Leave No Trace

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Leave No Trace combines knowledge and judgment
with ethical responsibility
"Tell me, and I will forget Show me, and I may
remember Involve me and I will understand..."

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Leave No Trace Outdoor Skills Ethics
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Leave No Tracefor the Boy Scouts of America
A National Education Program Designed to Teach
Stewardship, Land Ethics, and Outdoor Skills on
Public Lands
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Presentation Objectives

• Provide an overview of resource impacts resulting
  from recreational use.
• Review WHY a national Leave No Trace educational
  program is needed.
• Introduce and describe Leave No Trace practices
  most applicable for Boy Scouts.

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Overview of Visitor Impacts
Leave No Trace Virtual Campfire
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Improving the Reputation of Scouts
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Loving Our Public Lands To Death?
BSA gt 5 million members, 308 Councils, 138,000
units
50,000 Troops 17,000 Crews 300,000
weekend trips 10,000 weekend multi-group
trips 5,000 week-long trips 1,000 week-long
multi-group trips
Estimated annual outdoor BSA use on
public/private recreation lands
Increasing visitation Increasing impacts?
Over 15 million user days!
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Is all this use really a problem?
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Why Leave No Trace ?

• Leave No Trace might seem unimportant until you
  consider the combined effects of millions of
  outdoor visitors.

• One poorly located campsite or campfire may have
  little significance, but thousands of such
  instances seriously degrade natural resources and
  recreation experiences.
• To protect our resources we must take the
  responsibility to educate ourselves and practice
  the skills and ethics necessary to Leave No Trace.

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The LNT Challenge

• Prevent avoidable resource and social impacts
• Minimize unavoidable impacts
• Preserve the quality of resources and recreation
  experiences

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The Seven LNT Principles

• 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
• 2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• 3. Dispose of Waste Properly
• 4. Leave What You Find
• 5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
• 6. Respect Wildlife
• 7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

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1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
Problem

• Poor camping hiking skills that unnecessarily
  impact natural resources or degrade the
  experiences of other visitors.

• Soap in streams
• Expansion of campsites
• Campfire impacts
• Creation of new trails

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1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
Problem

• Large group sizes that are noisy and crowd out
  other visitors.

• Displacement of others at popular sites
• Noise
• Crowding
• Conflicts

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1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
Solution

• Obtain sufficient leadership to travel and camp
  in smaller groups, even when there arent group
  size limits.

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1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
Solution

• Select equipment that facilitates Leave No Trace
  practices.

• Use backpacking stoves for cooking
• Bring a trowel to dig cat-holes
• Bring a piece of screen to strain dishwater
• Use a candle lantern instead of a campfire

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2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Problem

• Widening trails by hiking two or more abreast,
  creating new trails, and cutting switchbacks.

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2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Solution

• Stay on formal trails when possible, walk single
  file in the center of the tread. Dont create
  new trails.

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2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Problem

• Creating new campsites or enlarging existing
  sites by developing new tent sites or trampling
  vegetation around campsites.

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2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Solution

• Use only well-established campsites that are
  large enough for your group or split the group
  and camp on separate sites.
• Focus activity in core use areas on the most
  durable surfaces.

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3. Dispose of Waste Properly
Solution

• Pack it in, Pack it out Inspect campsite for
  trash and spilled foods, including
  micro-garbage. Dont burn trash or food.
• Strain dishwater through a screen to remove food
  particles. Pack these out, along with leftover
  food.

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3. Dispose of Waste Properly
Solution

• Carry water for washing dishes or your body 200
  feet away from streams or lakes and use small
  amounts of biodegradable soap.

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3. Dispose of Waste Properly
Solution

• 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 hole when
  finished.

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5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
Problem

• Proliferation and migration of campfire sites.

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5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
Solution

• If you do build a campfire keep fire small and
  burn for a short time to conserve fuel. Use
  sticks from the ground that can be broken by
  hand.

• Burn all wood to ash, put fires out completely
  and scatter cleaned ashes to keep fire pits
  small.

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6. Respect Wildlife
Problem

• Disturbance of wildlife, displacing them from
  areas of preferred habitat.

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6. Respect Wildlife
Problem

• Feeding wildlife (unintentional or intentional),
  attracting them to people and developed areas.

• Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters
  natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators
  and other dangers.

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6. Respect Wildlife
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7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Problem

• Crowding, particularly at attraction sites, along
  trails during rest breaks, and in popular camping
  areas.

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Benefits of Applying LNT

• Better planning leads to safer trips and lighter
  packs
• Prevents avoidable impacts, minimizes unavoidable
  impacts
• Protects the quality of natural environments and
  recreation experiences

• Avoids or minimizes the need for restrictive
  management regulations or use limitations

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What Can I DO?

• Visit the website (www.lnt.org) or call the Leave
  No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
  (1-800-332-4100) to obtain LNT brochures,
  booklets, and other information.
• Learn and apply LNT skills and ethics on future
  trips!
• Complete the BSA LNT Awareness Award, take a
  Trainer or Masters course and then teach others.
• Become a supporting member of Leave No Trace.

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Leave No Trace Website
WWW.LNT.ORG
Comprehensive information on the Leave No Trace
program including Principles LNT
Courses Skills Ethics Booklets Traveling
Trainer Program
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Boy Scouts of AmericaLNT Awareness Award
Requirements

• 1. Recite and explain the principles of Leave No
  Trace.
• 2. On three separate camping/backpacking trips,
  demonstrate and practice the principles of Leave
  No Trace.
• 3. Earn the Camping and Environmental Science
  merit badges.
• 4. Participate in a Leave No Trace-related
  service project.
• 5. Give a 10-minute presentation on a Leave No
  Trace topic approved by your Scoutmaster.
• 6. Draw a poster or build a model to demonstrate
  the differences in how to camp or travel in
  high-use and pristine areas.

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The End
Leave No Trace !
Happy trails and remember to . . .
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• This slide set was developed for the national
  Leave No Trace program. Copies may be obtained
  from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor
  Ethics.
• Shorter versions can be developed by omitting
  slides or local images may be substituted to
  adapt the program to specific areas.

Developed by Jeff Marion, Ph.D. Leader,
Cooperative Park Studies Unit, Virginia Tech,
Blacksburg, VA 540-231-6603, jmarion_at_vt.edu