This summer, one of the Tumbler Ridge Seasonal Visitor Information Counselors, Lindsay Weech, is bringing Outdoor Environmental Education to outdoor enthusiasts regarding Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics!
“We, as outdoor adventurers, leave such a large mark on the land,” says Jenna McQueen, Program Coordinator for the Geopark. “Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics focuses on how, collectively, it is our responsibility to be a steward of the land and protect it as well as take care of it no matter where we are on the earth.”
As a UNESCO Global Geopark, the Tumbler Ridge Geopark promotes ethical practices at all times for all forms of outdoor recreation. However, she says, currently, nine out of ten people who visit the outdoors are not informed about Leave No Trace practices.
“Lindsay’s mission is to provide information to outdoor enthusiasts to help them take proper care of the outdoors,” says McQueen. “Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics is an attitude and an understanding of the world around us and about minimizing the potential impact on the land. When spending time outdoors, human impacts on the environment generally fit into the following seven areas: wildlife, soil, vegetation, cultural, campfire, water, and visitor.”
In order to minimize these impacts, Weech is teaching seven Leave No Trace Principles. Each principle covers a specific topic and provides detailed information for minimizing impacts in the outdoors. These principles include things like: How to plan ahead and prepare, how to travel and camp on durable surfaces, pack it in, pack it out, leave what you find, how to minimize campfire impacts, how to keep our wilderness wild and how to be considerate of other visitors
For more detailed information about these principles, says McQueen, stop by the Visitor Centre. “Or, if you see Lindsay walking around the Geopark, please stop and say hi!”
