Leave No Trace Mission

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.

The Center achieves its mission through education, research, partnerships and volunteerism.

Leave No TraceProgram Roots

The Leave No Trace program originated in backcountry and federally-designated Wilderness areas in the 1960’s, following the passage of the Wilderness Act in1964.

In the 1970’s, the federal agencies began to develop educational brochures. The program was slogan-based, with little national leadership or inter-agency coordination.

Early names for the program included: Wilderness Manners, Wilderness Ethics, Minimum-Impact Camping and No-Trace Camping.

Leave No TraceProgram Development

In the 1980’s the “No Trace” program was developed by the U.S. Forest Service wilderness managers as a humanistic approach for wilderness ethics and low impact hiking and camping practices.

Leave No Trace was selected as the name for an expanded national program by the early 1990’s; partnership formed with four land management agencies and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

Leave No TraceEarly nonprofit

In 1993 there was an Outdoor Recreation Summit in D.C., which recommended the creation of a nonprofit called Leave No Trace, Inc., with national headquarters in Boulder, CO.

In 1994, Leave No Trace, the nonprofit, was created to guide development, establish partnerships, distribute educational materials and conduct fundraising.

Leave No Trace Nonprofit today

The Center works with over 500 partners to promote minimum impact outdoor recreation.

The Center has twelve staff members in Boulder and four teams of traveling educators that provide education, training and outreach across the United States.

Leave No Trace Partnership Structure

Federal agency partners

State and local agency partners

Corporate partners

Small Business partners

Nonprofit partners

Educational partners

Outfitter/Guide partners

Retail partners

Media partners

International partners

U.S. Federal Land Management Partners

Memorandum of Understanding with the five largest land management agencies in the U.S. to provide Leave No Trace education on public lands.

Each agency has staff trained in Leave No Trace who train other agency personnel and the general public.

The federal agencies have national Leave No Trace coordinators who serve as advisors on the Center’s Board of Directors Review and Research Network.

The agencies play a critical role in providing Leave No Trace information to millions of outdoor enthusiasts each year.

The Seven Leave No Trace Principles

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

Dispose of Waste Properly

Leave What You Find

Minimize Campfire Impacts

Respect Wildlife

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Leave No Trace Research Foundation

Recreation Ecology research tells us about recreation impacts and how they can be reduced by managers and visitors.

Human Dimensions research tells us about visitor perceptions, attitudes and behaviors.

Leave No Trace TrainingThe Center offers training options across the country.

The Leave No Trace Challenge

Prevent avoidable resource and social impacts.

Minimize unavoidable impacts.

Preserve the quality of resources and recreation experiences.

Mountaineering-Specific Leave No Trace Guidelines

What were/are the impacts and problems?

70’s Social trails, meadow tramping, litter, fecal matter

80’s Growth in mountain climbing and guiding worldwide. Over crowding on standard routes.

90’s Increase number of climbers guided and non-guided. Increased impact on the fragile alpine zone.

2000 Continued growth and impact. Domestically and internationally. Recognizing a need to manage and control impact.

Why the need for Mountaineering Information

Unsustainable impacts. Diminishing the quality of the world highest peaks. More of us trying to enjoy/share a finite resource. Negative impact on Alpine zone. Commercial operators one of the largest user groups and capable

of substantial impact negative or positive. Also positioned well to educate public.

2001- 2003. Land managers, commercial operators from Rainier, Denali, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks collaborate and develop Alpine Mountaineering Guidelines. Sharing ideas and best practices on how to protect this zone.

2004-2006. Input from climbing clubs Portland Mazamas, Seattle and Tacoma Mountaineers. Continued developing and refining on Rainier, Denali, and Alpine zones worldwide.

Key Leave No Trace Mountaineering Issues

Proper planning – food, fuel, routes, equipment, permits, etc.

Use of durable surfaces.

Disposal of waste – particularly human wastes and trash/litter.

