace Hot Spot Education Events

December 12, 2016 (Boulder, Colo.) With more than 12 billion people visiting public lands each year, the need for Leave No Trace outdoor education is greater than ever before. As part of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics’ Leave No Trace In Every Park program, the Hot Spot initiative is now in its sixth year and has trained more than 50,000 people through its Hot Spots grassroots events.

Hot Spot locations are popular and beautiful outdoor areas across the country that have experienced heavy recreational use and visitor-created impacts, including excessive trash, damage to vegetation, trail erosion, disturbance to wildlife and more.

The Hot Spot program is designed to help educate people on how to reduce impacts on nature while enjoying our nation’s shared outdoor places. The Center received more than 100 nominations for Hot Spots events for 2017 and chose 16 geographically and ecologically diverse sites, nationwide.

“Hot Spot areas are damaged but can recover again with a motivated community and a week-long, comprehensive infusion of Leave No Trace. Centered around training. These efforts include a series of special workshops for local officials, land managers, and volunteers, as well as advocacy events for the general public conducted by expert Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers,” said Dana Watts, Executive Director of Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. “By identifying and working with Hot Spots and their communities across the country, Leave No Trace can rapidly move toward recovering and protecting the places we all cherish for generations.”

2017 Leave No Trace Hot Spot Locations:

Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve | Melbourne Beach, Florida | February 27 – March 6
Travis County Parks | Austin, Texas | March 1 – 3 
Lower San Marcos River Recreation Area | San Marcos, Texas | March 6 – 13
Martin Park Nature Center | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | March 13 – 20 
Pinnacle Mtn. State Park | Little Rock, Arkansas | April 3 – 5 
Kern River | Kernville, California | April 6 – 8 
Forest Park | Portland, Oregon | June 19 – 26
Conundrum Hot Springs | Aspen, Colorado | June 26 – July 3 
First State National Historical Park | New Castle, Delaware | June 26 – July 3
Grand Teton National Park | Moran, Wyoming | July 10 – 17
Catskill Park | Denning, New York | August 14 – 21
Hungarian Falls | Hubbell, Michigan | August 21 – 28
Guffy Gorge | Guffy, Colorado | August 2 – September 4
Springfield Gorge | Springfield, Ohio | September 25 – October 2
Carolina Beach State Park | Carolina Beach, North Carolina | October 2 – 9
McAfee Knob | Catawba, Virginia | October 26 – 28

“All of us have our favorite park, beach, river, or hiking trail we like to visit and these outdoor places are impacted over time. It’s important to evaluate the cumulative effect of recreational use and help educate visitors on Leave No Trace practices,” said Aaron Hussman, Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer. “In most cases, the land impact is not due to a malicious intent or a desire to harm nature and wildlife. Instead, it’s simply the lack of information and Leave No Trace education.

For more information about Leave No Trace Hot Spot and community events visit www.LNT.org.

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 educators that visit 48 states every year delivering Leave No Trace programs such as Hot Spots to over 15 million people each year. Leave No Trace in Every Park is the Center’s new, multi-year campaign that incorporates Leave No Trace programs and educational opportunities across the country. For more information, visit: www.LNT.org.

Media Contact

Kate Lessman, Think Big Media PR, kate@thinkbigmediapr.com, 970-333-3395