“A thing is right when it tends to pr eserve the integrity, stability , and beauty of the biotic community. It is wr ong when it tends otherwise. ” —Aldo Leo pold , A Sand Coun ty Almanac L E AV E N OT R A C E Outdoor S ki l l s & E t h i c s N O RT H AMERI CA E DI T I ON
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8/14/2019 Leave No Trace, Outdoor Skills and Ethecs
RECOGNIZE DURABLESURFACES.W hateffectdoes a footstep hav e?The answeris, itdepends. Afootstep
means differentthings toa tree sapling and mead-owgrass,to leaflitt erand cryptobiotic soil,toa gravely riv erbank andrain f orestmoss.
Unfortunately,tram-pling causes v eget ation
damage and soilerosion invirt ually everyenviron-
ment. Recoverythattakesayearin the southern
Appalachians mightrequire 25 years ormorein GlacierNationalPark,MT. O therimpacts are
also possible. Most pris-tine soils contain animalsthat live orf eed ondecayi ng plants. Trampling
destroys habitatfortheseinsect s,earthw orms,mollusks and snails,aswellas the fungithatf er-
tilize the soiland help
make regrowth possible.Vegetat ion protectsunderlying soils. O nce
plantgrowth i sdestroy ed,erosion cancontinue with or withoutfurtheruse.
Whereveryou traveland camp, use surfacesthat are resistanttoimpactsuch as rock out-crops, sand,gravel,drygrasses, snowor water.
CONCENTRATE USE IN
POPULARAREAS. In popu-larareas,concentrateuse on trails,establishedcampsites,and other
dev eloped sites such as
trailheads and picnicareas. Concentrating use
in these areas and,ifnecessary,on the sur-faces mentioned earlier,w illminimize distur-bances to soils and vege-tation. Because animalslearn t o ex pect people ontrails,they’re less dis-
turbed byencounterswith people on-trail thanoff.
Stay on designated
trails. On trails, walksingle file in the centerofthe tread —even where
it’s wet,rockyormuddy.Trails become progres-sively widerand formparall elpaths where peo-ple walk on trailmargins
eff orts to restore vege-tation and soils are inprogress.
Boating,fishing andother wat er-based activ-it ies can damage shore-lines,wetlands,andreefs. Inquire locallyabouthowto minimize
yourimpacton theseresources. Alwayschoose durable sites tolaunch,anchor and dock
yourboat,and avoid tidepools,coralreefs or
sites rich in wildlife.Use est ablished camp-
sites. C hoose a well-established campsitet hat’s big enough f oryourgroup. Some popular
areas have officiallydesignat ed campsites,shelters orplatforms.Use ofthese amenities
can reduce damage tovegetat ion and other nat-ural feat ures. Wherecampsites are notfor-mallydesignated, look
forand use sites wherethe ground coverisalreadyw orn away.
Wearsoft-soled shoesand concentrate youract iviti es in the cent erofthe site to avoid enlarg-
ing it.In grizzly bearcountry,
itis advisable t o separatethe sleeping and cooking
areas. Ot herwise, tents,packs, gear,and thekitchen area should beconcentrated in one area
on previouslycompacted,naturallyresistant, orreinforced surfaces. Thisapproach protects sur-
rounding vegetation and
TRAVEL AND CAMP o n D u rab le Surf a c e s
prevents developmentof“satellit e”sites.Also consider your
visual impacton otherusers orwildlif e. Take
advantage ofopport uni-ties to tuck y ourtentoutofviewbehind nat uralscreening such as trees
orrocks.
GOOD CAMPSITES ARE
FOUND, NOT MADE. Whatmakes t he perfectcamp-site? Saf ety, privacy,
and comfortnevergo outofstyle,and securing
such amenities does notent aila ma jorremodelingeffort. We can bring ourown li ghtw eightfurniture
and conveniences along toeliminat e the need tocreate them on-site.C amp stoves,mattress-
es, tables,chairs,lanterns —even solarshow ers —are readilyavail able atreasonable
prices,and t heypack in
and outwit h ease.Leaveyourcampsite
clean and naturallook-
ing —naturalize it. In wild-lands, we are v isitors,butw e are also hosts t othose who follow . They
w illnotice our hospitali-ty, orlack ofit. Litt er,graffiti,tree damage,v isible human and petw aste,unsightlyfirerings and the like aresenseless acts. Bytakingthe t ime to pick up aft er
ourselv es and others,ifnecessary,w e’llallben-efit.
