Get Involved in Minnesota

Greetings from Teri Fick, the Minnesota State Advocate. I am so honored to be in this role and carry on the impressive legacy that Rita Hussman, the former state advocate worked passionately to get in place. Rita remains a dedicated volunteer in MN and we are so fortunate to have her network of Leave No Trace practitioners. We have an absolutely awesome group of volunteers, most of whom are Leave No Trace Master Educators, that have collectively made great strides in spreading the Leave No Trace message in our fabulous state.
Outdoor recreation is HUGE in Minnesota. We are very proud of our natural resources. At the top of the list, of course, is the water – after all we are the “Land of 10,000 lakes,” and that number only counts the big lakes! The headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi River and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area just might be our greatest claims to water fame, but we also have a total of five National Park Service units to add to our list of incredible outdoor assets! There is no question about how wonderful Minnesota is!
Impact-wise, there is always room for improvement. No one gets into the BWCA without Leave No Trace Education. In fact, we just issued a new BWCA hangtag. We are very excited to get that out into the hands of partners and suppliers around the BWCA area. We have several Leave No Trace Trainers and Master Educators on staff with the state department of natural resources as well as the National Park Service. We are also fortunate to work with multiple partners and supportive agencies throughout the state. Growing these partnerships and educating more folks about Leave No Trace is what motivates our Minnesota Chapter volunteers to forge forward. We are always seeking new opportunities to bring Leave No Trace to every Minnesotan in every outdoor recreation place. If you would like to join the Leave No Trace movement or want to request our help with your own efforts, please contact me or any one of us listed on this page.

My background and education are in Toxicology and Public Health. I have worked at 3M company in St. Paul for over 30 years. I am passionate about environmental education. I found Rita one day when I was doing research for my BSA Woodbadge. Our patrol was working on the BSA environmental awards. The rest is history…Rita and I became fast friends and comrades in the MN Leave No Trace effort. I completed my ME course in 2010. Since then I have taught many trainer courses across MN and co-taught the ME course several times as well. I am looking forward continuing the great work that we are doing here in MN!