March 17, 2011 OAUSA Net "Tread Lightly!"

[FishPOET]

As you head outside, remember it is your responsibility to exercise responsible outdoor practices. You can do this by following the Tread Lightly! principles and leave a good impression on the land and others.

T
Travel and recreate with minimum impact.
Travel responsibly on designated roads or in permitted areas.
Travel only on routes designed for motor vehicle use.
Travel only in areas that are open to your type of vehicular recreation.
Don’t create new routes or expand existing routes (Don’t go around obstacles)
Avoid sensitive areas.
Cross streams only where the road or trail intersects the stream.
Use existing campsites.

R
Respect the environment and the rights of others.
Respect private property owners and all recreational trail users, campers and others to allow them to enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed.
Respect and be considerate of other users so that all can enjoy a quality experience outdoors.
When driving, yield to horses, hikers and bikers. STOP and let them pass.
Respect wildlife. Keep your distance.
Comply with all posted signs.
ALWAYS obtain permission to cross private land and/or special use or sensitive public areas.

E
Educate yourself, plan and prepare before you go.
Obtain the proper maps and regulations from public agencies.
Observe local laws and regulations.
Be sure your vehicle is compatible with road and trail conditions.

A
Allow for future use of the outdoors, leave it better than you found it.
Avoid sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams.
Protect wildlife habitat and sensitive soils from damage.
Take out what you bring in (and more)
Leave what you find. Take only pictures of archeological and historical artifacts.
Minimize the use of fire. Use a metal container. Have a small warming fire.
Avoid the spread of invasive species.
Restore degraded areas. Get involved with local Adopt-A-Trail organizations.

D
Discover the rewards of responsible recreation.
If you abuse it you will lose it.

Tread Lightly! was launched in 1985 by the U.S. Forest Service to help protect public and private lands. To maximize its effectiveness, program responsibilities were transferred to the private sector in 1990, making Tread Lightly! a not-for-profit organization.

Protecting the great outdoors through education became Tread Lightly’s mission.

Ensuring future use of land and water became its purpose.

Tread Lightly’s message now reaches an international audience of outdoor recreationists.

Through the services of Tread Lightly!, recreationists learn that opportunities to use the outdoors tomorrow depends on how they recreate today.

Situational Ethics
We are watched and judged by our words and actions. We have to be very careful in the justifications for our words and actions. Situational Ethics is a slippery slope. Where is the threshold of black vs white? Can we draw the line in the gray area?

Along the trail:

Where do we draw the line between biodegradable and trash?
Is it OK to toss a banana peel along the trail? Orange peel? Peanut shells? Sunflower seed shells?

Is it OK to wash your hands on the trail before lunch and allow dirty water to become part of the habitat? Is it OK to dump your gray water tank in the desert? In the forest?

Do you regularly check your vehicle for fluid leaks? If you know of a tiny leak would you ignore it and travel anyway? Does your vehicle emit gray oily smoke?

Do you wash your vehicle (including the undercarriage) between trips to keep invasive species from spreading?



In camp:

Do we need to collect the dirty water from our shower? Does the number of people in the group make a difference? 10 campers? 100 campers? 1000 campers?

Can we bury our pheces or do we need to pack it out? Does the number of people in the group make a difference? 10 campers? 100 campers? 1000 campers?

Are coffee grounds biodegradable or do we need to pack them out?

The BLM has instituted a policy of not allowing glass on BLM land. Do we change our favorite beverages into plastic or aluminum containers at home before we reach BLM land? Can we keep glass containers inside our vehicle? Inside a self contained camper or trailer?

Many public land agencies no longer allow ground fires. Do we use existing rock fire rings or do we only allow our group to have a fire in a metal container? Do we have a big fire just because we can? Some public agencies only allow local firewood. Would you still bring your own or wait and buy it locally?

Do you take precautions when refueling at camp to collect any possible spillage?

[cruiserlarry]

This should be a must-listen net for all of us.

While everyone I know on this site, and elsewhere, tries to be responsible, I'm sure we all slip up once in a while, either by ignorance, or for convience. There are ways we could all improve how we deal with our by-products on the trail - and I'm looking forward to learning about new ones, and reinforcing the old ones...

