Information & Curriculum Revisions Process

In November 2020, Leave No Trace began the latest revisions process, starting with the seminal piece of the Leave No Trace curriculum known as the North American Skills & Ethics booklet. This text is the foundation from which all other Leave No Trace information and curriculum stems. By undergoing a comprehensive review with a specific focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, Leave No Trace intends to update all its resources and information over time to ensure that these resources are as inclusive as possible. The process for this revision is ongoing and is described below.

Internal Review

• Members of Leave No Trace’s Education Department convened to conduct the initial review. This group compartmentalized the curriculum into smaller sections for a more focused review of each Principle and the corresponding guidance.
• Each individual or team of individuals was assigned to one of the 7 Principles and tasked with reviewing the content and language through a variety of lenses with a focus on intersectionality. Reviewers were encouraged to tap into their own lived experiences as well as formal training on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Once this was complete, each team member reviewed and added thoughts or comments on an additional Principle to ensure a robust process.

 External Review

• To include external voices and perspectives, we sought expertise from the following:
  • The JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Advisory group of Outward Bound Adventures. For a complete list of these members and their bios, see below.
  • The Leave No Trace Federal Land Management Agency Advisors (including relevant agency staff from each agency).
  • Quinn Brett, Program Analyst with the National Park Service (full bio below).
  • Greg Zbrzezny, Program Director at Adaptive Adventures (full bio below).

Process and Timeline

Leave No Trace believes that DEI-related work is ongoing and intends to create a feedback loop once new information is released to ensure that people and groups not formally involved with this review process can provide input for further enhancing the inclusivity of all Leave No Trace information.

If you have questions about this work or would like more information, please contact JD Tanner at: [email protected].