2021 Impact Report

Impact Report

The

Contents

DISPOSE

Many of us have our memories and experiences from our first time in the outdoors – the feel of the cool grass while laying down a picnic blanket; taking a stroll in your community park with close friends while chatting over coffee; the smell of rain on the horizon while descending a 14,000foot peak.

Our points of entry to nature may be different, yet they’re all valid and important. And, in 2021, that was more important than ever as we saw people of all backgrounds and experience levels seeking the outdoors like never before.

first experiences in the outdoors; we listened to groups in the biggest growing cultural population in the United States—the Latino Population which makes up nearly one-fifth of the US population. Many of these groups and organizations were getting outdoors and needed simple and sometimes specialized resources to support the people they served.

We needed to evolve our educational framework and create new doorways for entry for people. We needed to provide education for people beyond those who defined their outdoor activity as “outdoor recreation” and to have tangible tools for people who simply loved and set foot in nature.

In 2021, and continuing into 2022 and beyond, we have shifted the way we bring people into the fold of our educational framework. We are working to meet people where they are with basic, user-friendly messaging and new training opportunities for more and more meaningful participation. We believe that the outdoors is for everyone and everyone can find benefit in it.

The outdoors means different things to different people, yet putting Leave No Trace into action for the betterment of your own personal experience and for the land we are all working together to maintain and protect is for ALL people.

In 2021, we dove vigorously into our training and education programs to better understand how and where we were effectively reaching people as well as what needed to change, evolve or adjust to help us be more effective. We heard from land agencies from urban settings, city and state parks where people were just heading out for the day. We talked to youth-serving organizations that took big buses of kids to parks for their

As a supporter and believer of Leave No Trace, you’ll agree that the program and education system is not always as simple as what is right or wrong to do in the outdoors. That can sometimes be a challenge for people who want one easy answer. Leaving no trace often depends on many factors including geography, timing, weather and so much more. Because of this, we often say people enter on a spectrum and practicing some Leave No Trace, even one thing, is a wonderful start to the colorful journey of building your own personal outdoor ethic. Leave No Trace has been and must remain a program and a movement that has broad application that appeals to and resonates with anyone seeking nature.

Enjoy our 2021 summary and, as always, contact us with any questions or comments – your input about the work of Leave No Trace is always welcome.

Leave No Trace Executive Director

At Leave No Trace, we stress that people, NOT policy, are the solution to land conservation and we believe all people are entitled to be in the outdoors defining their own experiences.

DANA WATTS

prepareand PLAN AHEAD

Preparing is the lion’s share of the work done at Leave No Trace. We partner with, train and provide education for people, scientific bodies, organizations, land agencies and companies across all spectrums, all in the name of protecting the outdoors together. Two great examples in 2021 is youth work and Leave No Trace’s powerful research arm.

Impacting Children Advancing the Science

Respect, responsibility and caring are foundational values for today’s youth. Leave No Trace for Every Kid reaches tens of thousands of young people every year with education that helps to protect the outdoors. We TALK, we TEACH, we MODEL and we CELEBRATE these values. With the pandemic’s impact on in-person interactions with most youth in 2021, our Leave No Trace for Every Kid initiative focused on welcoming new partners to the Leave No Trace Youth Accreditation Program.

Rigorous scientific research, as always, is Leave No Trace’s foundation. Along with ongoing programs, we published three research studies in 2021.

Environmentally Responsible Behavior and Leave No Trace

Examining the relationship between Leave No Trace and pro-environmental behaviors beyond the park boundary. Covid and its Impact on Recreation Trends

Continued longitudinal analysis of avid outdoor recreationists during the COVID-19 pandemic and sensitivities to new outdoor recreationists.

The New, COVID-Driven Outdoor Recreationists in the US

Who They Are, Who They Aren’t and Who Will Stay Involved.

2021 Research

(will conclude this year)

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Wildlife Approach Study

• Grand Teton National Park Visitors and Bison

• Yellowstone National Park Visitors and Elk

CAMP TRAVEL surfaces& on durable

Leave No Trace as an ethos is everywhere and accessible to all. It can be practiced in local parks and home communities, as well as in the wilder places in our world. We highlight the highest standard of Leave No Trace on the ground with our Gold Standard Site Designation.

San Juan Islands Lopez Island, WA

Olympic National Park

Port Angeles, WA

Isle Royale National Park Houghton, MI

Barr Lake State Park Brighton, CO

Roxborough State Park Littleton, CO

Colorado Springs

Regional Parks, Trails and Open Spaces

Colorado Springs, CO

Coconino National Forest Flagstaff, AZ

The Leave No Trace Gold Standard Site program recognizes public lands across the country that are implementing the highest standard of onsite Leave No Trace education. To date, 14 sites hold this distinction and serve as exemplary models that showcase what successful Leave No Trace and stewardship education implementation looks like. The

program aims to achieve a critical mass of Gold Standard designated sites across the country and across different types of agencies/ entities to ensure minimum-impact education is part of every public land visitor’s experience and thereby alleviate the significant impacts currently affecting these outdoor areas.

