Leave No Trace Trainer Course

Lost Creek Reserve. Troy, Ohio

   

A program offered by Miami County Parks and Outdoor Adventure Connection

Leave No Trace Trainer Course
March 10 - 11, 2018
Lost Creek Reserve. Troy, Ohio
Meets at 10:00am.
Fee: $85 - Includes Saturday supper.
Minimum six participants needed.

Description: This two-day, 16-hour course assists course participants in learning more about the seven principles of Leave No Trace and ways for disseminating these low impact strategies. Leave No Trace promotes and inspires responsible outdoor recreation while minimizing human impact to the backcountry. At Outdoor Adventure Connection, we believe in the value of Leave No Trace for outdoor enthusiasts as a set of ethics, not a set of rules.

This course is a Trainer workshop. Successful graduates of this course gain valuable skills that will enable them to teach Leave No Trace techniques and ethics to their clients, friends and family. One requirement for successful completion is to design and present a short (15-20 minute) lesson and a practice activity on one of the Leave No Trace principles.

A park naturalist from Miami County Parks will join us for this trip! Learn the names of plants and animals while we hike.



Who Should Take This Workshop? Backcountry guides, hiking club trip leaders, paddling trip leaders, private expedition groups, youth group leaders, college/university outdoor education programs, park employees, forest rangers and wilderness therapeutic program leaders.

Prerequisites: None.

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace

• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Leave What You Find
• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• Respect Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Other Visitors

About Lost Creek Reserve: Lost Creek, managed by the Miami County Park District, is the largest park with 457 acres of landscape.  It has miles of trail that takes you past farm fields, through wooded areas and along Lost Creek making this Reserve a great place for hiking, cross country skiing and viewing wildlife. Lost Creek Reserve Web Site


The Plan: Saturday we will hike ~3 miles on portions of the Buckeye Trail and North Country National Scenic Trail at a leisurely pace over flat terrain to the location where we will spend the night. Some short road-walking is required. Along the way, we will conduct courses in the field which teach various Leave No Trace principles. On Sunday morning, we will hike ~3 miles back to our cars arriving around noon.


Camping: Workshop participants should come prepared to camp out. Our home base for the night is a rustic, one-room cabin with a wood burning fireplace located on park property. Participants can tent nearby or sleep on the floor of the cabin. The cabin has an indoor toilet. Drinking water is provided.

What Is Included? Your registration fee includes professional instruction, all course material, a one-year membership to Leave No Trace, camping, parking and permit fees, Saturday supper and dessert around the campfire. Supper will consist of sampling various backpacking food entrees. This is a great chance to check out different backpacking food choices and decide which you like best!

Not included: Gear, meals, (except for Saturday supper), snacks and transportation.

Required Equipment:

• Backpack
• Tent
• Sleeping Bag & Pad
• Headlamp or Flashlight
• Sitting Pad. Foam or Inflatable
• Warm Clothes (warm hat, gloves & long underwear)
• Rain Gear
• Food: Saturday Lunch, Sunday Breakfast.
• Personal medications: Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Antacids, Pepto-Bismol, Prescriptions (as needed).

A pair of trekking poles, hiking stick or staff is highly recommended!

Your Leave No Trace Master Educators:

Tama Cassidy. Tama is a full-time naturalist for the Miami County Park District. She loves to hike, backpack, and be out in nature. She is a Leave No Trace Master Educator. She hikes sections of the Appalachian Trail each year. In her spare time, Tama can be found underground exploring wild caves. She and her husband were invited to a weeklong underground expedition in Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico. She's rappelled Golindrinas Cave, a 1,200-foot pit in Mexico with her daughter and husband. Tama is experienced in canyoneering at Zion National Park.


Andy "Captain Blue" Niekamp. Andy Niekamp is the Chief Adventure Officer for Outdoor Adventure Connection, which specializes in backcountry adventures. Andy has backpacked over 20,000 miles including five end to end hikes of the Appalachian Trail and thru hikes of the Buckeye Trail, Ohio To Erie Trail, Florida Trail, Arizona Trail, Camino de Santiago, Sheltowee Trace, Long Trail, Ozark Highlands Trail, Colorado Trail, Superior Hiking Trail, John Muir Trail and the Bartram Trail. Andy is founder and leader of the Dayton Hikers group, the largest outdoor recreation group in Dayton, Ohio, and a Leave No Trace Master Educator. Andy Niekamp grew up and lives in Dayton and has a passion for long distance hiking which he shares with others. Andy brings his wealth of backpacking experience and his passion for hiking to this program. He has two rules for his backpacking trips. Number 1: Be safe. Number 2: Have fun!

Here Is What They Say About Our Level 1 Workshops:

From Leave No Trace, to the simplicity of food choices, to starting a fire, I was amazed by all of the little tricks. – Rachel M.

The course, workshops, guides and time spent was excellent and I hope to do other courses in the future. – Joe V.

Best hiking group ever! I loved the guides. They were both so kind and patient and answered all those questions I had about stoves, filters, packing backpack. – Tippi M.

I loved all the hands on activities and the experienced leaders that were there to help. It was lots of fun, and I learned so much!! Thank you!! – Whitney T.

I really liked the evening supper and getting to try all the different freeze dried foods to see what we liked. All the workshops were really great and I liked how all the information was presented in a fun and relaxed atmosphere! – Erika O.

It was perfect the way it was. Just enough time to "get your feet wet" I like there are other courses that build from this experience. – Andrea W.

Thank you very much for a very fun backpacking trip/workshop. We leaned a lot and really enjoyed the trip. We will see you again on future backpacking trips! – Shao Z.

This experience was amazing. I wouldn't change anything. I was very sad to see it end. – Kody M

I didn't know much about the ethics of backpacking until this weekend. I now know how important it is to apply the "Leave No Trace Principles" while in the woods. I had FUN and that matters most. Thank you again for being awesome organizers! – Sarah N.

Workshops were very good and spread throughout the weekend. I felt comfortable asking questions. – Candy A.

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READ THIS BEFORE REGISTERING:

Cancellation & Refund Policy: Your registration fee includes a non-refundable deposit of 20% of the amount received. Your registration fee, minus the 20% non-refundable deposit, minus any online payment transaction fees, is refundable if you cancel 21 days in advance. Your entire registration fee is refundable if this event is canceled or rescheduled except online payment transaction fees which are not refundable under any circumstances.

Participants must complete an Application / Medical Form and sign a liability waiver.

Minimum age is 18. No pets are permitted. All of our events are non-smoking.

Just wanted to let you know what a spectacular weekend we had. I could not have been happier signing up for this trip. For a while, I've been wanting to do more backpacking, but just now brave enough or confident enough to venture out on my own. – Nancy B.