“Without a trace!” BLM & Forest Service lecture supports Don’t Waste Dixie Recycling Week

Contact: Rachel Tueller, Public Affairs Specialist 435-865-30302 or Rachel_Tueller@blm.gov

Cedar City, Utah—September 17, 2008—In support of Don’t Waste Dixie Week and the Washington County Washington County Solid Waste District’s recycling initiative, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service will host “Without a Trace!” Friday September 26, 2008 at noon. Guest speaker Fred Ybright, a 30-year “Leave No Trace” expert, will introduce time-honored approaches to land-use ethics including minimum impact recreational use. The lecture kicks off the season’s brown bag lecture series hosted at the Interagency Office located at 345 East Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah. 

For the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service, supporting Don’t Waste Dixie Week is a comfortable fit as the committee’s mission parallels the Leave No Trace program sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. 

“I think it’s a one hundred percent match, there’s no doubt that our objectives are the same,” said Ken Welton, Brown Bag Lecture Series Coordinator and BLM Volunteer. “The whole philosophy of the Leave No Trace Program really is in preserving the environment for future generations so they have the opportunity to enjoy it the way we know it now. We want our kids to enjoy the quality of life we enjoy now, particularly here in Washington County,” said Welton.

For Fred Ybright, it’s a passion and love for the outdoors that’s compelled him to share the Leave No Trace message with the public for the past 30 years. The former Wilderness Coordinator for the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness and the regional U.S. Forest Service Leave No Trace National Representative said the primary theme which underscores Leave No Trace approaches is simple; it’s about taking the environment and natural landscapes into consideration during activities on public lands.

 “Everyone one of us knows of places we used to go that we once loved and now it’s not what it was because it’s been loved to death and overused or abused. But there are still some of those places left that are still beautiful and pristine. The more we try to practice Leave No Trace ethics, the longer those really special places will last,” Ybright said. 

Leave No Trace, he said, is more than simply carrying out garbage. “You’re going to make less of an impact on the landscape if you plan ahead for your recreation activities—and that’s the first step of Leave No Trace,” Ybright said.

Admission is free, but space is limited for this popular lecture series. Obtain tickets in advance from the Interagency Information Center to reserve a seat. Attendees are encouraged to bring a sack lunch to enjoy during this noon time lecture. The lunchtime brown bag lecture series is sponsored by the Arizona Strip Interpretive Association, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.  For more information call 435-688-3246.