Trees are often dam-
aged nearcampsites.
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vegetation. Ifeach per-son takes a sli ghtly dif-ferentroute,a distincttrailis less likelyt oform because no single
plantreceiv es multi plefootfalls. Walking singlefile is acc ept ablewherethere is little chance oftrampling plants.
O ff-trailtravelmaynotbe appropri ate i nsome areas. Forexam-
ple,golden mountainheat hergrows on a fewrockyledges in the Pis-gah N ational F orest,N C,and nowhere else oneart h. Off-trailhikersand climbers are theonlyserious t hreats toits survival. Ify ouabsolutelymust travelthrough fragile terrain,tryto place y our foot-
steps in the leastdestruct ive locat ions andencourage yourcompan-ions to step in exactly
the same spots.Campsit es.Select the mostdurable camp-
ing locationpossible. Inpristineareas,pre-
existing camping spots,even those thatarelightlyused,should beleftalone to recover.Before unpacking y our
t ent, look forobviousbird nesting activityand
TRAVEL AND CAMP o n D u rab le S u r f a c e s
othersigns ofanimals.C hoose an area thatseems safe,free ofw ildlif e,and w ell suitedto low-impactcamping.
Look fora large rockslab,a graveled area,orother equallydurablespace to locate your
kit chen. Concentrateyour activities on thissurface wheneverpossi-ble to protectmore
fragile areas. Ifneces-sary,reserve lessdurable ground for yoursleeping area.
In prist ine areas,impacts can often beavoided byst aying onlyone night. In these areas,
vary yourroute towater, to the “bath-room”and t o sleepingareas to prevent trails
from f orming. In general,manageyour act ivity toavoid harming the naturalfeatures of the site,especiallythose thatdonotregenerate ordo sov ery slow ly — such aslichens and trees.
BREAKING CAMP. Beforedepart ing,naturalize anddisguise the site by
replacing anyrocks orstick s you may havemoved. Re-coverscuffed-up areas wit h
leaflitt erorpine nee-dles. F luffup mattedgrass and make t he pl aceless obvious as a camp-
site. As long as overallvi sitor use is verylow,the site w illretai n itsbest qualities. Ideally, no
trails orcampsites willbe created if visitors
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haulyourtrash (andmay be someone else’s).Before mov ing on from acamp or resting place,search t he area for“micro-garbage”suchas bits of food and trash,including cigarette filtersand organic litterlike
orange peels,or egg andpistachio shells. Invitethe kids in y ourgroup tomake a game outofsc avenging f orhuman“sign.”
PRACTICE GOOD
SANITATION.Human waste
“¿Donde está elbaño?”“Ninahit a ji ku ji-
saidie?”No matterhowit’s said,“Where’s t hebathroom?”is an impor-tantquestion,even in
wil dlands. W here there isno bathroom perse,answering the calli nvolves a litt le pre-
planning,some initi ativ e,and a bitofcreativity.The fourob ject ives ofproper human wast e dis-
practice leaves the leastimpacton the area. Oth-erwise,use as little aspossible and buryitdeeplyin the cat hol e.Burning toil etpaperatthe site has caused wild-fires,rarely burns com-
pletely,and is not rec-ommended. “Natural”toiletpaperlike grass,sti cks, and snow can be
catholes maynotbeused properly —it mightbe best to dig a latrine.Site t he latrine as you
would a cathole and
make sure thatt he routeto the latrine is ov erdurable surfaces. Dig atrench 6-8 inches deep,and long enough toaccommodate the needsofyourparty. Use soilfrom the trench t o cov erthe feces aftereach use.
Dispose oft oilet paperbypacking itoutin a plasticbag orburying itatthebottom ofthe trench.
Naturalize the site bef oreleaving.
C arry ing w ast e out.Visitoruse is often high
and soils sparse in alpineand desertareas. Recre-ation managers trying toprotecthuman health and
watersources employaspectrum oft oiletdesigns and approachesto managing human
w aste —even airlifti ngw aste with helicopters.One option is to carryand use a home-made
containter such as a“poop tube”ora com-mercialdevice designedfortransporting human
waste. Dispose ofthecont ents in pittoilets,porta- johns, oraccord-ing to package instruc-
t ions. Localland man-agers mayrecommendotherappropriate dispos-altechniques.
