The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace (video)

The thrill of the hunt. The peace and quiet of a mountain hike. The priceless feeling when you take kids to fishing for the first time.

None of the above can exist in the future without conservation.

Practice Minimum Impact in the Outdoors

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace outline an understood structure of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors.

To care for the land, it’s essential that we adhere to the following principles, as outlined by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics:

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare What you do before you leave home can greatly influence the impact your trip leaves on the outdoors. Plan ahead so you can avoid your destination’s most crowded times, and when you arrive, properly store food and correctly dispose of waste.
    

2. 

   Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces Use existing trails and campsites to minimize damage to the land.
    
3. Pack It In, Pack It Out With You Do not burn or bury trash. In addition, if you see litter, pick it up and take it with you. 
    
4. Leave What You Find Do not take home plants and flowers, feathers, stones and/or other natural items you may find. 
    
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts Rather than building campfires, use camping stoves for cooking, instead.
    
6. Respect Wildlife Observe animals from afar. In addition, do not feed wildlife, and be sure to properly secure food so they cannot get in and endanger themselves or you.
    
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors Show respect to others, keep pets on leashes and make a point to keep noise levels down.

Learn more by watching this video, “Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics,” created by the U.S. National Park Service:

For more helpful information on conservation, check out our other  conservation posts on Bass Pro Shops 1Source.