Leave No Trace Ireland and Donegal Local Development CLG (DLDC) are proud to share the final output from the three year project, involving the delivery of an innovative pilot training programme for community groups and individuals throughout Donegal, based on the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace.
With the outdoors becoming increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdowns, there has never been a better time to learn how best to protect, preserve and enhance Donegal’s local environment. This iBook will guide the reader through the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace. A copy of the iBook can be found on the educational resource section on our website.
Leave No Trace Ireland was awarded a contract for €81,845.00 in July 2018 at 100% grant rate for the delivery of an innovative pilot programme to be delivered by Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland (ORNI) under the LEADER Theme Rural Environment; Sub Theme: Protection and Improvement of Local Biodiversity. Initially, the programme was delivered through a series of workshops taking place at venues across Donegal.
Courses including General Outdoor Recreation, Walking and Hill Walking and Watersports were delivered before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the pandemic, the courses were then moved online and restructured. A week before each course delivery, a distant learning set of videos designed to pre-load information was distributed to the participants. These videos included: An introduction to Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics Education Programme and The Principles of Leave No Trace.
This was the first time free online course were provided in this way. The interactive courses were delivered online via Zoom by Advanced Leave No Trace Trainers. Four Webinars were run throughout February 2021. The webinars combined a general presentation and discussion with break out rooms for scenario discussions based on the 7 Principles. The sessions then concluded with feedback from the groups and a summary on best practice for protecting the outdoors.
The project has been supported by Donegal Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), Donegal Local Development CLG (DLDC), Donegal County Council and the Department of Rural & Community Development through grant aid received under The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development in Ireland 2014- 2020 “Europe investing in rural areas”.
