Today, use of designated wilderness
areas has increased from 4 million people in 1964, to 7 million people
in 1974, to 15 million in 1984, 21 million in 1994, and nearly 30
million expected users in 2000. That's a 750 percent increase in 30
years! As cities grow and populations encroach upon wildlands and
recreation areas, we must do more than just pick up the litter and
extinguish campfires. We must learn how to maintain the integrity and
character of the outdoors for all living things. Leave No Trace is not
simply a program for visiting the backcountry, it is an attitude and a
way of life. Learning about Leave No Trace begins with your unit.
Instilling values in young people and
preparing them to make moral and ethical choices throughout their
lifetime is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America. Leave No Trace
helps reinforce that mission, and reminds us to respect the rights of
other users of the outdoors as well as future generations. Appreciation
for our natural environment and a knowledge of the interrelationships of
nature bolster our respect and reverence toward the environment and
nature.
Leave No Trace is an awareness and an
attitude rather than a set of rules. It applies in your backyard or
local park as much as in the backcountry. We should all practice Leave
No Trace in our thinking and actions--wherever we go.
We learn Leave No Trace by sharing the
principles and then discovering how they can be applied. Leave No Trace
instills an awareness that spurs questions like "What can we do to
reduce our impact on the environment and on the experiences of other
visitors?" Use your judgment and experience to tailor camping and hiking
practices to the environment where the outing will occur. Forest,
mountain, seashore, plains, freshwater, and wetland environments all
require different minimum impact practices.
The Horseshoe Scout Reservation is
proud to offer two outstanding training opportunities: the Leave No Trace Awareness program
and the Leave No Trace Trainer course as part of
our commitment to the mission of the BSA, our facility and our
environment.
Leave No Trace Awareness
Leave No Trace Trainer
