Scouting America Leave No Trace Basics Course Resources
The list of resources below are the key training course definition documents of Leave No Trace and Scouting America's Outdoor Ethics & Conservation Subcommittee, and the compiled list of resource items referenced by those documents.
Scouting America Leave No Trace Basics Course Guide (updated June 22, 2025)
Scouting America Leave No Trace Level 1 Instructor Course Manual (updated January 30, 2024)
Scouting America Leave No Trace Instructor Supplement (updated December 27, 2023)
Key Resources for All Leave No Trace Courses
Teaching Leave No Trace - Activity Guide
- Scouting America website
- Scouting America version - PDF
- Leave No Trace Version - Printed Manual
Leave No Trace Videos
- US Forest Service Video
- National Park Service Video (older, low res) - Download from NPS | YouTube
- Leave No Trace In The Outdoors - Dr. Jeff Marion
- Leave No Trace
- Guide To Safe Scouting
Course Standards
- Outdoor Ethics Training Guidelines (updated 11/19/2025)
- National Leave No Trace Program Training Guidelines
Training Promotion Guidelines
- Let's get it right! Make sure your training materials are up-to-date.
- Qualifying for Leave No Trace Awareness Card (Without Taking Scouting America Leave No Trace Basics Course)
Basics Course Forms and Paperwork
- Training Cards - Use general Training Recognition cards or the following:
- MS Word .doc
- Mail Merge*: Template Data Back
- Fillable PDF
- Blank (print and hand fill)
- Training Attendance Report**
This is the standard Scouting America form. Check with your Council on council-specific forms or procedures.
Submit the Training Attendance Report to your Council Training registrar and to your Council Outdoor Ethics Advocate.
Training Code: Leave No Trace Basics: D74
- Recognition Pin or Patch (Leave No Trace)
- Workshop Certificates - Scouting America Leave No Trace Basics Course is also considered a Leave No Trace Workshop. After the Workshop roster is submitted to Leave No Trace, it is checked to verify that the course instructor is in good standing (current member and current certification). Once everything is verified, the certificates are emailed to the course instructor for distribution to the participants. (Note - do not submit contact information for youth.)
Notes:
* MS Word Mail Merge forms:
- Use Edit > Replace All in the template file to update location and date before doing the merge.
- You can use various data sources -- .xls file, csv file, word document w/ table, database, ... Template uses First and Last data columns. Simple Sample Data File
- Front and back of the cards are separate documents, since most people will be doing manual 2-sided printing of card stock.
** NOTE for Fillable PDFs: Do not try to enter data in fillable pdf's in your browser window - they will not Save. If you try to save them, you will get the original empty form and your entries will be lost.
INSTEAD - save the file to your computer, then Open it in Acrobat Reader. You can then enter data, save the file, print, etc.