(They are more realistic than the BSA version). Download it to see it properly and print.
Include Pros and Cons of each.
OUTDOOR CODE
As an American, I will do my best to—
Be clean in my outdoor manners.
Be careful with fire.
Be considerate in the outdoors.
Be conservation minded.
LEAVE NO TRACE
The Principles of Leave No Trace
1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
Proper trip planning
and preparation help hikers and campers accomplish trip goals safely and
enjoyably while minimizing damage to natural and cultural resources. Campers
who plan ahead can avoid unexpected situations, and minimize their impact by
complying with area regulations such as observing limitations on group size.
Schedule your trek to avoid times of high use. Obtain permits or permission to
use the area for your trek.
Proper planning
ensures
§ Low-risk adventures because campers obtained
information concerning geography and weather and prepared accordingly
§ Properly located campsites because campers
allotted enough time to reach their destination
§ Appropriate campfires and minimal trash
because of careful meal planning, food repackaging, and proper equipment
§ Comfortable and fun camping and hiking
experiences because the outing matches the skill level of the participants
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Damage to land occurs
when visitors trample vegetation or communities of organisms beyond recovery.
The resulting barren areas develop into undesirable trails, campsites, and soil
erosion.
Concentrate Activity, or Spread
Out?
§ In high-use areas, campers should concentrate
their activities where vegetation is already absent. Minimize resource damage
by using existing trails and selecting designated or existing campsites. Keep
campsites small by arranging tents in close proximity.
§ In more remote, less-traveled areas, campers
should generally spread out. When hiking, take different paths to avoid
creating new trails that cause erosion. When camping, disperse tents and
cooking activities, and move camp daily to avoid creating permanent-looking
campsites. Avoid places where impacts are just beginning to show. Always choose
the most durable surfaces available: rock, gravel, sand, compacted soil, dry
grasses, or snow.
These guidelines apply
to most alpine settings and may be different for other areas, such as deserts.
Learn the Leave No Trace techniques for your crew's specific activity or
destination. Check with land managers to be sure of the proper technique.
3. Dispose of Waste Properly (Pack It In, Pack It Out)
This simple, yet
effective, saying motivates backcountry visitors to take their trash home with
them. It makes sense to carry out of the backcountry the extra materials taken
there by your group or others. Inspect your campsite for trash or spilled
foods. Accept the challenge of packing out all trash, leftover food, and
litter.
Sanitation
Backcountry users
create body waste and wastewater that require proper disposal.
§ Wastewater. Help prevent contamination of
natural water sources: After straining food particles, properly dispose of
dishwater by dispersing at least 200 feet (about 80 to 100 strides for a youth)
from springs, streams, and lakes. Use biodegradable soap 200 feet or more from
any water source.
§ Human Waste. Proper human waste disposal helps
prevent the spread of disease and exposure to others. Catholes 6 to 8 inches
deep in humus and 200 feet from water, trails, and campsites are often the
easiest and most practical way to dispose of feces.
4. Leave What You Find
Allow others a sense
of discovery, and preserve the past. Leave rocks, plants, animals,
archaeological artifacts, and other objects as you find them. Examine but do
not touch cultural or historical structures and artifacts. It may be illegal to
remove artifacts.
Minimize Site Alterations
Do not dig tent
trenches or build lean-tos, tables, or chairs. Never hammer nails into trees,
hack at trees with hatchets or saws, or damage bark and roots by tying horses
to trees for extended periods. Replace surface rocks or twigs that you cleared
from the campsite. On high-impact sites, clean the area and dismantle
inappropriate user-built facilities such as multiple fire rings and log seats
or tables.
Good campsites are
found, not made. Avoid altering a site, digging trenches, or building
structures.
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
Some people would not
think of camping without a campfire. Yet the naturalness of many areas has been
degraded by overuse of fires and increasing demand for firewood.
Lightweight camp
stoves make low-impact camping possible by encouraging a shift away from fires.
Stoves are fast, eliminate the need for firewood, and make cleanup after meals
easier. After dinner, enjoy a candle lantern instead of a fire.
If you build a fire,
the most important consideration is the potential for resource damage. Whenever
possible, use an existing campfire ring in a well-placed campsite. Choose not
to have a fire in areas where wood is scarce—at higher elevations,
in heavily used areas with a limited wood supply, or in desert settings.
True Leave No Trace
fires are small. Use dead and downed wood that can be broken easily by hand.
When possible, burn all wood to ash and remove all unburned trash and food from
the fire ring. If a site has two or more fire rings, you may dismantle all but
one and scatter the materials in the surrounding area. Be certain all wood and
campfire debris is dead out.
6. Respect Wildlife
Quick movements and
loud noises are stressful to animals. Considerate campers practice these safety
methods:
§ Observe wildlife from afar to avoid disturbing
them.
§ Give animals a wide berth, especially during
breeding, nesting, and birthing seasons.
§ Store food securely and keep garbage and food
scraps away from animals so they will not acquire bad habits. Never feed
wildlife. Help keep wildlife wild.
You are too close if
an animal alters its normal activities.
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Thoughtful campers
respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
§ Travel and camp in small groups (no more than
the group size prescribed by land managers).
§ Let nature's sounds prevail. Keep the noise
down and leave radios and pets at home.
§ Select campsites away from other groups to
help preserve their solitude.
§ Always travel and camp quietly to avoid
disturbing other visitors.
§ Make sure the colors of clothing and gear
blend with the environment.
§ Respect private property and leave gates (open
or closed) as found.
Be considerate of
other campers and respect their privacy.
8 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: Find out about three career opportunities in cooking.
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