2020 IMPACT REPORT
ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS, FINANCIALS AND PARTNERSHIPS 1
Opening The Aperture
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I have thought at length about the concept of fellowship in the months-long stretch since March, 2020. While I will avoid reciting the litany of issues and worries we all shared, I will tell you how oddly enthusiastic I have been to meet, in person, with the Leave No Trace team at our home-base in Colorado recently. I have been awash with gratitude for the contributions of these excellent colleagues who turned the wheels of Leave No Trace at a breakneck, yet remote, pace as we hunkered down.
Innovation was the name of our game as Leave No Trace made a rapid pivot to impactful and effective learning, responding to the flood of people, families and children seeking solace outside while weighing what that actually meant for the land. We introduced new digital learning that had the biproduct of being able to reach more communities, quicker and with just the Leave No Trace those communities needed. We also collaborated with new partners on first-time-user education called The Basics, a starter-resource for people new to the outdoors. While our pandemic-era programs were unrecognizable from the way Leave No Trace has traditionally provided education for the public, the unintended shifts provided welcome advancements to the Leave No Trace movement here in the U.S. and worldwide. This has been a tremendous opportunity—more people outside, on the trails and in the parks, with new resources to imbue Leave No Trace at every turn. This opportunity also provided the space to take a comprehensive look at Leave No Trace education, as well as where and how it is delivered with the goal of accessibility for more people. Building a more inclusive outdoors has meant adding layers to Leave No Trace’s scope. Along with innovative new partnerships that inform this, the organization has expert consultation in the mix that supports issues of diversity and inclusion in the outdoors. We also added fresh eyes to rework our programs and curriculum through this lens. There is no hard stop to this work for Leave No Trace moving forward. Fellowship and its place in outdoor spaces is reimagined forever. Our dependence on the outdoors for places to interact with other people—for fellowship, among other things—has changed now. With that, Leave No Trace is redefining community and expanding the bounds of what it means to be outside.
Leave No Trace Executive Director
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Over the past year the pandemic has highlighted the need for outdoor spaces more than ever before. As natural areas continue to see record visitation, responsible recreation practices have taken center stage. The Leave No Trace organization has stepped up to the challenge, authoring multiple studies that equip land management agencies with the appropriate information to better protect the natural spaces that have become so critically important to our mental and physical health.
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR Leave No Trace has long assumed that those associated with its education would have a stronger tendency towards environmentally responsible behavior, yet until recently, sufficient evidence of this correlation was absent. Earlier this year, the preliminary findings of the Center’s Environmentally Responsible Behavior study provided the long-awaited correlation between the Center and environmentally responsible behavior as provided by
a census-backed sample. Not surprisingly, Leave No Trace Members and Master Educators report engaging in environmentally responsible behaviors significantly more often than others in the U.S. population.
ZERO LANDFILL Another important area of focus has been our Zero Landfill Initiative research. These studies set out to better understand how park managers can achieve their waste management goals through differing strategies aimed at National Park Service visitors and concession staff. This study employed three distinct phases that spanned from 2017-2019. The first phase took a closer look at National Park Service visitor attitudes, values, and behaviors in various popular frontcountry locations including Yosemite National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Denali National Park and Preserve to better understand how the Zero Landfill Initiative goal could best be met. The second phase explored campground visitors and National Park Service concession staff and employee attitudes and behaviors toward waste. The
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third and final phase examined the effectiveness of data-driven messaging placed on or near various waste or recycling vessels in frontcountry and campground sites in the aforementioned national parks. The leading findings from this research revealed that visitor and staff attitudes and behavior are broadly aligned with proper disposal of waste and recyclables materials at the national parks studied.
COVID-19 Perhaps the most relevant area of Leave No Trace research in the past year was the way in which Covid has impacted the way we recreate outdoors. The Center worked closely with its research partner Pennsylvania State University to offer COVID-specific guidance to outdoor enthusiasts.
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FINANCIAL REV The past year brought unparalleled challenges to all of us, including Leave No Trace. In early Spring, we watched as contributions and grants immediately declined given the vast uncertainty we were collectively facing. Second quarter contributions and grants were ~32% less than the prior year. The Leave No Trace staff and board of directors for the Center rallied, and with the commitment and support of longtime partners and members, the organization strategically navigated through the rest of the year. The Center ended the year with total support and revenue only 10% less than the prior year, and maintained
an even bottom-line by pivoting to virtual training and outreach programs. The Center carefully maintained the infrastructure and staffing necessary to return to our previous programs as pandemic restrictions lift. The accompanying summary financial information is derived from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethic’s audited financial statements. The complete audited financial statements and annual tax return are available for download on our website.