Acadia National Park Bar Harbor, ME

Shenandoah

National Park Luray, VA

New River Gorge National River Glen Jean, WV

Knob Noster State Park

Knob Noster, MO

Buffalo National River Harrison, AR

Cheaha State Park

Delta, AL

Castlewood Canyon State Park

Franktown, CO

DISPOSE of properly WASTE

The Leave No Trace Hot Spots program works hand-in-hand with communities when their outdoor areas are struggling, creating meaningful solutions and promoting a healthy outdoors. Through on the ground, multi-day visits, the Leave No Trace teams provide a unique, sitespecific blend of programs to natural areas that are seeing an increase in recreation-related impacts. To date, Leave No Trace has conducted over 110 Hot Spots across the United States. Through 890 individual trainings, restoration events, workshops and more, the program has equipped 68 thousand people with the skills to protect the natural areas in their communities and beyond.

Bridger Wilderness WY

Berthoud Pass Recreational Site Winter Park, CO Steelhead Beach Regional Park Forestville, CA

Mossy Cave (Bryce Canyon National Park) Tropic, UT

South Colony Lakes Westcliffe, CO

San Diego River Gorge Hot Spot Ramona, CA

Bourn Pond (Lye Brook Wilderness) Arlington, VT

Had direct in-thefield support from 459 volunteers contributing over 1,400 hours

Reached 2,416 people in-person during Hot Spots weeks

Removed over 700 invasive plants and over 350 pounds of trash

Stewarded and protected over 50 miles worth of trails

Summersville Lake Summersville, WV

Line Creek Nature Area Peachtree City, GA

2022 Hot Spots Locations

48,665 active participants in these trainings and projects

15 million + individuals reached through the traveling teams’ work at festivals, in parks, in trainings, and on social media

Diana’s Baths (White Mountain National Forest) Bartlett, NH

Dolly Sods Wilderness WV

DISPOSE OF

In 2022, Leave No Trace extended its work to 11 new sites. These serve as just one type of education event our Subaru / Leave No Trace Teams conduct each year.

269 educational trainings and service projects

Tourism WHAT YOU FIND Leave

Leave No Trace partners with NGOs, guide services and outfitters, small businesses and more from around the world. We call these Community Partners. We also form partnerships with destinations from across the country to bring education backed solutions for the protection of outdoor areas that are being visited by travelers from around the world. These partner states, counties and cities are actively engaging their over 233 million visitors with Leave No Trace messaging, turning residents and visitors into stewards of the natural world. Leave No Trace is continuing to build their network of partner destinations that are prioritizing the conservation of their lands, waters and wildlife while still driving economic growth and visitation to local communities.

Seven new education partnerships with tourism and economic development offices at state, regional, and county levels, bringing us to 15 such total partnerships

The seven new partnerships expose Leave No Trace messaging to an additional 69.4 million visitors per year

The total footprint from all 15 tourism partnerships is an astounding 232.7 million visitors per year

“The partnership with Leave No Trace will enlarge the substantial economic activity generated by travelers and North Carolina’s outdoor recreation industry. Stewardship of the state’s natural wonders will also ensure the future for the ageless places that define who we are, arouse our awe and make us humble and turn our sights outward to infinite possibility.”

—WIT TUTTELL, DIRECTOR OF VISIT NC

YOU FIND

“It is a natural fit for the Arizona Office of Tourism to partner with a premier responsible tourism organization like Leave No Trace. 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

LEAVE WHAT YOU FIND

MINIMIZE IMPACTS

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OF OTHERS Be considerate

Evolution of Education

Our new “Training for All” Initiative will make training options broader and more accessible. As an organization committed to diversity, equity and inclusion work, Leave No Trace keeps a vigilant eye on our educational framework and training. With the involvement of many partner

organizations, advocates and more, Leave No Trace completed a comprehensive revision of one of our core texts: “Leave No Trace Skills & Ethics” (formerly the North American Skills & Ethics) that included updated principles information, DEI and Accessibility pages and more.

Widespread Messaging

In the noisy world we live in today, it is important to be seen through every possible channel. To that end, our collective media impressions topped 3.3 billion in 2021.This included mentions and publications in such

arenas as Forbes, The LA Times, The New York Times, Outside, Popular Science, USA Today, Travel & Leisure, Backpacker and national TV and radio such as Good Morning America, NPR and BBC.

FINANCIAL REVIEW 2021

Leave No Trace celebrated a strong return to “normal” in 2021. Throughout the pandemic, the staff and board of directors carefully maintained the critical infrastructure and staff. As pandemic restrictions began lifting in the first half of the year, we were able to quickly ramp up our in-person education and outreach events meeting the rapidly growing demand. Total contributions and revenue picked back up as well and we were able to increase total program spending ~10% over the prior year.

