For decades, Leave No Trace ethics have been instrumental in minimizing human impact on wilderness areas. Though founded in the U.S., this is also practiced in Australia, Ireland, and Canada.
The seven basic rules:
1. Be prepared- less likely to make choices that harm the environment
2. Do not camp where you will damage surroundings
3. Dispose of waste properly- solid, excreted waste is to be kept away from water sources and placed in a cat hole
4. Do not take things as souvenirs
5. Hide evidence of campfires
6. Let the wildlife be
7. Share the outdoors respectfully with others
Sign me up. I’m onboard, except for that last little part of number three. As a dog owner, this one gets to me a bit.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll move my dogs’ waste away from water or heavily trafficked areas. I am not, however, digging holes for them. (Wouldn’t it be something if you could train this?)
No other animals that I am aware of have to follow this rule. I’m not convinced that dogs should be an isolated exception.
In many backpacking circles this is a fiercely debate topic. It ranges from those extremists who pack out all excreted waste (even fluids!) to those who disregard these principles completely since “leaving no trace” in the woods is impossible.
I am in the middle of the spectrum, and hope that some nature deity will grant me forgiveness for not digging holes for my dogs.
More detailed info on LNT ethics can be found at the Leave No Trace Website
If it’s genuine wilderness, and literally off the beaten path…
I chalk it up to giving the raccoons and opossums a midnight snack.
I know. Ew. Ew. Ew.
Indeed!
As long as there is courtesy for others, I would hope that one of the benefits to time in the wilderness would be less handling of dog waste.
Yes, ew.
I’m right with ya on that one.
How did this happen?
Liz posted something two days before she agreed to join this blog?
Totally vexed!
It is an elusive post.
I couldn’t view it ’til I received blkgldn-n-labmix’s comment…
LOL, well, in RSS feeds it still shows up as brand new, so I didn’t even notice.
I’m still vexed about how to fix it.
[…] 20, 2010 by retrieverman This was posted this evening, but it wound up dated for the […]
I’m somewhere in the middle, too. When my family goes wilderness camping we always take all human waste with us (yes, including fluids), but never think much about the dogs’.
It isn’t possible to truly leave no trace at all. Even in the wilderness, there are favorite camping spots that many people use where the soil is compacted. And I’m sure we leave traces of sunscreen and DEET around and when we go swimming. Whoo boy and you should see the dirty looks some hikers give us when we take the horses.
Don’t forget about skin cells.
Leave No Trace is a great name for marketing, but it is totally inaccurate.
Leave Some Trace would be much more appropriate, just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Some folks would probably disregard the concept either way…
But the rest, myself included, appreciate responsible use of the environment- so Thanks!
If you pack out all human waste, you get a pass on the dogs and horses in my book.
The “leave no trace” regarding human waste is largely because the composition is too high in nitrogen for the environment to break down quickly without burning the local plant life.
I was in the same boat too until a botanist explained the rationale behind the third rule.