Leave No Trace is
an national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts
with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp,
picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The
program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of
their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such
impacts. Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical
program, not as a set of rules and regulations. This information and more can
be found on the Leave No Trace website.
Seven Principles of Leave No Trace
–
forming the framework of the LNT program.
- Plan
Ahead and Prepare
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Plan Ahead and Prepare
~ Know the
regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit.
~ Prepare for
extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
~ Schedule your
trip to avoid times of high use.
~ Visit in small
groups. Split larger parties into groups of 4-6.
~ Repackage food
to minimize waste.
~ Use a map and
compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
~ Durable
surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or
snow.
~ Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from
lakes and streams.
~ Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not
necessary.
~ In popular areas:
·
Concentrate
use on existing trails and campsites.
·
Walk
single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
·
Keep
campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
~ In pristine areas:
·
Disperse
use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
·
Avoid
places where impacts are just beginning.
~ Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
~
Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet
from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
~
Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
~
To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or
lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.
Leave What You Find
~ Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or
historic structures and artifacts.
~ Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find
them.
~ Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
~ Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.
Minimize Campfire Impacts
~ Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Use a
lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
~ Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire
pans, or mound fires.
~ Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be
broken by hand.
~ Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely,
then scatter cool ashes.
Respect Wildlife
~ Observe wildlife
from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
~ Never feed
animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and
exposes them to predators and other dangers.
~ Protect
wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
~ Control pets at
all times, or leave them at home.
~ Avoid wildlife
during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
~ Respect other visitors
and protect the quality of their experience.
~ Be courteous.
Yield to other users on the trail.
~ Step to the
downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
~ Take breaks and
camp away from trails and other visitors.
~ Let nature’s
sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises
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