[Cammo]

Wow. I feel like I should "tread lightly" here, but I've had it...

Some of this is just common sense, some of this is extreme, and some of this is just pure B.S.

In the end, what will it get us. If anyone is following the forest "service" management plans, we're screwed. In the end it doesn't matter how much we "capitulate" (yes, we are); how "politically correct" and "green" we become (yes, we foolishly are) the enviro-whackoes still want ALL offroading CEASED and will not stop until it is. They are relentless and most of them live with their teeth firmly clamped on the welfare nipple and have nothing better to do all day than get in the forest service, BLM, and that nutcase Salazars face to lobby and SUE (at OUR expense) for more and more closures. The sad part is that these bureaucracies are all infiltrated with enviro-whackoes that agree with them, just ask me about the federal fish head I met at a local MSCP meeting. The deck is stacked against us and our APPEASEMENT (yes, we are) will only delay the inevitable.

Do not get me wrong, I do not do MOST of what is listed here and try not to do ANY. But come on...stay away from lakeshores (with the truck, OK)? don't wash your hands with a little water? Ridiculous. As far as the not going around barricades (I don't and am not advocating that, it's just the process of how they got there that irritates me) & only go on marked trails, that means we totally surrender freedom to unelected bureaucrats to establish an "approved" path for us to ride on. Again, ridiculous! Nothing is permanent, everything changes and I don't see the difference if a rock weathers from natural erosion or tires. Ever see or smell an area where birds congregate? Sometimes, nature ain't so pretty! Maybe some critters just don't belong in the gene pool and we're "interfering" with our idiotic efforts to keep everything static, ever think of that?! Closing a trail because someone put a tire track on a cliff wall? That's absurd. That's insanity by definition. We absolutely need to police our own as the damage is mostly caused by young kids out for a thrill and the rest of us pay for it because "they" just use it as an excuse for more restrictions. It's gone too far and must be stopped. Sheesh. Time for some sanity.

[cruiserlarry]

Wow. I feel like I should "tread lightly" here, but I've had it...

Some of this is just common sense, some of this is extreme, and some of this is just pure B.S.

I've had it, too - with folks who need to insult people who believe differently in order to make their point.

There are extremists on BOTH sides of environmental issues. Your insinuation that everyone trying to control the destruction of land, resources, and animal life is an "enviro-wacko", or that there is some conspiracy by every government agency when they present policies like "Tread Lightly", is totally off-base IMO.

You have associated all people who are interested in environmental issues with welfare. This is a demonstration of trying to win an argument by insulting the speaker instead of addressing the speech. Something to ponder: If these folks are all so lazy, as you have inferred, how did they accumulate so much influence and power ? Whether you agree or disagree with any issue, I recommend against underestimating the intelligence of anyone who wields as much influence as you claim.

There are just as many people who feel they should have freedom to do anything they want, regardless of the affects on the environment, or the ability of others to enjoy it. My guess is the final resolution will lie somewhere in between both extreme viewpoints.

Discussions that use factual, rational arguments to work towards preserving the resources we enjoy, without restricting our access to these resources, will be much more constructive. Name-calling and ranting without presenting facts, or an alternative that addresses the entire situation, does nothing towards a resolution of your complaints.

Nothing is permanent, everything changes and I don't see the difference if a rock weathers from natural erosion or tires. Ever see or smell an area where birds congregate? Sometimes, nature ain't so pretty!

Pretty has nothing to do with the issue, but the possible permanence of destruction due to ignorance does. The fact that you see no difference between natural erosion and mechanical destruction hints more towards a lack of knowledge on the subject than a factual observation. I agree that there are many bad regulations and ridiculous policies, but that doesn't negate the science involved, or the need for a workable solution for all concerned.

Time for some sanity.

Here we are in complete agreement.

My suggestion is to come up with ideas for rational discussion, based on facts, that you feel would improve the situation, and less name calling. Feel free to start a separate thread, and present the issue in a way that might allow for the discussion of the pros and cons of existing or proposed policies, and the presentation of ideas and policies that might help attain the results you seek.

Respectfully,

Larry