Urine. W hile the odorofurine can be a problemin arid areas,especiallyalong rivercorri dors,itis typicallynota healthconcern. Uri nate wellaway from camps andtrails. In rainyenviron-
ments, urine attracts
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wildlife with salt-defi-cientdiets. Animalssometimes defoliateplants to consume thesaltin uri ne,so urinateon rocks orbare groundrather than on the v ege-tation. W here wateri splentiful,considerdilut-i ng the urine byri nsingthe site.
Special Environments.
Winter. Wint ercondi-tions present s pecial
challenges. Waterisev eryw here —it just hap-
pens to be frozen —andthe soilmay be sev-
eralf eetoutofreach and as hard
as arock. Poopt ubes orother“packing
out”prod-
ucts maybe thebest dis-posal
options
unless youcan locate apatch ofbare ground,usually undera tree wherea trowel
mightpenetrate the duff .Waterw ays. Carrying a
portable t oilet hasbecome a standard prac-
tice on manyw aterw aysand may be required. Atthe conclusion ofa trip,the toilet’s holding tank
is flushed outat a RV orboatdump station. Thestat ion delivers thewaste and toiletpapert o
a municipal sewage
treatmentplant . Thedumping ofsolid humanwaste in landfills is usu-ally illegal. W hile on ariver,be sure to site the
t oilet on a durable spotwhere no new trails w illbe created to reach it.
WASTEWATER. To washyourself ory our dishes,carry wat er200 f eetawayfrom streams or
clean pot orexpanding jug to collect wat er,andtake itto a wash site atleast200 feetaway
from watersources. T hislessens trampling oflakeshores,riverbanksand springs,and helps
keep soap and other pol-
lutants outof the wat er.U se hotwater, elbowgrease,and litt le orno
soap. Strain dirtydish-waterwith a fine meshstrainerbefore scatter-ing itbroadly . Do thiswellawayfrom camp,especiallyifbears are aconcern. Pack outt hecontents of the strainer
in a plast ic bag alongw ith anyuneat en left-overs. Animals shouldnotbe allowed access t o
any human food and foodw aste for reasons dis-cussed in the“RespectWil dlife”section on page
21.
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torical artifacts arereminders oft he ri chhuman hist oryofthe
landscape and belong toallpeople f oralltime.Structures,dwellingsand artifacts on public
lands are protected byt he ArchaeologicalResources ProtectionA ctand the NationalHis-
toric Preservat ion Actand should not be dis-turbed. These includeseeminglyinsignificantpotsherds,arrowheadsand logging or railroadequipmentfrom 50ormore years ago. Itisillegalto excavate,dis-turb or remove theseresources from anypub-lic lands. Observe butdo
nottouch t hem.
LEAVE NATURAL
FEATURES UNDISTURBED.
Load yourcamera,notyour packs. Letphotos,drawings and memoriescomprise your souvenirs.
Although naturalob jectsmay be collected on some
public lands,apermitis
oft en
required. C ollecting isprohibited in nationalparks and w ildliferef uges. Federallawapplies to wildlands. F or
example,t he federalMigratoryBird TreatyActprotects the nestsand feathers of c ertainw ild birds. Practice andencourage restraint.
Help children investi-gate the role ofsea
shells and other naturalob jects in theirow nenvironments. R emind
them t hatt hese thingsfillimportantecologicalniches:an antlerisgnawed bya kangaroo
rat;a scorpion f indsshade undera piece ofdriftwood;some petri-fied wood shelters the
entrance of a pika’s bur-row;and a featherisw oven int o the nestof anosprey. Ob ject s in naturederive much oftheirbeautyfrom their sur-roundings and neverlookquite the same back
home.
AVOID SPREADING NON-
NATIVE PLANTS AND ANI-
MALS. Invasive species ofplants,animals,andorganisms c an causelarge-scale,irreversible
changes to ecosy stems
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by eliminating nativ especies overtime.Acc ording to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service,invasive species havecontributed to the declineof42 percent oft he
country’s threatened andendangered species. Atleast1.5million acres ofNat ionalPark Service
lands are severelyinfested. Invas ive plantsaffectev ery habitattypefound in national forestsand Bureau ofLand Man-agementlands in the U .S.There is no eff ectiv etreatmentf ormany
invasive species and weare losing t he native,liv ing naturalheritageprotect ed lands were
intended to conserve.Recreat ionists playa
role in the spread ofinvasives bytransport-
ing live animals, plantsand seeds,and agents ofdisease such as G iardia.The pot enti alfornew
infestat ions increaseseverydayas more andmore outdoorseekerstravel from one wil dland
to anotheraround theglobe. On campsit es inthe Bob MarshallWilder-ness, MT, for example,three of the four mostcommon species are non-native plants.
