Archive for March, 2011
Concentrate Impacts in High-Use Areas
Concentrating use in popular or high-use areas is a simple and effective method to reduce the impact of a backcountry visit. Main travel corridors and popular destinations usually have well-established trails and campsites. Continued use causes little additional impact to these features although overcrowding diminishes the overall experience for some. Respect other visitors’ need for [...]
Wildland Ethics – Spread Use and Impact in Pristine Areas
Pristine areas are typically remote, seldom visited and have few obvious impacts. Visit pristine areas only if you are committed to and knowledgeable in the techniques required to Leave No Trace in that particular area. Rocky places with shallow soils, sandy areas, low heath balds, cliffs, bogs and wetlands often harbor residual populations of endangered [...]
Camp organization and cleanliness
Camp organization and cleanliness take on heightened significance in bear country. The primary concern here is safety, both for the visitor and the bear. Although black bears are shy and usually prefer to stay away from people, a bear can be a very dangerous animal if provoked or habituated to humans. Personal safety is the [...]
Outdoor Activities:Keep fishing and hunting
Keep fishing and hunting waste away from trails and water. While fish and game viscera are a natural part of the ecosystem, if disposed of improperly they can be unsightly. The goal in disposing of fish and game viscera is to reduce aesthetic impact and encounters between people and scavenging wildlife. In remote or little-used [...]
Minimize Use and Impact of Fires Part 2
Selecting a Leave No Trace fire site. At established sites, use existing fire rings. These help concentrate the impact associated with fires and keep surrounding areas in more natural condition. Constructing new rock rings for campfires or building fires against boulders or ledges is inappropriate as it blackens rocks and disturbs underlying soils. If you [...]
Backpack:Minimize soap and food residues in waste water.
Hot water and a little elbow grease can tackle most backcountry cleaning chores. Soap is unnecessary for most dishwashing jobs and can be difficult to rinse thoroughly. Remove all food bits from the water before disposing of it (a small strainer is a good tool for this), and pack these particles out with excess food [...]
Minimize Use and Impact of Fires
Campfire impacts are among the most common and obvious recreational impacts in wildlands. In backcountry areas of the Northeast, campfires are generally discouraged, and in any of the region’s alpine zones, fires should never be built. Backcountry visitors should always carry the appropriate equipment for warmth, shelter and light, and a lightweight campstove for all [...]
Properly Dispose of What You Can’t Pack Out
In the backcountry, we create certain waste that usually can not be packed out. This includes human waste and waste water from cooking and washing. Dispose of human waste responsibly. Correctly disposing of human waste helps prevent pollution of water sources, the spread of illness such as Giardia, and aesthetic impacts to other visitors. Some [...]
Reduce your impact on other visitors
Reduce your impact on other visitors. Being friendly and outgoing toward other hikers and campers is a natural trait of backcountry visitors, but every visitor has a desired level of socialization or solitude. Around shelters or designated camp sites, share news of the day’s events with other groups, and enjoy the camaraderie fostered by a [...]
Leave natural and cultural artifacts
Leave natural and cultural artifacts. Natural objects of beauty or interest, such as antlers or mineral crystals, should be left alone for others to discover and enjoy. In national parks and some other areas it is illegal to remove natural objects, or to do so without a permit. Archaeological, cultural and historic artifacts preserve an [...]
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