TASMANIANS LEAD THE WAY AS MASTERS OF LEAVE NO TRACE

Last week, eleven participants from a range of backgrounds including Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, climbing experts and outdoor education teachers completed a Leave No Trace Master Educator Course.

Being June in Tasmania, there was an expectation that the week long course would be a cold, wet and dreary affair. Instead, the week in Freycinet National Park was framed by magnificent weather and scenery.

Heather Kirkpatrick, a very experienced outdoor educator, ran the comprehensive course in style. The first day saw us gather in the magnificent Freycinet Lodge, where the seven principles of Leave No Trace were outlined, as well as overarching principles surrounding outdoor ethics and leadership.

The next three days were spent hiking through the magnificent national park. Here, hands-on experience on each of the seven principles were instilled, as well as additional information on cultural awareness and communication. The format of the educators’ course was excellent – each of the participants had to teach one of the principles to the rest of the group. At the end of each session, the group evaluated the lesson and provided feedback as to how the each educator could improve on their teaching techniques. As a result, we all walked out experts in each of the principles and mindful of the different ways people learn about their surroundings and behaviours.

The last day involved each of us designing an ongoing plan to ensure that principles we learnt would be incorporated in some way into our future work plans. Each of these work plans each member designed were outstanding, and ranged from educating people about Leave No Trace on the cliffs of Queensland, through the overland track in Tasmania, and all the way to the icy shores of Antarctica.

For more information on the course, please contact info@vslnt.com or visit our Programs – Master Educator Course page.