We can help prev entthe spread ofinvasivespecies byfollowing afewpractical sugges-tions.
•Don’ttransportflow-ers,w eeds,oraquatic
plants into wil dlands.•Emptyand cl ean y our
packs,tents,boat s,fishing equipmentandothergearafter everytrip. W ater,mud andsoilmaycontain harm-
fulseeds,spores,ortinyplants and ani-mals.
•C lean the dirtoutofyourboots ortiretreads.
•Neverdisc ard orrelease live bait .
•Make sure pack stockand pets are immu-nized,and theircoatsare free ofseeds,
twigs,and harmf ulpests such as ticks.
•Ifyou carryhay orother feed,make sure
it’s w eed-free. Feedpack animals food t hatis certified weed-freeforat leastthree days
before entering w ild-lands.
• H elp landowners or
land managing agenciesinitiate controleffortsby alerting them toinfested areas.
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LEAVE Wh at You F in d
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species adapt readilytohumans in theirdomain,resume theirnormalbehaviors and are said tobe “habituat ed.”Otheranimals flee from
humans,abandoning theiryoung or critical habitat.Stillothers are attractedand endangered byhuman
food and trash.Because outdoorrecre-
ati on is dispersed ov erlarge areas and atall
times ofthe year,it s
impacts on wildlife canbe equallyextensiv e.Fish,birds, and rept iles,
as w ellas mammals,areaffect ed bypeople using
theirhabitat s. W e areresponsible forcoexi st-ing peacef ullywithwildlife.
OBSERVE FROMA
DISTANCE.Always watchorphotograph animalsfrom a safe distance toav oid start ling them orf orcing them to flee. Donotfollowor approachthem. If you’re hunti ng,know your game and takeonlysafe,clean shots.
U se the observationareas,platf orms and
trails provided in manyareas,and bring binocu-lars, spotting scopes,and telephoto lenses towat ch w ildlife. Backaway ifanimals reactt oyourpresence. T o leave
t he
area,move awayfrom
t he animal even ifyoumustdetourfrom y ourintended traveldirect ion.You have more opt ions in
yourmovement s thananimals do. Treatthemgenerously .Avoid quick mov ements
and direct eye contact,which maybe int erpretedas aggression. Don’tdis-turb wildlife (i. e. by
shouting to gett heir
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att ention)t o geta betterphot o. If animals are onthe move,stayoutoftheirline of trav el. Trav-elquietlyexcept in bear
ormountain lion country.Don’thike atnightwherenocturnalpredat ors maypresenta hazard t o safe-ty.Adultbehav iors infl u-
ence the relationship ofchildren t o the nat ural
w orld. Showrespectandrestraintbyteachingchildren not to approach,petorfeed wild animals.
Alway s k eep children inimmediate sight. They’reoften the same size asanimalprey. D on’t encir-
cle or crowd w ildlife,tease orattemptto pickup a wild animal. Younganimals,removed or
touched bywell-meaningpeople,maybe abandonedby theirparents. If youfind an animalin trouble,notify a game w arden.
AVOID SENSITIVETIMES
AND HABITATS. Consider
the seasonal stressesthat wildlife face. Insome situations,av oidt heir habitats,for your
safetyand the animals’.
RESPECT W i l d l i f e
For example,in MarkTwain NationalForest,MO,wi ntert ime dist ur-bance ofendangered Indi-ana and graybats great-
lydecreases theirchance ofsurvival.Grizzlybears frequentberrypatches in l atesummerin Montana.Eagles and songbirds arewary ofhumans andtrails when choosing
nesting territori es inearly spring in manyw ildland areas.
In general,animals are
sensitive to recreation-i sts w hile pursuing anddefending mates and t er-ritories,birthing,guard-
ing young ornests, andw hen food is scarce. Themore y ou understandabouta species, the
more considerate youcan be oft he animal’sneeds and temperament,especiallyatcritical
times and in criticalplaces.
