ESCALANTE — The public is invited to events being held next week for the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center’s designation as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot. The events start Monday and are being hosted by the Interagency Visitor Center and its partner agencies: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Dixie National Forest.
The expanse of public land managed by these three agencies offers ample opportunity for a true wilderness experience for an ever-increasing number of visitors. The Leave No Trace Hot Spot Program identifies areas suffering from severe impacts of outdoor activities so that these areas can thrive again with Leave No Trace solutions.
“We’re thankful to have site-specific, Leave No Trace tools in place, so our visitors become public land stewards,” Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Superintendent William Shott said. “They then become the solution to resource impairment by helping to reverse damage and preserve a healthy ecosystem for use and enjoyment by all for many years to come.”
While some of the events will be specifically geared toward staff from the partner agencies, guide services and local retailers, the general public is invited to stop by the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center throughout the week to learn more about Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. The Leave No Trace team will also make one-on-one contacts with visitors throughout the week, educating them about how Leave No Trace skills preserve the enjoyment of future generations.
On March 9, the public is invited to meet at the Calf Creek Recreation Area at 9 a.m. for a volunteer project to address issues of litter, graffiti and social trails along the Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail. At 11 a.m., booths will be set up at the Calf Creek day-use site to educate further about Leave No Trace and the lands serviced by the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center.
Other activities include the following:
- March 5-6 – The Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer team will host training for staff from all three agencies.
- March 7 – A workshop will be held for permitted guide services who work out of the Interagency Visitor Center from 2-4 p.m.
- March 8 – A workshop will be held for local retailers from 2-5 p.m.
For more information, please call the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center at 435-826-5499.
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