Special Section

Make Like an Outdoorsman and Leave No Trace

tips to minimize your impact in the bush

Heidi Kraemer |

 
This is biodegradable.

Leave No Trace is not just for outdoor hippie extremists. The national and international program educates outdoors-lovers about the impact they have on nature as well as provides tips on how to prevent and/or minimize such impacts. There are seven main principles that the program details: plan ahead and prepare, leave what you find, travel and camp on durable surfaces, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife, dispose of waste properly, and be considerate of other visitors. For those who wish to have a fun, safe outdoor experience and care about the health of our green and blue, these are some valuable tips (with a smidgen of sarcasm) to take along with you when you leave the comforts of home and venture into the woods. 

BEGINNER
• Know the regulations and restrictions so you don’t camp in a flash flood area.
• Avoid creating huge bonfires or bringing fireworks, despite the excitement they incite.
• A fire is not a garbage can. Bring bags to throw your trash into.
• Bring Mad Libs, guitars, laser pointers, or other fun games for campfire jollies.
• Check the weather before you go. Ever hear of the movie The Perfect Storm? That started out as a weekend camping trip. True story.

NOVICE
• Pick up trash. Leave your site like you found it.
• If fires are allowed, use existing fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
• Do not build structures, dig trenches, erect religious temples, etc.
• Gain knowledge of the area you plan to visit from land managers, maps, etc.
• Observe wildlife from a distance. Take a lesson from Timothy Treadwell (a.k.a. Grizzly Man) and try not to get mauled.

INTERMEDIATE
• In popular camping areas, stay on the beaten path. In unpopular areas, beat what paths there are.
• In rural, pristine areas, try to disperse in order to prevent wear and tear.
• Don’t feed wildlife. If you do your Pudgie pies right, you’ll want them all for yourself anyway.
• Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand. This ritual likewise keeps the zombies away.
• Camp 200 feet from any lake or streams, so as not to contaminate the water or disturb the prehistoric freshwater crocodiles raised by Betty White.

EXPERT
• Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species. Especially invasive species like zebra mussels, garlic mustard, and Natasha Henstridge.
• Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.
• Cover and disguise human waste in holes 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 ft from water, camp, and trails.
• If rock climbing, be sure to use “Eco-Chalk” – a powdery substance that improves grip while leaving none of those unsightly (and unnatural) white smudges on the rock.
• Navigate by using the stars like your caveman ancestors.
• Use biodegradable soaps and cleaners.

PSYCHO
• Wearing organic gloves, place the rocks, leaves, and twigs in your area back exactly as they were upon your arrival to the site.
• Seal human waste in organic glass jars. Bring it home with you. Wash. Reuse.
• Dirty? Use (organic) bark to rub yourself down. Organic pine needles are perfect for fresh scent.
• Wear an (organic) body bag to prevent the inorganic elements from your immediate person from ruining the purity of nature.
• Wear only Bon Iver-certified, Leave No Trace (organic) flannel.