‘Leave No Trace’ video now online, inspires minimizing our impact on the back country

Recently available to view online for the first time is the National Park Service’s “Leave No Trace” video. At just 9-1/2 minutes, it’s a short and scenic entreaty to park visitors to exercise care and conscientiousness in the back country.

Seasoned campers have no doubt heard park rangers utter the saying, “Take only pictures and leave only footprints.” But there’s more to it.

To make our outdoor ventures as low-impact as possible, we all know that we should take out what we bring in. But maybe next time we can think about bringing out even more than what we brought in (i.e., trash left by other people). And an evening campfire is a given for many campers, but it’s worth considering, for the good of the environment, not starting one up at all next time, if we don’t need it.

These are just a couple of the themes brushed upon in the video, which briefly describes the following seven widely known leave-no-trace principles for outdoor enthusiasts to follow:

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

Yes, these are essential points for beginning campers, but even the most experienced may find them helpful reminders. For far more elaborate detail on each of the principles, consult the site of nonprofit organization Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Photo: Campers at Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Credit: Don Pendergrast / National Park Service

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 3:40 pm by Susan Derby and is filed under Eco-Travel, Family & Kids, National Parks, Outdoors & Adventure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.