Four Tips for Sustainable Recreation
If you grew up in Western North Carolina, there’s a good chance you spent your childhood exploring mountain trails, swimming underneath waterfalls, searching for salamanders, digging for night crawlers, or just simply enjoying nature. We should all be able to enjoy the great outdoors, but it’s also important to also treat nature with respect. “Leave No Trace” is a teaching that can help you grow a close relationship to nature, no matter where you are.
The “Leave No Trace” principles focus on the expectation that we leave nature better than we found it, leaving only footprints and taking only memories. When enjoying our properties, please keep in mind they are home to natural ecosystems full of critters such as river otters, turkeys, deer, birds, bats, and fish. When these principles are not followed, there are devastating consequences to natural habitats. We encourage the community to enjoy and love nature as much as we do, and we ask that you do this sustainably.
Conserving Carolina’s stewardship team, including AmeriCorps, staff and dedicated volunteers, work hard to preserve this biodiversity and care for the land that the organization preserves. This work often includes the removal of non-native invasive species followed by the restoration of natural habitats. However, lately there has been concern regarding the amount of waste being found of some of our publicly accessible properties.
Most recently our Habitat Restoration Associates spotted a river otter at one of our properties floating down the river with a plastic bottle! This is an alarming sight, as thousands of aquatic animals die from ingesting or being entangled in plastic and other trash each year. Native plants and animals play an essential role in balancing our ecosystems. The loss of a species can be devastating to the whole ecosystem. River otters are at the top of the aquatic food chain and play an essential role in nutrient cycle by transferring nutrients from one ecosystem to another and keeping prey species in check. Without them, the change in water ecology could be destructive.
While trash and other degradation can be an overwhelming problem, we want to share some ways that you can stay sustainable when working and playing on the trails.
1. Stick to the trail.
We strive to keep our trails sustainable by limiting the amount of erosion impact when being built. While it may be tempting to follow an old trail or animal path, please do not wander off the established trail.
2. Buy well-made gear.
Buying well-made gear generally expands the gears life span and limits the amount of broken gear that ends up in landfills. Well-made gear can be expensive, but you can often find lightly used items second hand. We recommend looking at second hand shops such as Second Gear in Asheville, NC or second hand gear online sold by high end brands such as REI and Patagonia to save some money.
3. Remove pet waste.
Whether its yourself or you pet, please dispose of waste responsibly. If you’re using dog bags to pick up your pup’s waste, please be prepared to take it with you. Leaving dog waste in a bag on the trail does more harm than just leaving the waste, as the bags are not biodegradable! If you have forgotten a bag, find the nearest stick and push the poop off trail. Be sure to remember next time, as dog waste is a serious source of pollution in streams! Learn more.
4. Plan ahead and take your trash with you!
Always plan your trail route ahead of time. It will help you know what gear to bring, and the right amount of food and water. It’s always a good idea to bring a bag designated for trash as well as toilet paper if you need to go in the woods. Remember that whatever you bring with you should also come out with you.
Hiking 101—Join Us this Thursday!
We love seeing you out and about enjoying the trails and connecting with nature. And it’s important that we care for our trails and for our wild friends so that future generations can continue to foster a connection with nature as well. If you want to learn more on how to recreate responsibly, join us at our upcoming Hiking 101 presentation at Etowah Public Library on July 21st at 2 p.m. We’ll talk about what to wear, what to bring, and where to go. We’ll also cover the ten essentials of packing for a day hike, the rules of trail etiquette, the Leave No Trace principles, as well as touching on water filtration systems and fire building. RSVP is required. Call the Etowah Library at 828-891-6577 to register.
Author Beth Joslin is serving as an AmeriCorps Project Conserve Habitat Restoration Associate with Conserving Carolina.