Mt Rainier Named 'Leave No Trace' Hot Spot

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has selected Mount Rainier National Park’s Paradise Area as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot. Located in Washington, Mount Rainier is an extremely popular park, receiving 1.5 to 2 million visitors each year. The park hosts the tallest volcano and the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States receiving over 10,000 summit attempts annually.

Paradise is the most heavily visited location in the park, known for its outstanding scenery, spectacular wildflower displays, historic inn, hiking trails and winter recreation opportunities. Recreation-related impacts at Paradise are severe, including miles of social trails and damage to subalpine meadows caused by off-trail travel. All these factors have led to the designation of Mount Rainier as a 2011 Leave No Trace Hot Spot.

Currently in its second year, the Leave No Trace Hot Spots initiative aims to raise awareness about natural areas around the country facing the threat of irreversible environmental damage. As part of the initiative, The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics works with volunteers, nonprofit organizations, friends groups and governmental agencies to reduce the impact of recreational activities in the selected endangered area. This goal is achieved through community outreach, education, training, signage, educational materials and local collaboration.

In partnership with the National Park Service, the Center will mitigate these impacts by effective implementation of the Leave No Trace program. Solutions include providing Leave No Trace training for key park service staff and volunteers, developing Paradise-specific Leave No Trace information, creating signage to convey the newly developed information, and providing consultation on best management practices for minimizing the impacts in the Paradise area. The Center will also host community events in conjunction with the Hot Spot initiative, in order to involve the local community and raise awareness regarding the program.

“This is an important initiative on many levels,” according to Dana Watts, Leave No Trace’s executive director. “The Center’s long partnership with the National Park Service, as well as the great love and popularity of Mount Rainier, make this a perfect fit for extensive Leave No Trace education.”

For more information on the 2011 Hot Spots initiative, as well as ways to get involved, visit http://www.lnt.org/01_community/hotspots.php.

About the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people of all ages how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly, and is the most widely accepted outdoor ethics program used on public lands. As the leader in sustainable recreation practices, the Center trains a nation of outdoor advocates to put Leave No Trace principles into action. Through relevant and targeted education, research and outreach, the Center seeks to ensure the long-term health of our natural world. www.LNT.org.

About Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is the fifth oldest national park, established in 1899. The park’s boundaries encompass pristine stands of old growth forests, subalpine meadows, an inland rain forest, alpine lakes, waterfalls, geothermal hot springs and mineral springs. At 14,410 feet, millions of people can see Mount Rainier on a clear day, and it stands as an icon of the Pacific Northwest. The park contains the greatest single peak glacial system in the United States, with 26 glaciers radiating from the mountain’s summit and slopes. It is also the second most seismically active volcano in the Cascade Range. The park’s resources are accessible to a large, diverse, and growing population.

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