Leave no trace
By promoting “light
on the land” recreation, a new nonprofit group aims to protect
wilderness areas. Funded in part by a grant from the Sporting Goods
Manufacturers Association, Leave No Trace Inc. will work with
manufacturers of camping gear and federal-lands staffers to educate
backcountry users about minimum-impact recreation. “Since the
outdoor industry is doing such an effective job in encouraging its
customers to visit America’s wildlands, we all have a
responsibility to help assure the quality of the outdoor
experience,” says Sandy Briggs of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers
Association. Through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS),
Leave No Trace Inc. will teach backcountry skills such as digging a
proper cat hole for human waste, finding natural alternatives to
toilet paper and building a no-trace fire on a fire-retardant tarp.
The group also hopes to persuade manufacturers to hang-tag their
merchandise with the “Leave No Trace” principles. While Leave No
Trace is a new organization, the Forest Service has promoted the
concept for 20 years, and NOLS joined the effort in 1991. The
group’s director is Jim Landmann, former product development
manager with L.L. Bean and a NOLS instructor in Lander, Wyo. For
more information, call 800/332-4100.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Leave no trace.
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