Health insurance is required to participate in the program.

Participating in the canoe-based Leave No Trace Master Educator Course requires an application, which can be accessed at: https://form.typeform.com/to/Nk1th27Z.

***PLEASE NOTE***: Upon registering for this program, you will be automatically added to a waitlist until your application has been reviewed. The instructors will contact you directly following your application.

This five-day, canoe-based Leave No Trace Master Educator course is designed for individuals who are actively teaching others backcountry skills or providing recreation information to the public. The overall goal of the course is to train educators and others in ways to practice and teach Leave No Trace skills and ethics. Through classroom discussions, lectures, and a four-day canoe camping experience, this course will cover the seven Leave No Trace principles and discuss wildland ethics, as well as give the participants the tools and techniques for disseminating these low-impact skills to other users of public lands. Participants could include a mixture of federal agency partners, educators, outdoor retailers, youth group and outing club leaders, and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The course begins with one full day of classroom-based instruction at our Education Yurt Village and an overnight stay in the camping bunks. We will be spending the subsequent four days and three nights canoe camping in the beautiful Saranac Wild Forest. We’ll paddle only a couple of miles each day on flat and slow moving water, allowing plenty of time to cover the extensive Leave No Trace Master Educator curriculum. Participants should be in good physical condition in order to successfully complete the course. You should be able to paddle multiple miles per day, carry a canoe with a partner, and hike with a heavy backpack (about 40-55 pounds).

The course fee includes instruction, curriculum and teaching materials, a one-year Leave No Trace Individual Membership, one night’s lodging in ADK’s Education Yurt Village (on Day #1), use of group equipment, transportation during the course, and meals beginning with Day #1 dinner through Day #5 lunch. Partial scholarships are available through Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Call 1-800-332-4100 or find the scholarship application online at www.LNT.org.

Each participant will teach at least one class in the field during their Master Educator Course. These classes provide hands-on learning experiences and the chance to practice Leave No Trace teaching strategies in a supportive, educational environment. We will be assigning teaching topics a couple weeks before the course. You will be assigned to teach one of the 7 Leave No Trace principles (or potentially a related topic) to the rest of the group. Your teaching sessions should be about 15 minutes long.

Upon completion of the course, you will be qualified to teach Leave No Trace Trainer courses. The Leave No Trace Master Educator qualification is recognized and valued throughout the outdoor industry.