Travel Tip #32 - Leave no Trace

     When I was a Boy Scout, one of my scout leaders taught us the following mantra, "Take only pictures. Leave only footprints. Kill only time." My family and I have visited most of the national parks in the West. In my visits, we have often signed up our daughters in Junior Ranger programs. In those programs, they learned a similar philosophy, "Leave no trace." What does is mean to leave no trace, and why is it important?
     Take only pictures. When you are visiting a national park or monument (and most state parks), it is illegal to take souvenirs since everything in the park is protected. You might wonder what harm there is in taking a pretty rock, a shell, or a piece of petrified wood as a memento of your visit. Unfortunately, with millions of visitors to these parks every year, what would happen if everyone took just one little memento? The idea of national and state parks is to preserve the beauties and treasures found there for future generations. Take as many pictures as you want, but leave everything else.
     Leave only footprints. This was the original motto of early conservationists. Yet, like many slogans and mottos, this motto needed some revision. The original intent of the slogan was to impress upon our minds the importance of not littering or leaving markings behind (ie. initials carved or painted on natural objects). The last thing we want is our national parks to start looking like our downtown neighborhoods. However, with millions of visitors to national and state parks every year, there are tens of thousands of pairs of feet treading through the parks every day. You've probably seen what dozens of footsteps can do to spots on your lawn. Multiply that by thousands and you can get an idea of the potential damage careless visitors can do to the environments in our parks. Leave no trace means staying on established trails so that our footprints don't add to the problem.
     Kill only time. Once again, it is illegal to kill plants and animals inside national and state parks. Each living organism plays its own role in the natural ecosystem. Park rangers learned this the hard way a century ago when they actually sponsored drives to kill predators. Several species were driven to the brink of extinction through these efforts. Others were completely wiped out in certain areas of the country. It was only after the fact that they realized their mistake as the ecosystems were thrown completely out of balance. Herbivores, whose populations had been kept in check by the predators, began spreading like wildfire, which then put a strain on many local plant species. This resulted in famines which killed off many of the animals the rangers had originally hoped to protect. Long term studies have determined that when man interferes with the environment, it usually has a negative impact.
     As you travel this beautiful nation of ours, teach your kids the importance of "Leave no trace." Our future generations will thank you for it.