Why Leave No Trace?
"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land," says author and noted conservationist Aldo Leopold. But how much harmony and balance do we attempt to strike during our recreational jaunts through public lands?
As our presence in the wildlands increases so does the evidence of our visits. Water pollution, displaced wildlife, trampled vegetation, and eroded soil can all result, ironically, from our love of the natural world and our desire to experience it.
To help us create harmony between ourselves and the land, the national Leave No Trace education program offers seven easy principles that, once learned, can offset our impact and make responsible recreation an ingrained part of our outdoor experience:
Leave No Trace — A Preventive Measure
Leave No Trace principles, coupled with a respectful attitude and awareness, contribute to the development of "Wildland Ethics." Such ethics recognize the intrinsic value of wildlands and remind us that we are visitors to these locations. Yet, because our presence has altered so many landscapes, we have the responsibility to protect the few remaining areas that have some semblance of wildness. If we don't, authorities will.
- When areas become too degraded from recreational impacts, land managers often respond with closures, permits, user fees, rules, and regulations. In other words, if we do not respect the flora and fauna by following Leave No Trace principles on our own, we risk having land-managing agencies respond to degrading areas by imposing regulations. Many agencies have the dual mandate of protecting natural resources while also providing a quality recreational experience. Tighter controls are often their answer.
- Popular locations may lose their sense of wildness if they become actively managed. As the sheer number of outdoor enthusiasts increases and puts more pressure on wildlands, some level of regulation may be inevitable. Although managers do not establish regulations to detract from visitors' experience or to inconvenience them, outdoor enthusiasts may feel that restrictions change the character of a wild place.
- Enforcement of rules and regulations tends not to preserve a visitor's experience. If there's one thing that most federal, state, private land managers and agencies, and the public can agree on, it's that education is preferable to regulations whenever possible. Regulations can bring about noticeable and timely resource recovery efforts, but they can also be difficult to implement and enforce. In addition, public sentiment can be unfavorable.
- Regulations tend to be effective only in the areas where they are enforced and only for the areas they are designed to protect. Visitors there leave without taking away any new knowledge of backcountry stewardship. But when they learn Leave No Trace concepts, they develop a sense of stewardship and practice Leave No Trace wherever they visit and recreate. Their knowledge helps them lead others by example. Such behavior benefits the land, the visitors, and the land managers.