The accompanying summary financial information is derived from Leave No Trace’s audited financial statements. The complete audited financial statements and annual tax return are available for download on our website.

Sources of Support and Revenue ($2,339,576)

Donations and Other Income 1% Program Services 3% Merchandise Sales 5% In Kind Donations 8% Individual Giving 13% Partnerships & Grants 70%

Use of Funds ($2,303,589)

Fundraising 10% General & Administrative 12% Program Services 78%

Kurt Achtenhagen Director of Finance and Operations

Total Assets at 12/31/21 ($1,015,924)

Prepayments 2% Promises to Give 5% Furniture & Equipment 5% Accounts and Grants Receivable 8% Inventory 10% Investments 15% Cash & Equivalents 55%

Corporate Partners

PATRON PARTNERS

PLATINUM PARTNERS

REI Aramark Destinations

Fjällräven Thule

Klean Kanteen

Keen Footwear

The Coleman Company

AllTrails

GOLD PARTNERS

L.L. Bean Tec Laboratories

The North Face

Upslope Brewing Company

BearVault

SILVER PARTNERS

Adventure Instead Academy Big Agnes Eureka!

Osprey Packs Primus Sea to Summit Sawyer

BRONZE PARTNERS

American Backcountry

Avid4 Adventure 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

Tom Bihn Volley Yeti

Overland Cruisers PerformNZ Restop Tenkara USA Trango Transrockies

Vacation Races

Voss Signs Zero Gram

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Leave No Trace also extends its gratitude to the hundreds of Community Partners that play a critical role in sharing Leave No Trace education with their constituents and customers every year. Find a complete list of Community Partners here.

Individual Giving

Leave No Trace is rooted in the interplay between individual action and community orientation. Leave No Trace recognizes its 2021 dedicated donors who went above-and-beyond to support the organization and its programs and initiatives. We extend profound gratitude to all of our donors, with a special thanks to those below for their exceptional support.

NATURE KEEPERS

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

David Allen

Scott Anderson

Doug Angevine

Lauren Barth

Chris Baumgartner

Will Butcher

Ryan Callaghan

Minna Casser

Richard & Rebecca Crosson

Michelle Cutter

Chris Dunphy

Chris Enlow

Robert Fong

James Fuller

Bryon Georgiou

Mark Hammer

Allison Hernandez

Gosselin

MAJOR DONORS

Kurt Achtenhagen

Susan Alkaitis

Craig Allen

Fracisco Barrera

Jeannie Batto

James Beatty

Barbara Benson

James Bishop

Danny Bottoms

Rex Burkholder

Alita Burmeister

Andrea Burns

Jason Carter Paula Church

Steve Colby

Denise Coogan

Sara Crawley

Jim Crompton

Bill Cyphers

Jeffery Davis

Stephen Deatherage

Bryon Dejarnette

Jay Dement

David Derlacki

Chris Desforges

Kevin Dickson

Kyle Enfield

Lindsay Everly

Michael Farmer

Jorge Faz

William Fereira

Rich & Nancy Ficken

Paul Fleeman

Lawrence Floyd Steven Fraim Mary Franey

Diana Gibson Boris Golant

Renee Grimm

John Hamilton

Elizabeth Hamrick

Timothy Havens

Scot Hawthorne

Edward Hess

Klari & Alex Hixenbaugh

Richard Jindrich

Joyce D.N. Jones

Chuck Jordal

Sehaj Kaur

Sean Keaveney

Mildred Kennedy-Stirling

Pamela Howells

Teresa Martinex

Erika Meyers

Scott & Tina Miller

Danuta Montorfano

Andrew Muse

David O’Leary

Skip Rapp

Daniel Segersin

Kim Slack

Randolph Stadler

Robert Stephens

Mike Thomas

Haung Weiru

William Wirman

Ronald Koblitz

Robert Kuhl

David Largent

Gary Lehr

Matthew Licklider

Tristan Linck

Micah Loeb

Hannah Lovejoy

Laura Lundin

Craig Mackey

Luc Mehl

Rhonda Mickelson

Gabrielle Miles

Catherine Miller

Marc Miller

Lynn Miller

Susan Miller

Marci Montrose

Jim Murray

Chad Nelson

Peter Newman

Sidney Overall

Michael Padar

Chelsea Peeples

Patrick Phalen

James Pierret

Christina Rae Waite

Don Rastede

Chanira Reang

Thomas Roberts Steve Robertson

Talia Salem

Catherine Scheder

Paul Schimke

Craig Slaughter

Barbara Staka

Rick and Barb Swanson Julia Tandy

Timothy Taylor

Bryon Taylor Joshua Theberge

Charrles Thompson Gerald Vukman

John Wagner

Penny Wagnon Allen Wat

Dana Watts

Daniel & Karen Weber

Mary Weiler

Leigh Wetzel

Liz Williams

Robert Wuerdeman

Nathan Dopp Julie Klein Jeff Neitzel Frank Santiago Dan Slack Shawn & Lindsay Turner