Recertify and continue inspiring responsible outdoor recreation. By keeping your certification current, you’ll strengthen your ability to teach Leave No Trace principles and help protect the natural places we all enjoy.
Starting in July 2025, all Leave No Trace Level 1 and Level 2 Instructors will need to recertify every 2 years to maintain their active status and stay up to date with the latest best practices, research, and educational techniques. Recertification ensures that instructors continue to deliver high-quality, accurate, and effective Leave No Trace education while reinforcing their commitment to minimizing human impact on the environment. As outdoor ethics and sustainability practices evolve, staying current through recertification helps instructors provide the most relevant, science-based, and engaging training to their communities. By recertifying, instructors demonstrate their dedication to environmental stewardship and help strengthen the impact of Leave No Trace education nationwide.
Benefits of Recertification:
The Leave No Trace training structure, and some guidelines, are changing in order to meet organizational strategic goals. These changes work to make training more appealing and accessible to a wider range of audiences.
On July 18, 2023, all Trainers and Master Educators were reclassified as Level 1 or Level 2 Instructors, respectively, and were automatically certified under the new training structure. While all Instructors will eventually need to take a recertification course to maintain their certification, Instructors will not be required to retake a full Level 1 or Level 2 course.
Recertification will be required every two years to maintain your certification status as a Level 1 or Level 2 Instructor. If you were trained before July 18th, 2023, your recertification date is July 18th, 2025. If you took a Level 1 or Level 2 Instructor Course after July 18th, 2023, your recertification date is two years from your course end date.
On July 18th, 2025, Level 1 and Level 2 Recertification Courses will go live on our online learning platform, Learn.LNT.org.
There is no deadline or time limit to recertify after your certification expires. Unlike some other outdoor industry professional certifications, there is no point at which you lose the ability to take a recertification course and need to retake a full Instructor Course. If your certification expires, you will not be able to provide certificates, and you must complete the recertification course before teaching your next course or workshop.
No, teaching a course does not count towards recertification. To complete your recertification, you must take an online recertification course.
The old Level 2/Master Educator Refresher Course is no longer available. The Level 2 Instructor Recertification Course is taking its place.
No, the old Master Educator Refresher Course does not recertify you under the new training structure. The new Level 1 and Level 2 Recertification Courses are more comprehensive and feature the most up-to-date, research-backed information.
Yes, an administrative fee will be charged to access the online course to complete your recertification. Level 1 Recertification will cost $25, and the Level 2 Recertification will cost $50.
Yes, at least one instructor is required to maintain individual membership or affiliation with an organizational community partnership to receive certificates for participants. If you facilitate Leave No Trace training on behalf of or in collaboration with an educational entity, please contact Leave No Trace’s Partnership Team.
Still have questions or not sure if you need to recertify? We’re happy to help. Just send us an email at [email protected].
