PP&R and Leave No Trace present a FREE community event in Forest Park on Friday, June 23

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Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is partnering with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to host a community event and other educational activities the week of June 19-26, 2017.
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POSTED JUNE 8, 2017

(Portland, OR) –

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Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is partnering with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to host a community event and other educational activities the week of June 19-26, 2017.

The efforts by the partners aim to enhance Portland’s iconic Forest Park, and to decrease instances of litter, dog waste, damage to vegetation, and trees and trail erosion by providing educational opportunities - and applying Leave No Trace principles.

  • WHAT: Get involved with caring for Forest Park
  • WHERE: Leif Erikson trailhead on NW Thurman and 29th Avenue.
  • WHEN: Friday, June 23, 2017. 10am-2pm
  • WHY: Join Portland Parks & Recreation, the No Ivy League, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, Forest Park Conservancy, and other friends as we come together to learn how to best preserve and enhance our treasured Forest Park.

Other events during the Legacy Week will be posted at lnt.org/hot-spot-forest-park.

“The partnership with Leave No Trace helps Portland Parks & Recreation staff - and all park visitors - to care for Forest Park,” says Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz. “All park visitors must realize how we all impact our natural areas, and learn more ways to minimize our impacts. Together, we will protect our cherished Forest Park for current and future generations.”

Legacy Week in Forest Park features Leave No Trace (LNT) personnel who help identify areas of need, and partner with Rangers, other PP&R staff, and volunteers to put solutions and preventative measures in place.

 “We are thrilled to work with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to help raise awareness about the need to care for our natural areas and resources,” says Portland Parks & Recreation Director Mike Abbaté. “The use of LNT ethics by Portland Park Rangers and other staff will help educate Portlanders and enhance their enjoyment and preservation of our beautiful and irreplaceable natural landscapes.”

Leave No Trace principles include:

1. Trash your Trash

Put litter—even crumbs, peels and cores— in garbage bags and carry it home or throw it in trash receptacles. Extra food, even apple cores and banana peels can do great damage to wildlife. Did you know it takes up to two years for orange or banana peels to decompose in nature; more than 10 years for plastic bags and more than 80 years for aluminum cans to decompose?

2. Dog Dogma

Use a plastic bag to pack out your dog’s poop to a garbage can. Dog waste can be harmful to the natural environment and can cause the spread of invasive species.

3. Take Only Pictures. Leave Only Footprints

According to U.S. state and national park services, Americans logged 11 billion visits to public lands last year. If we all took a memento from nature during those visits, the landscape would change. Fill the memory card on your camera rather than your pockets and leave nature as you found it for others to enjoy.

4. Keep Wildlife Wild

Human food is unhealthy for all wildlife and feeding them can have unfortunate consequences such as drawing them to people and roads and making them sick.

“The cumulative impact of so many people enjoying an iconic hiking trail such as the Wildwood can have a negative effect,” according to Andy Mossey, a Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer. “In most cases, the land impact isn’t due to a malicious intent to harm nature and wildlife. Instead, it’s simply lack of Leave No Trace education and practices.”    

This partnership is the result of a City of Portland innovation grant to promote equity and opportunities in city government, our community, and to improve parks, recreation, and customer service. Forest Park was chosen as a focus for promoting responsible recreation and site-specific education.  Portland Park Rangers now have three LNT Master Educators on staff: Portland Park Ranger Supervisor Vicente Harrison, and Park Rangers Kayla Miles and Damir Dukic.

About Leave No Trace
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics in a national nonprofit organization that protects the outdoors by teaching people how to enjoy it responsibly. Their Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers are mobile teams of educators that visit 48 states every year delivering Leave No Trace programs such as Hot Spots to over 15 million people. For more information, visit LNT.org.

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