Many environmentally conscious people travel through wilderness and subscribe to the "leave no trace" doctrine. That is, they try to leave no evidence that they were there.
"The problem with this idea is that if we all followed it and were as environmentally friendly as we wanted to be, we would need to remove ourselves from the environment and stop living. Of course, that's an unacceptable approach," says Phil Mullins, a doctoral candidate in the University of Alberta?s Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation.
"It's a really tricky thing," he sys. "We're all really interested in reducing our impact on the environment - that's standard. But what other choices can we make rather than think that no matter what we do we will be a detriment to the environment?"
Mullins explores this question with his students in the classroom, but he also recognizes that the classroom has limitations. A few years ago, he thought of a way to help his students get a better grasp of the issue.
In the spring of 2005, Mullins led more than a dozen University of Alberta students on a canoe trip along the Athabasca River from Hinton to Fort McMurray. The journey lasted 29 days and covered more than 800 km. The students learned about the ecology and history - among other things - of the areas that they visited.
The expedition was such a success, Mullins teamed with his colleague in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, Dr. Zac Robinson, to offer similar courses in 2006 and 2007.
"There is no other program like this anywhere," says Robinson, an alpine historian and post-doctoral fellow in leisure studies. "Many outdoor recreation courses focus on leadership skills or skill development, which is great, but we don't offer any hard-skill certifications. Instead, we look at socio-cultural theory related to ideas of ?wilderness,? recreation, and travel, and that differentiates us from other programs."
The program has come to be known as Outdoor Explorations, and this year Mullins and Robinson will collaborate with their colleagues at the University of Alberta?s Augustana Faculty, who have a long-standing outdoor leadership program, to offer an ambitious slate of field courses. Along with Robinson and Mullins, Dr I.S. MacLaren, a professor in the Department of History and Classics in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta and author of the recently published Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park (University of Alberta Press, 2007), will help students unearth the largely unrecorded past of the Rocky Mountain parks, bringing to light two centuries' worth of human history in the area.
In spring, Augustana Faculty will organize a canoeing expedition, and then, in the summer, Mullins and Robinson will lead a three week camping and hiking program in Jasper National Park.
?Needless to say, it?s fantastic to be able to take students into the Rockies,? says Robinson. ?Physically traveling through the range will provide an exceptional experience in which to critically discuss how we popularly think about, and interact with, mountain areas and protected spaces.?
The summer program includes 12 days of backpacking along Jasper National Park's North Boundary Trail followed by a week spent in the town of Jasper visiting with University of Alberta scholars and park wardens. The final week of the three week expedition will be spent camping on the Wapta Icefields. One week of preparation before the trip and one week to write exams and hand in assignments after the trip completes the five week program, which will run from June 9 to July 18.
The Outdoor Explorations course is open to six U of A students from any faculty, with four more places reserved for international students not enrolled at the University of Alberta. Credits are available in a choice of three 400-level and two 100-level physical education and recreation classes. An additional twenty spots may be available for students in the Augustana Faculty course.
?To think students are simply getting university credit for camping would be a mistake,? Robinson says, smiling. ?The goal of our program is to expose students to the history and philosophy of popular ideas of nature, culture, and ?wilderness?; and how they?ve shaped the way that so many have come to think about Canada, mountain parks, conservation, outdoor pursuits and leisure, travel, and tourism. What makes Outdoor Explorations unique is that we try to do this in the field, whether it?s on the high peaks of the Wapta Icefields or in the backcountry north of Mount Robson.?
"Our ultimate goal,? says Mullins, ?is to spark a continuing interest in outdoor activities, and we see the program as a 'first in a lifetime' rather than a 'once in a lifetime' experience for these students."
For more information about the Outdoor Exploration program go to http://www.physedandrec.ualberta.ca/explore2008.cfm