Leave No Trace: Beyond the Seven Principles

There is no substitute for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and recreation, by its very nature, has impacts. In a Zoom program cosponsored by TCWP and the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society at 7 p.m. on January 12, GSMNP Leave No Trace Coordinator Christine Hoyer will discuss the importance of Leave No Trace ethics in protecting a place with such extraordinary biodiversity and high visitation, as well as the challenges of balancing use and preservation within park boundaries.

Hoyer, who has worked for the National Park Service for 14 years, is the Backcountry Management Specialist at GSMNP. She began her NPS career as a Trail Maintenance Crew Leader in 2008, after spending four years leading volunteer trail crews on the southern third of the Appalachian Trail.

As the Backcountry Management Specialist, Hoyer manages the park’s backcountry program, which includes permitting, recreational use/impacts/maintenance throughout the backcountry campsite network, important long-trail partnerships, and park-wide wilderness management. She holds degrees in Psychology and Philosophy and graduate certificates in Wilderness Management and EcoPsychology. In addition to coordinating the Leave No Trace efforts in the park, she is an active Leave No Trace Trainer and Master Educator.

The program is free, but please register to receive your Zoom link at www.utarboretumsociety.org. Contact Michelle Campanis at mcampani@utk.edu regarding any questions or registration issues.