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To the group on Scouts-L: When I posted a response about Dutch oven
cooking and the LNT ethics, I has a couple of responses asking: Where
can I get LNT training? I think I already posted where to begin. But I
also forwarded some of these responses to my LNT mentor, Charlie Thorpe,
who got me started in this fine education, and one of the first LNT
Masters in this nation. He responded to me and I thought I should pass
on his response. It says more that I can. He no longer has time to lurk
on this fine discussion group, so he has not followed this thread.

> Hello Rik -
>
> Please feel free to pass on the following to the good Scouters on
> Scouts-L. I would love to see a good discussion on LNT take place in
> that neat Scouting forum. Shoot...I might even resubscribe to get to
> take part <VBG>. I am working on updates to my "email from the
> backwoods" set of LNT email messages and will share them when they
> are ready.
>
> When it comes to LNT training within Scouting, I tend to be a little
> biased <g>.
>
> Many of the managing agency folks who do LNT training are so
> concerned about the huge amount of damage caused by improper
> group-use of the backcountry that, IMHO, they tend to throw the baby
> out with the bathwater as they teach LNT.
>
> It is my opinion that we in Scouting want to use LNT trainers who are
> also familiar with Scouting where and when we can. Just saying that
> groups are bad (bad, Bad, BAD!) simply isn't good enough...at a
> minimum, the LNT trainers need to show why and to help the Scouters
> figure out how do a good outdoor program while still following LNT
> guidelines.
>
> Some of us like to say it a little stronger. I happen to believe
> that groups CAN use the backcountry responsibly and still stick with
> the group sizes that are needed to make our Scouting program a good
> growth environment for our kids. In fact, I strongly believe that
> groups like BSA can actually benefit the backcountry (!)...as long as
> we accept the challenge of educating (and policing) ourselves in the
> proper use of LNT when doing the "outing" part of Scouting.
>
> Nobody ever said that depending on "education" instead of
> "regulation" to save our fragile public lands was going to be easy.
> If a million individuals want to visit a beautiful chunk of our
> backcountry next year, the limited staff of managing agency folks who
> are using "education" to help take care of that chunk are faced with
> the very daunting challenge of predicting just who those individuals
> are and of getting them into some kind of LNT training event.
>
> If a significant part of that million visitors were members of
> organized "outdoor-user" groups (like us!)...the managing agency
> folks have the MUCH easier problem of helping LNT to become
> "institutionalized" within those groups. Once the LNT "educational
> system" was accepted by the group as a whole, the group itself would
> take care of educating and policing its members...freeing up the
> managing agency folks to worry about the individuals who belong to no
> group...or to (gasp!) actually have time to repair some of the damage
> that has already been done....
>
> We in BSA haven't been doing so hot in years past. We have a VERY
> poor reputation (lotsa reasons!) among the managing agency folks. We
> ARE working on getting our reputation back...and setting up good ways
> to spread a solid understanding of LNT amongst the tens of thousands
> of Scout units will be a HUGE step in the right direction!
>
> We Scouters are the kinds of people who really want to do right...we
> just gotta learn what "doing right" for our backcountry really is.
> Once we know how to do it - we DO have the guts to do it...there is
> no group on earth who will make a bigger difference!
>
> Trace No Leaves,
>
> - Charlie

Thank you, Charlie. Need I say more?

Rik Bergethon
LNT Certified Trainer
and a good old fox, too...

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