Stove and campfire impacts

Respecting wildlife

Being considerate of other climbing parties, assisting when necessary, offering aid, etc.

Development of Mountaineering Information

For many years Leave No Trace had been providing limited guidance for mountaineering but no formal, peer-reviewed information existed.

As the popularity of mountaineering increased over throughout the 90’s and 2000’s, it became clear there was a need for more specific guidance.

The Center was approached by longtime Leave No Trace partner Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. in 2010 about jointly developing Leave No Trace guidelines for mountaineering.

Through an inclusive, peer-reviewed process, the Center worked with RMI and others including the US National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, scientists, mountaineers and others to develop approved guidance for mountaineering.

Leave No Trace for Mountaineering

Final version released in 2011.

Broad appeal from mountaineers around the world.

Well received by mountain managers in the U.S. and beyond.

Continuing opportunities to refine practices and update information as best practices evolve.

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Plan your route – make reservations, secure appropriate permits.

Prepare your team – verify expectations and abilities.

Plan your meals – minimize waste and unnecessary weight.

Carefully plan fuel needs and usage.

Plan your human waste disposal strategy.

Take responsibility for your impacts.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

Stick to designated and durable routes.

Durable surfaces include rock, snow, barren ground, ice, etc.

Avoid trampling fragile vegetation whenever possible.

Concentrate use in popular areas.

Disperse use in pristine areas.

Always naturalize sites before leaving.

Dispose of Waste Properly

Trash – Pack it in, pack it out.

Human waste – numerous options – must check local regulations.

Options include:

Established latrines or toilets“Blue Bag” systemsW.A.G. systemsPaper bag with kitty litterClean Mountain Canister systemDirect deposit into snowBag latrinesCatholes

Leave What You Find

Leave natural features as you find them.

Respect the summit – memorabilia left on the summit is litter to other climbers.

Cairns – unless authorized, leave cairns as they’re found and avoid building new cairns.

Leave all summits as good or better than you found them.

Minimize Stove and Campfire Impacts

Reduce fuel use whenever possible.

Pack out all unused fuel.

Reuse and recycle. Identify local sources for collection and recycling of surplus fuel.

Reduce campfire impacts, and only have fires where permitted.

Consider using firepans or existing fire rings.

Respect Wildlife

Store all food, trash and other smellable items securely at all times.

Use designated food storage devices whenever available such as bear bags, canisters or boxes.

Consider hanging food and trash off the edge of a cliff or off large boulders to keep away from animals.

Do a thorough scan before leaving an area for micro trash.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Communicate with other climbers.

Consider pace, team size and direction of travel when passing.

Take breaks on durable surfaces in safe locations that allow other teams to pass easily and safely.

Anticipate a shared experience on popular routes and summits.

Keep a low profile and preserve the remote experience for others.

A Final Challenge

Mountaineering depends on the preservation of the vertical environment.

Mountaineering demands personal responsibility, judgment and self-reliance, which is at the core of the wildness.

Mountaineers must do what they can to minimize their individual and cumulative impacts on the worlds summits.

Be a advocate for protection of these special places.

Critical Role of Partners

Partnerships are essential to the success of the Leave No Trace Program both in the U.S. and internationally.

The Center has over 500 partners, and a vast network of over 30,000 members, educators and volunteers.

The majority of Leave No Trace education, training and outreach occurs because of these various partnerships.

Partnerships also allow for the development of activity, ecosystem or environment-specific curriculum and information.

Partners with specific expertise greatly contribute to the validity, accuracy and relevance of Leave No Trace information.

Next Steps

Continue refining curriculum based on new science, new best practices, other factors.

Enlist existing and new partners to continue addressing issues facing summits around the world.

Create avenue for Alpine users to communicate input and updates for the Leave No Trace Alpine Mountaineering Guidelines.

Leave No Trace is about enjoying the world’s summits responsibly. It starts with you!

1.800.332.4100info@LNT.orgwww.LNT.org