October is Conservation Month at NOLI!

NOLI Founder Scott Fisher • October 12, 2020
A close up of a plant growing out of the ground

October is Conservation Month at NOLI. Actually, we like to think of every month as conservation month at NOLI but want to make it front and center in October. The goal: to raise awareness of conservation and stewardship-related issues, discuss ways we can get involved including best practices that we can all adopt, and to profile organizations both regionally and nationally that are doing excellent work on behalf of the environment.


Native American tribes such as the Iroquois, Cherokee and Lakota adhered to a philosophy called the 7th Generation Principle, which embodied the belief that before taking any action affecting the land they would consider its implications to 7 generations hence. They recognized that they didn't “own” the natural world but were rather entrusted with its care. They drew from the land but did so sustainably and with respect, ever mindful of ways to minimize their impact. They understood that it was a symbiotic relationship, a co-existence: exploit the natural world and they would be exploiting themselves. This philosophy was brought into the mainstream in the 1800s by the pioneering naturalist and conservationist Aldo Leopold. His Roots in the Land Ethic asked the question “How can we protect our lands?” It made the leap from an ethos that stressed unregulated exploitation of the land to one that regarded the natural world as another important component of our community and, therefore, worthy of our protection. He believed that this is something that we should do not because we have to but because it’s the right thing to do. We at NOLI subscribe to this same philosophy.

A black and white photo of a man sitting in the grass

Aldo Leopold

Reflective of that we have several conservation events coming up over the next few weeks. First, we will be speaking to students enrolled in the Northeast Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Certificate Program on Oct 20 about Sustainability and Leave No Trace (LNT). This program prepares graduates for entry or advanced promotion into a wide range of management positions in culinary, food & beverage, lodging, attraction, and tourism related industries. Northeast Tennessee has an abundance of natural beauty and the rest of the world is taking notice as we continue to see increased numbers of people visiting and retiring to our region. So, it’s fantastic to see a program like this dedicate part of the curriculum to a topic focused on tourism and hospitality that is sustainable and conservation-minded.


Next, we have an Eco Explorer Day planned with the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians on Oct 24 where we will teach the 7 Principles of LNT and then lead a short hike where we get to apply the principles along a section of the Appalachian Trail.  We’ll wrap up the day picking up trash along our namesake river, the beautiful and mighty Nolichucky River. We are so glad to be partnering with the Girl Scouts in this effort and especially to be playing a role in helping these girls make a lasting connection to the outdoors that will hopefully inspire them to be environmental advocates and protectors for future generations. This event is full but we plan to offer events like this again next year.

A river running through a valley surrounded by mountains

Nolichucky River

ast but not least, NOLI LNT Master Educator Kayla Carter will be leading a 2-day LNT Trainer Course on Nov 14-15 at our outpost at USA Raft. It is a condensed version of the Master Educator Course and is designed for educators, guides, agency employees, other outdoor professionals and anyone interested in learning more about minimum impact skills and ethics. This course covers the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace as well as techniques for sharing these low impact skills. The main objective of this course is to train attendees on how to model and present the ethics to others. You don't have to be an outdoor leader to take this class; it's open to anyone with an interest in learning more about LNT and ways they can share its teachings with others. We are currently taking registrations. For more information and to register click here. Also, look for Kayla’s blog article in the coming weeks entitled “Get Outside – Responsibly”.

A woman is giving a presentation in front of a group of people in a store.

Kayla Carter teaching LNT

What’s Next?

Over the rest of this month look for regular posts on our Facebook page that profile an environmental issue, organization or best practice. If you haven’t already done so be sure to Like or Follow our page to get notified of new posts. Have a suggestion on something we should include? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at info@nolilearn.org.

 

Our mission at NOLI is to celebrate the outdoors and help others do the same. And we recognize that central to that mission is protecting our outdoor spaces through awareness, conservation and stewardship. We hope that you will join us in committing to playing a part, no matter how big or small, to help protect our natural places so that future generations will inherit a vibrant, healthy planet and get to experience the same sense of awe and wonder that we enjoy today.

A man wearing a hat and a gray shirt is smiling in front of a tub sign.

Scott Fisher is the founder and owner of NOLI. He teaches whitewater kayaking, swiftwater & flatwater rescue, survival, wilderness navigation and Leave No Trace.

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It was a nearly perfect morning on the Washington state Pacific coast. My wife (Michelle) and I had a delicious breakfast, broke down camp, loaded our rented tandem kayak, and paddled down the sheltered bay that bisects Stewart Island. Along with our guide, Annie, we ran with the tide and a light southwesterly breeze to make the three-mile open water crossing to Henry Island. As we crossed in the 2-foot swells, we were just cruising, enjoying the warmth of the sun, and gazing toward the horizon hoping for our first orca sighting of the trip. Once we passed west of the tip of Henry Island, we headed south a bit and our guide signaled that we would take a break in a field of bull kelp. Thickets of bull kelp make an ideal resting place for sea kayakers because the kelp floats, which are round and 3 to 8 inches across, protrude from the water and break up the momentum of the waves. We stopped for a few minutes, bobbing up and down with the swell, occasionally chatting but mostly taking sips from our water bottles. Over the sound of waves and calling birds, Michelle heard a distant noise. It sounded like a cry for help – or was it a gull? We listened for a few seconds when another, more distinct yell rang out. For an instant we all hesitated, trying to determine the direction of the cries. From our vantage point low to the water, all we could see was dark bull kelp floats scattered across the ocean’s surface. It sounded like the panicked calls were coming from somewhere between us and the shoreline, so we sprinted southeast through the kelp patch toward shore. After we broke through the offshore kelp forest, we spotted two small dark objects on the surface alongside something that looked like a partially submerged log. As the distance closed, the larger object resolved into a flooded green aluminum canoe. The smaller ones were two middle school age boys struggling to reenter the water-filled boat. Every time they tried to enter; the boat would flip. As we neared, they quit trying to enter their boat. Instead, they hung onto the hull of the now inverted canoe and stared quietly as we approached. Michelle and I coasted up on the right side, leaving about a 5-foot gap between our tandem and the canoe, just in case the boys panicked and tried to climb on the deck of our boat before we were prepared. Caution is necessary in a situation like this because a panicking victim can easily capsize a would-be rescuer’s boat - leaving more people in the water. Annie coasted up a similar distance on the left side of the flooded craft. Our first evaluation was that the boys had been in the water for at least fifteen minutes. They were shivering, minimally responsive, and their movements were clumsy. After quickly weighing the options and their condition, we agreed that we could get them out of the water and warm them up more quickly by towing them to shore than by attempting to get the boys back into their boat. We then instructed the closest victim to grab the left perimeter line behind the rear cockpit of our tandem. At first, he refused because he did not want to release the cell phone in his right hand. The impasse was broken when Annie slid her boat up on his left side and convinced him to hand the phone to her. The other boy was similarly coaxed to grab the left stern perimeter line of Annie’s boat. We then started toward shore in the direction of the nearest cottage. When we had closed to within 75 yards of the house, a man came out onto the shore, saw us towing the boys, launched a tandem sit on top kayak, and headed out toward us. The boys, who were shaking with cold, were handed life vests and then hauled aboard the sit on top kayak by their father, while we stabilized the boat. As the reunited family headed back toward shore, we recovered the flooded canoe and towed it to shore. After this brief but adrenaline-filled detour, we continued our journey southwards down the Haro Straight, skirting the shore of Henry Island.
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