Leave No Trace: Principle: Leave What You Find

Leave No Trace: Leave What You Find Allow others a sense of discovery by leaving rocks, plants, archaeological artifacts and other objects of interest as you find them. The activities for this Leave No Trace principle deal with cultural artifacts; however, leave what you find involves many aspects of outdoor use. The following information addresses a variety of ways to respect natural settings.

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Leave No Trace: Principle: Respect Wildlife

Quick movements and loud noises are stressful to animals. Travel quietly and do not pursue, feed or force animals to flee. (One exception is in bear country where it is good to make a little noise so as not to startle the bears)

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Leave No Trace: Principle: Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Many people come to the outdoors to listen to nature. Excessive noise, unleashed pets and damaged surroundings take away from everyone's experience. So, keep the noise level down while traveling and if you bring a radio, tapes or CDs, use headphones so you will not disturb others.

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Leave No Trace: Principle: Plan Ahead and Prepare

Poor planning often results in miserable campers and damage to natural and cultural resources. Rangers often tell stories of campers they have encountered who, because of poor planning and unexpected conditions, degrade backcountry resources and put themselves at risk.

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Leave No Trace: Principle: Dispose of Waste Properly

Proper disposal of human waste is important to avoid pollution of water sources, avoid the negative implications of someone else finding it, minimize the possibility of spreading disease, and maximize the rate of decomposition. In most locations, burying human feces in the correct manner is the most effective method to meet these criteria. Solid human waste must be packed out from some places, such as narrow river canyons. Land management agencies can advise you of specific rules for the area you plan to visit.

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