Area visitors are encouraged to “Leave No Trace”
by Stina Sieg
contributing writer
Apr 09, 2009 | 16863 views | 0 0 comments | 1494 1494 recommendations | email to a friend | print
When it comes to impacting the desert landscape, Paul Henderson, the chief of interpretation and visitor services at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, thinks that most people want to do the right thing. Unfortunately, he also believes that most have no idea what the right thing is. “In fact, deserts are fairly fragile places,” said Henderson.

For all those in the dark, he offers a mantra: “Leave no trace.”

The Leave No Trace principles date back as far as the 1970s and have now been adopted by a wide variety of outdoor groups and agencies, from the Bureau of Land Management to the Boy Scouts of America.

The basic tenants, as condensed from the BLM’s website, are:

• Plan ahead and prepare. Unprepared groups usually make high-impact choices out of necessity.

• Travel and camp on durable surfaces. (In the desert, that means hiking on washes, established trails and rocks. Especially avoid soil crusts.)

• Pack it in. Pack it out.

• Properly dispose of what you can’t pack out.

• Leave what you find.

• Minimize use and impact of fires.

By familiarizing people with these ideas, Henderson hopes to bring them up to speed with the ins and outs of the local terrain, which, he said, is nothing like the relatively sturdy ecosystems of rainy forest or ocean beaches.

“Here, a set of tire tracks, a set of footprints in the wrong place can be there for 40 or 50 years,” he said.

For more detailed tips, visit the BLM website at www.blm.gov/education/lnt/principles.html.
Share This Article |

Copyright 2013 The Times-Independent. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

report abuse...

Express yourself:

We're glad to give readers a forum to express their points of view on issues important to this community. That forum is the “Letters to the Editor.” Letters to the editor may be submitted directly to The Times-Independent through this link and will be published in the print edition of the newspaper. All letters must be the original work of the letter writer – form letters will not be accepted. All letters must include the actual first and last name of the letter writer, the writer’s address, city and state and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.

Letters may not exceed 400 words in length, must be regarding issues of general interest to the community, and may not include personal attacks, offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or attacks on personal or religious beliefs. Letters should focus on a single issue. Letters that proselytize or focus on theological debates will not be published. During political campaigns, The Times-Independent will not publish letters supporting or opposing any local candidate. Thank you letters are generally not accepted for publication unless the letter has a public purpose. Thank you letters dealing with private matters that compliment or complain about a business or individual will not be published. Nor will letters listing the names of individuals and/or businesses that supported a cause or event. Thank you letters about good Samaritan acts will be considered at the discretion of the newspaper.