PB&Jellystone

Yes, the e-Tour has returned to Jellystone… and it was indeed a full and busy Jellystone of Maryland that greeted us on Wednesday night as we arrived at a campsite located at the hub of activity. The campground, which is near the historic town of Williamsport, MD, devotes a full day of programming each week to Leave No Trace related activities. Carrie Cerrito, the campground general manager, is enthusiastic about how the Leave No Trace ethic dovetails with the Jellystone Park theme. She was eager to hear our ideas about various Leave No Trace activities that could help visitors of all ages act responsibly as guests in the home of the Jellystone’s wildlife characters and learn to enjoy the outdoors in the “right kind of way.”

From Jellystone Maryland

We were also impressed with the partnership between Jellystone Maryland and the local chapter of Girls Inc, an organization that provides young girls with a framework for developing leadership skills, self-reliance, and confidence. We led an hour-long hike with a mix of Jellystone campers and the Girls Inc group, and introduced each of the seven LNT principles at stops along the trail. Afterwards, we offered a crafts session in Cindy’s Pavilion, which produced a passel of fly-zapping LNT frogs and a like number of pleased human participants. In the afternoon there was an opportunity for children to play a game with the big lovable Yogi Bear and learn about “trashing your trash” hand-in-hand with Yogi. The rest of the day was equally busy with outreach, Jellystone interviews, and Bigfoot photo-ops.



We also noted how the Jellystone staff makes a special effort to create a foundation for applying the Leave No Trace principles, monitoring the campsites for safe campfire practices, encouraging guests to be considerate of each other by respecting quiet hours and controlling their pets, music, and socializing, and ensuring that fire rings and campsites are clean after each visitor departs. It was great to see the results of Carrie’s deliberate efforts to incorporate Leave No Trace into the Jellystone Park experience, and we fully expect that Jellystone Maryland will become a model for others to follow.



Hope to see you down the road.

P&B

e-word: excellent