A Nice Write Up of Recreate Responsibly

University Journal reporter/editor Holly Linford came to the Recreate Responsibly event at SUU Friday. Here is her write up of the event and a photo or two:

Balancing act: Outdoor programs teach ethics, enjoyment of going outside


The event went well. We'll finish the drawing for prizes Thursday (ran into some fun snags).

The purpose of Recreate Responsibly wasn't just for an event though. It was meant to be a social media and public relations storm for being smart outside.

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the event next year?

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace

Alright what are the Seven Principle of Leave No Trace? Find out down below in this post.

But remember that Leave No Trace is an ethic. It isn't a law. It isn't the tell-tell all of being outdoors. But it sure would help to make the outdoors more enjoyable if everyone out there developed their ethic to make the lands last for generations.

If you want to learn more about any of the principles, just come out April 18 and visit with us. Or visit Leave No Trace's website.


The first principle of a Leave No Trace outdoor ethic is Plan Ahead and Prepare.

I find that this principle is first because if followed you won't leave a trace and the other principles just happen.

So lets look at what Plan Ahead and Prepare means when getting ready to go outdoors and have some fun.

So, lnt.org has a bulleted list to begin with:

Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.

Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.

Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.

Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups.

Repackage food to minimize waste.

Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

The second principle of Leave No Trace is Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces.

Traveling and camping on durable surfaces can go along way to avoid areas from being shut down. You know those signs all over parks and recreation area that say, "Give plants a chance, stay on trails." Well it is because when you aren't responsible about where you are going, it is noticeable; especially in the arid desert.

Here's the bulleted list from lnt.org:

• Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
• Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
• Good campsites are found, not made. altering a site is not necessary.
• In popular areas:
• Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
• Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
• keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
• Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
• Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

So on to the third principle: Dispose of Waste Properly.

Does a bear poop in the woods? Of course and nature will call to you too.

This principle will help to cut down on the spread of disease and trash through the outdoors. 

Here is the list from lnt.org:

• Pack it in, pack it out.
• Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods.
• Pack out all trash, leftover food and litter.
• Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
• Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
• To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.

The fourth principle is Leave What You Find.

You'd think this one is pretty self explanatory, but yet every year land management deals with theft of artifacts, wildlife, plants and more.

I think the example of Petrified Forest National Park is the sad, yet perfect, example of this. Visitors were originally allowed (or it wasn't frowned upon) to take a piece of petrified wood from the park. After a few years the management realized that much of the draw for the park had traveled to various regions of the world and wasn't in the park anymore.

Don't take things from outdoors; other's are coming along to see it as well.

Here's the list from lnt.org:

• Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
• Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
• Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
• Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Now for the fifth principle of Leave No Trace: Minimize Campfire Impact.

Nothing says camping more than a campfire and s'mores, but that doesn't mean the next people coming along or your camping neighbors need to know exactly how large your fire is.

This principles helps to eliminate leftover ashes, destruction of rock and trees, and just general good ethics of fires.

Here are the bullets from lnt.org:

• Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Usa lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
• Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
• Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
• Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

The sixth principle of Leave No Trace is Respect Wildlife.

Another that should make sense to people, but animals are continuously harassed to death; many times in ways people don't realize they are doing it.

This is where animals live. The outdoors are not a zoo where people come to give the animals their food each night. They have to find it. 

Many animals are chased by careless visitors (so they can get a photo, shed hunt, etc.), and the animals use the energy they need to hunt.

Leave them be. These are wild animals and not zoo animals, don't feed either. They can't digest your food and then they forget how to get food naturally.

Here's the lnt.org bulleted list:

• Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
• Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
• Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
• Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
• Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

And the last principle is Be Considerate of Other Visitors.

They put this one last because if you follow the other principles, this one will happen. There are some points specifically to this principle, but for the most part people going outdoors need to realize they aren't the only ones out there.

The outdoors are for everyone to enjoy, not just a select few. Everyone has their own idea of what they want out there and no one is right in what it means to be outdoors, but everyone is allowed to be there.

Here's the list for this principle from lnt.org:

• Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
• Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
• Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
• Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
• Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.

If everyone was willing to follow these guidelines, the outdoors could be enjoyed by everyone for generations.

The member-driven Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. This copyrighted information has been reprinted with permission from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: www.LNT.org


SUU is committed to Recreate Responsibly

At Southern Utah University we have some great faculty and staff who enjoy the outdoors and like getting others out there as well.

SUU's faculty and staff not only enjoy the outdoors, but try to instill a strong outdoor ethic of responsible recreation in the students.

Here are a few photos and insights from some of the faculty and staff at SUU:

Briget Eastep, director of Outdoor Engagement Center

My name is Briget Eastep and you could say I am obsessed with the outdoors.  I love to ski, hike, backpack, canyoneer, and have adventures in the outdoors with my family, friends, and students.  The natural environment gives me opportunities to be healthy through physical activity and rejuvenating my mind and spirit..  I like to practice leave no trace principles because it takes skill and care - from planning ahead to leaving what I find.  It seems with each step I can make a choice to protect the integrity of the environment - do I step on the trail or trample the vegetation?  Do I minimize my impact by walking in a wash or do I try to hop on rocks to avoid cryptobiotic soil.  It is a joy to have wild lands.  I hope my grand children get to know them as well. 

Jake Manning, interim coordinator for Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism program

Over the last year I've started a collection of unfortunate photos focused on one thing. My intention in taking these pictures has been to share the unfortunate news with enough people that they may finally get the point and change their behavior. The photos consist of something I refer to as Tissue Flowers; essentially they're piles and fragments of used toilet paper left in place or buried (later to be uncovered by animals, wind, other people, etc...) in beautiful natural areas. These pictures are from pristine (or nearly pristine) areas near trail heads and parking lots as well as remote wilderness areas. So what is the message you may ask? It is simply that what you think may have a negligible impact may in fact have a major impact. In the case of used toilet paper it could mean spreading disease, creating an eye-sore for other visitors, and changing animal behavior toward humans. It's simplest impact may be that the person planting these Tissue Flowers has exposed themselves as being unscrupulous and inconsiderate, in spite of what it may say for their having a brown thumb. So for those of you who are conscious enough to recognize a need for toilet paper in the back-country, I plead with you to see things one step further and also see the need for a Ziploc bag. Please RecreateResponsibly.

Anne Smith, Outdoor Education Series coordinator

Being outdoors has always been in my blood - ever since I hung out of trees as a tomboy growing up. When I was younger, we could go out into the woods, build fires, lash trees together to make furniture, play cowboys and indians, and pretty much run wild. I decided to take my love of that natural world to a different level by picking up a Master's Degree in Recreation Management and jumped into what has become my real passion - helping others to love everything outdoors. Like everything in life though, I began to realize that I needed to change - change the way I viewed the world around me. The natural world I grew up in was fast disappearing, and so I began to change and adapt the way I interacted with it, and to help others do the same. I'm also concerned with the trends we all see that the next generations aren't as interested in spending time outside and really love to find ways to help everyone, whether they think they're the outdoor type or not, discover something inside them that relates to our natural world and show them how to do it sustainably.