Kurt Achtenhagen Director of Finance and Operations
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Sources of Support & Revenue
FINANCIAL SUMMARY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2020
$2,092,560
Partnerships & Grants
70%
Individual Giving
15%
In Kind Donations
10%
Merchandise Sales
4%
Program Services
1%
Use of Funds
$2,094,675
Program Services
78%
General & Administrative
12%
Fundraising
10%
Total Assets at 12/31/20
$906,070
Cash & Equivalents
41%
Investments
34%
Inventory
13%
Furniture & Equipment
6%
Promises to Give
4%
Prepayments
2%
Based on annual audited financial statements.
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Innovation Reigned for Traveling Teams During Covid 2 0 2 0 ACCO M P L I S H M E N T S , F I N A N C I A L S A N D PA R T N E R S H I P S
230 Events
111,550 People
2.15 Million Impressions
The mission-critical work of the Subaru/Leave No Trace Teams was transformed dramatically last year. In a typical year, these three teams deliver onsite training and outreach to every corner of the continental United States. The teams charged out of the gate in 2020, delivering our first Hot Spot with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys, engaging nearly 1,000 participants and 238 volunteers. They also wrapped up two additional weeklong Hot Spot projects and work at high profile festivals, training with youth and university students and multiple Trainer Courses. Covid bluntly grounded the program. The teams’ typical work of interactive, in-person workshops and large-scale training events across the country required an unprecedented and quick pivot. While we anxiously awaited the return of the teams to fulltime travel and in-person programs, the Center is proud to report that the dramatic shift of 2020 yielded many bright spots and notable accomplishments. Adaptability and creativity are critical skills for the teams in any year, and 2020 provided unexpected opportunities for innovative Leave No Trace education. Virtual programs, training sessions and social media events like Instagram Lives enabled the teams to reach important and new audiences
40,000 Training Hours
2,600 Lbs of Trash Removed
during a time of explosive outdoor visitation along with a rise in associated impacts. Program highlights include virtual training workshops for federal land management agency staff and partners, youth corps crews, Girl Scouts of the USA staff and volunteers, university workshops, and more. The teams developed virtual guided hikes and DIY demos for the Girl Scouts of the USA’s Girl Scouts Love State Parks 2020 initiative, engaging hundreds of Scouts of across the country on the same weekend to celebrate state parks and learn effective ways to protect them. Limited in-person programs included campground amphitheater programs in Denali National Park as part of the Zero Landfill Initiative and small group service project/trash cleanups in Alaska, Nevada and Washington as part of Yosemite Facelift Act Local. In 2020, the teams reached audiences of all backgrounds and ages through more than 230 events and programs from coast to coast. Community participation and attendance exceeded 111,550 people, with more than 2.15 million impressions, and more than 40,000 cumulative training hours of Leave No Trace education. They participated in or led service projects/cleanups that removed more than 2,600 pounds of trash. Not bad!
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Leave No Trace is Informing the
Responsible Travel & Tourism Movement
Leave No Trace enthusiasts around the globe can recite the first of Seven Principles—it’s usually around the fifth or sixth one where memories begin to faulter. How, though, do we inspire millions more outdoor visitors to “plan ahead and prepare” when it comes to their vacations and daytrips? In recent years, the Center has introduced a powerful new partnership program that is proving to be highly effective for reaching large numbers of people during the crucial planning phase of their trips. The Center’s partners in the tourism category range from statelevel organizations (Arizona Office of Tourism, Colorado Tourism Office, Visit New Hampshire, Visit NC/North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Industry Office) to county and regional groups (including Sonoma County/Parks and Recreation Department, California; Door County, Wisconsin; Glacier County, Montana; and others) and municipal tourism organizations (Laguna Beach, California; Sedona, Arizona; and more). Large or small, a primary function for these organizations is attracting visitors and informing them about the available wonders on hand—usually with natural areas near the top of the docket. By incorporating Leave No Trace into their outreach work, tourism groups move beyond the mission of a traditional “destination marketing organization” and take on the role of a “destination stewardship organization.” “It is a natural fit for the Arizona Office of Tourism to partner with a premier responsible tourism organization like Leave No Trace,” says Debbie Johnson, Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism.
Learn more by visiting lnt.org/partnership/tourism
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“We’re both dedicated to ensuring the health and longevity of all the destinations and natural features that make our state spectacular and attract millions of visitors each year.” Debbie Johnson, Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism.
