Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for interested parties to be official Leave No Trace Master Educator Course Providers. The Center is interested in institutions or organizations that have verifiable experience in successfully teaching and instructing Leave No Trace outdoor skills and ethics.
Interested parties should submit a letter of intent to: Ben Lawhon, ben@LNT.org Education Director, Leave No Trace Center For Outdoor Ethics, P.O. Box 997, Boulder, CO 80306, by July 30, 2013. The letter of intent should be no more than two-pages and should include a brief organizational background, explanation of why the organization desires to provide the Master Educator Course, and target audience(s) for the course. Following the letter of intent, a proposal may be requested by the Center.
The Master Educator Course disseminates comprehensive Leave No Trace skills, ethics, and teaching practices to agency personnel, representatives of the outdoor industry, organized groups, outdoor instructors, and other interested individuals. The course is intended for federal agency personnel, youth and scout program leaders, trail club members, outfitters, outdoor instructors, university or college faculty, and outdoor products industry staff who will train others. The primary motivation for offering this course should be a strong organizational commitment to the Center and the promotion of Leave No Trace outdoor skills, ethics and stewardship.
Interested institutions or organizations must not only have verifiable experience teaching Leave No Trace principles, but also have a cadre of Leave No Trace Master Educators on staff that can provide high quality training. Such organizations also must be current partners of the Center (LNT.org/join/business) and possess adequate liability insurance and risk management systems to cover course-related accidents.
There are currently seven existing providers including the following: National Outdoor Leadership School, Appalachian Mountain Club, Wilderness Education Association, Ninemile Wildlands Training Center, Landmark Learning, Boy Scouts of America, and Adirondack Mountain Club. If the seven existing providers wish to continue offering the Master Educator Course, all must compete in this RFP process to renew their status as authorized Master Educator Providers. The selected training institution(s) will be authorized by the Center to offer the Master Educator Course for a five-year period beginning in 2015.
