Leave No Trace
by Jan Hackett on 03/08/12
As you prepare for your 2012 outdoor activities I encourage you to incorparate Leave No Trace ethics in your planning. The idea of minimizing impact to the land was concieved in the 1960's by the U.S. Forest Service. As public land use increased the Forest Service along with the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service developed early wilderness princilpals.
The Forest Service introduced it's formal "No Trace" in the mid 1980's and it's success led to the combined efforts of the agencies listed above to develop a pamphlet titled "Leave No Trace Land Ethics".
In 1993 an outdoor recreation summit was conviened that included federal land management agencies, outdoor industry trade associations, NOLS, various non-profit organizations and outdoor manufactures. The result of this gathering was the forming of an independant 501-3-c non-profit "Leave No Trace Inc."
Known today as the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics it has developed and expanded LNT education and training since 1994. So as you plan your outdoor activities for 2012 and beyond please remember the 7 principals of LNT:
- Plan ahead
- Camp & travel on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize the impact of fire
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of others
