Leave What You Find Camping: A Practical Yet Responsible Camping Strategy for Everyone
Camping is one of the most popular pastimes, a fantastic way to explore new places, and an activity that you can do with family and friends. As rewarding as it can be, it is important to remember that camping doesn’t mean we should be taking away from nature, but instead maintaining and protecting our natural heritage. Leave What You Find camping is a strategy that we should all be adopting whenever we go out and explore nature. There are so many benefits to this method of camping, and I’m here to share my experience and advice on this topic, as a father of three, a content writer and an experienced camper. Let’s take a closer look at why Leave What You Find camping is essential for conserving our natural heritage.
What Is “Leave What You Find” Camping?
Leave What You Find (LWYF) camping is an approach to outdoor activities where we take from the environment only what we need and leave what we find. This means leaving things as they were, in the same condition you found them when you arrived. LWYF applies to more than just camping – it covers all the activities we can do in the outdoors, from hiking, to kayaking to fishing. It’s a way of making sure that everything in nature stays as it was and flourishes in its own unique way.
Why Is “Leave What You Find” Camping Important?
LWYF camping is important to ensure our camping activities can be enjoyed by future generations and for the simple fact that it helps to differentiate a campsite from someone’s backyard. Nature should be respected, not trashed or picked apart. Additionally, in many places it is illegal to take rocks, plants, or any other natural items. This includes collecting flowers or taking wood, which is punishable by severe fines. Short term gains such as taking souvenirs or resources for firewood shouldn’t be enough of a temptation to be worth it, and these resources are best enjoyed by pondering the beauty of the place you are in.
How to Practice “Leave What You Find” Camping?
Practicing Leave What You Find camping is simple and easy once you commit to helping protect our natural resources. Here are some tips to help you camp responsibly:
- Pack out anything and everything you bring in. Don’t leave your trash behind for someone else to pick up.
- Be careful on trails. Don’t cut switchbacks, as this erodes the trail and can be a hindrance for others.
- Don’t introduce any non-native species or plants into the local environment. This can disrupt ecosystems and have unforeseen consequences.
- Take your campsite with you when you leave. Leave your campsite as you found it. Any fires, tents, and shelters should be properly disposed of.
- Be aware of your surroundings, and use good manners to ensure wildlife isn’t disturbed.
- Do not disturb rocks, plants, animals, trees, shrubs, and other natural features. Don’t damage or collect plants, insects, rocks, and other items from the area.
- Keep car and foot traffic on designated trails and avoid shortcuts. Shortcuts can cause damage and destroy plants that take years to regrow.
Getting outdoors for camping trips is one of the simplest and most rewarding experiences. As campers, it is essential to consider how to best leave the environment as we found it. Leave What You Find camping is an ethical approach to camping. It takes only a little extra patience and dedication to take from the environment only what we need. Remember, the same places we enjoy so much today may belong to our children in the future.
Conclusion
Leave What You Find camping is an ethical approach to camping that helps to protect our environment. It helps promote wilderness stewardship and ensures that our camping activities can be enjoyed by future generations. It’s important to remember that our impact on nature, however small, will affect how the environment looks in the future. That’s why Leave What You Find camping is essential and I’m proud to have adopted this approach on my camping trips.
[recommendations keyword=’leave-what-you-find-camping’]