Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics
Leave No Trace Walk
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 10 AM: Meet at the Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge
Sharpen your outdoor ethics! Join YCS’ own Georgia Greetham on a two-hour hike to Canyon City, while she interprets the seven Leave No Trace principles.
Leave No Trace is a program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they explore the outdoors. The program provides awareness about impacts related to outdoor recreation and techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Scientific research is the foundation of the Leave No Trace program. YCS now offers Leave No Trace Awareness Workshops and Trainer Courses periodically throughout the year.
YCS is now able to offer Trainer Courses and Awareness Workshops in Leave No Trace.
LNT Trainer Course
Leave No Trace Trainer courses are two-day trainings put on in an outdoor setting by Master Educators. Trainer courses are designed to help you better understand and teach Leave No Trace skills and ethics.
LNT Awareness Workshop
An LNT Awareness workshop will provide background information about the Leave No Trace program and will cover the seven principles of Leave No Trace practice.
7 LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES of OUTDOOR ETHICS
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 smaller groups. Repackage food to minimize waste. Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.
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.
DISPOSE OF WASTE PROPERLY
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: observe, 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 nonnative 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 OTHERS
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. 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.
For more information, contact Leave No Trace Canada www.leavenotrace.ca
The Leave No Trace Canada is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Leave No Trace builds awareness, appreciation and respect for our wildlands.
