LEAVE NO TRACE CANADA, a program designed to educate outdoor enthusiasts about the impact of their recreational pursuits, offers up numerous ways that campers can minimize the damage they do to the environment.
Mountain Equipment Co-Op is a partner and supporter of Leave No Trace Canada, and Ken Berg, manager of Winnipeg's MEC store, explained some of their key camping principles:
Limit group size to six people or less. "Smaller groups have less of an impact on trails, push down less vegetation and disturb less of the environment at their campsite than larger groups," explains Berg.
Minimize food packaging. Use reusable instead of one-time use containers when possible. And never burn packaging materials in a fire, particularly plastics, which release noxious and potentially dangerous carcinogens into the air.
Stay on established trails. Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when it is wet or muddy.
Campsites should be set up at least 70 metres from lakes and streams. "This is to make sure you are reducing the chance of impacting the water with pollutants from your camp," says Berg.
If you are in an established camping area, keep your campsite small. Alternately, if camping in pristine wilderness, spread out the campsite so you don't have a negative impact on one particular spot or area, says Berg.
Pack it in, pack it out. Take all trash and leftover food with you when you leave.
Use biodegradable soaps and detergents for bathing and washing dishes. But don't throw your dirty dish water directly into the lake or jump in with your biodegradable soap and lather up. Biodegradable soaps can still harm aquatic life, so take a bucket and sponge and bathe at least 70 metres away from lakes and streams -- and spread dirty dish and bathing water on the ground over a wide area to reduce any negative impact.
Minimize camp fire use. Use a lightweight stove for cooking to reduce the number of fires you make and the amount of wood burned. When making fires, keep them small and use only sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
Don't purchase individual-sized plastic bottles filled with water. A safer and more convenient option is a camper water filter that quickly removes bacteria, fungi and cysts from lake and river water. They are available at all outdoor and camping stores. You simply go to a spot where there is moving water and pump the water through the filter and a hose empties the water into a bottle or pot.
For example, MEC sells small water filtration pumps that are about the size of a water bottle for $26, or larger Mini-works filters for $83, designed for larger groups.
Buy used tents and camping gear. Not only is it a great way to recycle, it will also save you money. Keep an eye out for ads in newspapers or go to MEC's online gear swap program at www.outdoorgearswap.com.
Try not to disturb the natural environment. "Don't take home rocks or plants," says Berg. "Leave things in as natural a state as possible, as it was before you arrived."
For more info on Leave No Trace Canada go to www.leavenotrace.ca
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