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Corporate Partners
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THESE COMPANIES POWERED THE CENTER’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020 PATRON PARTNERS
PLATINUM PARTNERS
REI Aramark
Fjällräven Thule
Klean Kanteen Keen Footwear
GOLD PARTNERS
BRONZE PARTNERS
L.L. Bean Tec Laboratories The North Face Upslope Brewing Company
American Backcountry Avid4 Adventure Burning Man Campworks Cheley Colorado Camps Cleanwaste Crazy Creek Products, Inc. Escapees RV Club Falcon Guides Grotto Climbing GSI Outdoors Hennessy Hammock Hilleberg The Tentmaker Home Light Kind Coffee Kobayshi Consumer Products Leki USA Napier Enterprises
Overland Cruisers PerformNZ Restop Sea to Summit Topo Designs Trango Transrockies Vacation Races Voss Signs Zero Gram
SILVER PARTNERS
Adventure Instead Academy Akaso Big Agnes Eureka! Osprey Packs Primus Sawyer Tom Bihn Volley Yeti COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Leave No Trace also extends its gratitude to the hundreds of Community Partners that play a critical role in Leave No Trace education to their constituents and customers every year. Find a complete list of Community Partners here. 13
Special Thank You
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Leave No Trace is rooted in the power of individual action – actions which are demonstrated time and again by our dedicated donors committed to protecting our shared natural areas. As we move away from 2020, Leave No Trace would like to extend its profound gratitude to our donors for making a difference during the difficult times brought on by the pandemic, with a special thanks going to the members listed below for their exceptional support.
NATURE KEEPERS Shawn & Lindsay Turner Julie Klein
Frank Santiago Dan Slack
Robert Stephens Bill & Meredyth Stern
Nathan Dopp Chris Enlow Steven Fraim James Fuller Benjamin George Tony & Eileen Graziano Allison Hernandez Gosselin
Richard McManus Erika Meyers John Miller Danuta Montorfano Jeff Neitzel David O’Leary Eric Py
Skip Rapp Daniel Segersin Mike Thomas Molly Waterman Haung Weiru David Wilkinson Ange Workman
Jay Dement Kevin Dickson Michael Farmer Jorge Faz Paul Fleeman Emmet Flynn Mary Franey Michael Gephart Alexander Gong Paula Gray John Guill Charles Hamilton John Hamilton Mark Hammer Elizabeth Hamrick Timothy Havens Scot Hawthorne Klari & Alex Hixenbaugh Charlie Hoppa Dan Howells Mary Hughes Richard Jindrich Chuck Jordal Walter Kivett Scott & Katie Kleiner Ronald Koblitz Robert Kuhl David Largent Nancy Le Gary Lehr
Wen-shin & Wan-tzu Liu Tyler Lobdell Judy Lund Laura Lundin Ken Macholl Jason Madlung Daniel Martin Matthew Martinez Laura Loomis & Paul Merrion Rhonda Mickelson Catherine Miller Marc Miller Lynn Miller Susan Miller Eric Morris Jim Murray John Musgrove Peter Newman Sidney Overall Michael Padar Jed Paulson Amy Peterson Wendy Reeds Kelly Reeve Thomas Roberts Michael Salter Karen Sangster John Satter Catherine Scheder Paul Schimke
Amy Schliem Mike Schmitt David Scoggins Paul Scudder David Secunda Scot Shaeffer Mark Smith Chrissy Sollenberger Godbout Katie Spann William Straka III Rick and Barb Swanson Elizabeth Swanson Julia Tandy Deirdre Tarpey Timothy Taylor Charles Thompson Betty Thornhill John Wagner Dana Watts Daniel & Karen Weber Dave Secunda & Carmela Weber Christopher Wentworth Ken White Liz Williams Shannon Willis William Wiman Carolyn Workman
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE Axel Anderson Doug Angevine Chris Baumgartner Scot Briscoe Ryan Callaghan Skip Clemmons Richard & Rebecca Crosson
MAJOR DONORS Kurt Achtenhagen Susan & Mike Alkaitis David Allen Scott Anderson Robert Armstrong Jeannie Batto Kathryn Beals James Beatty Ian Benoit James Bishop Timothy Blanchard Shari Boyer Nelson Bruni James Buerger Alita Burmeister Andrea Burns Kyle Byerly Thomas Campanile Gary Candy Stephen Chiu Paula Church Ethan Clapham Patrick Connelly Denise Coogan Sara Crawley Addy Crosson Bill Cyphers Suanne Davendonis Jeffery Davis Kaleen & Stephen Deatherage
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Thank You for Your Support in 2020!
You Are The Difference Your involvement with Leave No Trace ensures that together we are building a sustainable future for the outdoors and the planet. Please renew or give today. Leave No Trace has a 4-Star rating with Charity Navigator.
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