NEVER FEEDANIMALS.
Feeding wildlife damagestheirhealth, alters nat-uralbehav iors,andexposes them to preda-
tors and ot herdangers.
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Headlines are made whenwildlife is attracted tohumans and theirfood.Bears getthe most atten-ti on fortearing intotents,coolers and cars insearch of a meal,butcampers more commonlyhave to dealwit h the
annoyance ofrodents,raccoons or birds lookingfora handout . T hese ani-mals pose littl e threatto
human safety,buttheirpresence is a nuisance,they can be vectors fordisease,and their
reliance on human food isa detrimentto theirownwell-being.
Human foods and prod-
ucts are harmfultowildlife because animalswould otherwise forageand eata nutritious dietderived from theirnat-uralenvironment. Seri-ous illness or death canoccurwhen wildlife con-
sumes food wrappers,vehicle antifreeze andother“inedibles.”Animals are adept
opport unis ts . Whenoffered the temptationsofan untidybackcountrykitchen or a handoutfrom
a curious camper,theycan overcome theirnat-uralwariness ofhumans.Aggressive ordestruc-
tive behaviormayfol-low,and in conflicts w ithhumans,animals ult i-mately lose. Prospects ofan easy mealalso lurewildlife into hazardouslocales such as campsit esand trailheads,roads and
entrypoints,where t hey
can be chased bydogs orhitbyvehicles. Theymay
also congregate in unnat-
uralnumbers,increasingstress and the spread ofdisease wit hin their pop-
ulat ions.
STORE FOODAND
TRASH SECURELY.“Food”
includes garbage, cannedfood,stock feed,petfood,fueland scented orflavored toiletries. The
saltin hiking boots,back-packs or clothing alsoattracts manysmallmammals. Appropriate
storage and transporta-tion methods varycon-siderablyfrom place toplace,so consultlocal
land m anagers aboutt hebestpractices. Keep aclean camp byremovingallgarbage and ev en t he
tiniest food scraps. Becaref ulnotto drop foodon t he trailas well.
In bearcountry,hang
“food”from tree limbs12f eetoffthe ground,6feetfrom the tree’s
trunk,and 6 feetbelowthe supporting limb,orstore itin speciallydesigned bear-resistantcanisters oron-sit e lock-
RESPECT W i l d l i f e
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Today, we must sharewildlands with people of all recr eational persua-
sions .There is simply not
enough country for ever ycategory of enthusiast tohave exclusive use of trails, lak es, river s, andcampgrounds.
Yetthe sub jectofoutdoor“etiquette”isoften neglected. We’rereluctantto examineourpersonal behaviors,l eastofall in wildlandswhere,to many,asense offreedom isparamount.
RESPECT OTHER
VISITORSAND PROTECT
THE QUALITY OF THEIR
EXPERIENCE.Some people
v isitw ildlands to en joyquietand solitude. Others
come forcomraderie.Even remote wildlands
are under increasing usepressure. So,w henever
possible, find an estab-lished campsite outofsightand sound ofot herv isitors.
C hoose to maintain acooperativ e spiritinwildlands. Ourinterac-tions should ref lectthe
knowledge thatwe canand do relyon each other
w hen mishaps occur.More often than not, our
experiences ultimately
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BE CONSIDERATE of Ot her V i s i t o r s
ers. Canisters are avail-able forrentand sale atsporting goods suppliersand some land manage-mentagencies. Used
properly,theyensure agood night’s sleep fory ouand a naturaldietf orbears.
CONTROL YOUR PET.
Wildlif e and pets are not agood mix —even on a leash,dogs harass wil dlife anddisturb other visitors. Thebest opti on is to leavethem athome. Obedience
champion ornot,everydog is a potentialcarrierof diseases thatinfectw ildlife.
If you musttravel withyour pet,check f orrestrictions in advance.Most nat ional parks pro-hibitdogs on alltrails.
E nsureyouranimalis ingood condition forthetrip. Dogs should havecurrentvaccinations toavoid being carriers oforcontracting infectiousdiseases such as rabiesand parvo-virus,espe-
ciallyin areas with w olfpopulations. Always usea collarand a shortleashto control yourdog.Remove petfecesfromtrails,picnic areas,and campsites by dis-posing ofitin a cathole,as youwould
RESPECT W i l d l i f e
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