Seven Principles of Leave No Trace program; Team in South Lake Tahoe to teach and inspire

Leave No Trace is a national program that teaches and inspires people to enjoy the outdoors while also helping to protect it.

While protecting the outdoor environment and keeping it clear and free of trash and debris should be commonplace, it isn't.

The Leave No Trace team was recently in South Lake Tahoe on a vacation but stopped by South Tahoe High to talk to members of Generation Green. Many may remember the team as community members who left last year to travel the country and teach and train along the way.

Aaron Hussman, who worked for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, and Donielle Stevens, who was with the Tahoe Chamber, now spend their time on the road, camping and being outdoors. Their one year contract was recently extended another year. Subaru, one of the sponsors of the program, provides their car which is exchanged annually. While their base is in Colorado, the pair spent 250 nights in a tent last year in their region which covers the Southwest.

The member-driven Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics protects the outdoors by teaching people to enjoy it responsibly. It is the most widely accepted outdoor ethics program used on public lands. Through targeted education, research and outreach, the Center ensures the long-term health of our natural world. Enjoy your world. Leave No Trace.

Leave No Trace is built on seven core principles that are used to communicate the best available minimum impact guidance for enjoying the outdoors responsibly. The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace were developed to help educate and guide recreationists in sustainable minimum impact practices that mitigate or avoid recreation-related impacts.

At STHS, Stevens and Hussman taught each of seven principals to the Generation Green students:

Plan Ahead and Prepare - Do the contents of your pack properly prepare you for this trip? Do the contents of your pack ensure your safety? Do the contents of your pack ensure you will Leave No Trace that you will not damage natural or cultural resources? Do the contents of your pack ensure your trip will meet your goal for example, wildlife viewing or fish safely and enjoyably?

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces - Just as most gather around the kitchen at home, they do the same at a campsite. Move the kitchen around the site each day to minimize impact. Just like at home, remove heavy shoes and walk around the campsite in sandals or light tennis shoes. Stay on worn trails. If you go off the trail, it takes just 25-30 passes on vegetation to cause it to no grow for five years.

Dispose of Waste Properly - Dig 6" down and cover or use the new waste disposal bags available online or at sporting good stores. These bags are essential for backcountry skiing where one cannot dig into the dirt. Urine on bushes attracts animals.

Leave What You Find - Especially important with invasive species. Don't carry out nature. Be careful what will stick on your boots and bike tires.

Minimize Campfire Impacts - Fire scars at campsites damage the land for years. Use a fire pan which lifts the fire off the ground. When collecting firewood don't use anything bigger than the size of your wrist, use dry/dead wood only. Save the big logs for habitat as many bugs and other wildlife use them as their home and they decompose which is good for soil. Don't bring in firewood from outside the area as it can transport non-native species. Make sure fire is out and you can touch it. Fire bans are not just for dangerous situations, it leaves the area clean for generations to come.

Respect Wildlife - Let wildlife be wild. Deer will drop their babies in an area while they forage and the baby is not abandoned. Let them be. Use the thumb rule for keeping your distance: Hold your arm straight out and stick up your thumb. The animal should be hidden from your view behind that thumb.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors - Ace the first six, and you've already done this according to Donielle. Also, when hiking learn the rules of yielding. Horses win, bike lose, hikers choose is the saying. It is up to hikers to yield to other hikers. Uphill hiker has the right of way so they can keep the momentum. If you step off the trail, don't continue walking off the trail as it causes harm. Once the other person passes, step back on the trail. Appreciate each other as you appreciate nature.

Donielle and Aaron join the other three teams that are touring the country and share adventures and information on a blog and video channel, as well as a Facebook page.

Besides the seven principals, the duo also talked to the students about abandoned sleds, a common problem around Lake Tahoe. Discarded sleds are unsightly and need to be retrieved. When someone comes across trash they should pack it out, even if they weren't responsible. If a group out sledding sees these sleds, they may think that is the practice and leave for the next group. If there are no sleds left, then this practice may go away. They send the message that it's ok to leave trash behind, encouraging others. This cumulative participation leaves lots of trash in the area that can be harmful to wildlife and leak into the environment. See Donielle's video on sleds in this story.