Leave No Trace (Final Presentation and Essay)

NOTE: I meant to publish this sooner to allow people to prepare for my presentation, but my life hit the fan over the weekend.  So I am banking on the phrase "better late than never" and I went ahead and published this article even though I present today.  

In 2017, I thruhiked the Appalachian Trail, more commonly called the AT.  The trail, running from Springer Mtn., GA to Mt. Katahdin, ME, is one the most well-travel footpaths in the entire world.  Portions of the trail the coincide with popular national parks (the Smoky Mountains in TN, the Blue Ridge Highway in VA, and White Mountain National Park in NH) will receive thousands of visitor every year.  

The Roan Highlands, TN/NC

A friendly reminder the world is still beautiful

People that thruhike are an interesting bunch.  You have people from all walks in life coming together and experience the pristine beauty of nature.  What is interesting, despite the high concentration of outdoor enthusiasts, environmental conservationists have expressed concerns about the  high amounts of foot traffic on the trails.  People trample delicate vegetation in alpine zones, hikers fail to properly dispose of trash and waste, and campfires get out of hand.  From personal experience, there were waters sources that had been fouled up because someone pooped next and upstream from the spring. Turns out, that people can be slobs regardless of their current occupation.  

At the time--and even now--I find it perplexing that criticisms have been raised against the lifestyle that would seem to care the most about the field.  These hikers have the most to loose, yet they seem to take the pristine nature for granted.  I have seen similar trends in the rock climbing/dirt bagging community where enthusiasts find themselves at loggerheads over how to preserves the wilderness.   There is a debate over how preserve wilderness in such a way that still allows induvial to participate in wilderness recreation.  

In study conducted by Yu-Fai Leung and Jeffrey L. Marion for the USDA Forest Service, they found that:

"Wilderness managers continue to be confronted by significant visitor impact problems throughout the 624-unit, 104-million-acre National Wilderness Preservation System. Visitor impacts threaten to compromise wilderness management mandates for preserving and sustaining high quality natural environments and recreational experiences. A principal goal for managing wilderness visitation is to avoid impacts that are avoidable and to minimize those that are not. To achieve this goal, wilderness managers must effectively educate and regulate visitors and manage wilderness resources." [Emphasis mine]   

The overlap between outdoor recreation and environmental conservation is a growing field of research.  Learning to balance getting people outside with the need to preserve these parks and green spaces is difficult.  Environmental conservation is often frowned upon by enthusiasts because it prevents individuals from enjoying nature.  

Before engaging in the literature on this topic, it is important to note that in order to inspire better environmentalism in future generations, we need to get kids outside.  This article published in Greater Good (a magazine published by the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkley) found that is especially critical to get kids outside to instill a natural inclination for preservation (again, pun intended).  It is important for individuals to feel connected to nature in order to inspire solidarity with environmentalism concerns.  An article published in the Outbound Collective (a magazine for outdoor enthusiast) states:

"An interesting study by Stephen Kaplan in the Journal of Environmental Psychology discusses the restorative benefits which spending time in nature hold for people, specifically the reduction of stress and sensory overload. In what he calls the "Attention Restoration Theory," Kaplan argues that being immersed in natural environments is particularly beneficial for restorative experiences, which could explain why people often feel an inclination to protect or preserve nature or a specific habitat when they are immersed in it and become further aware of the issues impacting its survival. What it boils down to is whether we place any value on nature and if that value increases the more closely we feel tied to it." 

The punchline is this: environmentalist reform should not hinder access to the wilderness.  If anything, conservation efforts should seek to encourage individuals to experience nature.  This Pew Research article found that roughly 60% of American participate in some form of regular outdoor activity, regardless of political identity or stance on environmentalist reforms.  

Hiking seems fairly innocent activity, but the debate is further exacerbated when it comes to recreational uses of the wilderness for activities such as hunting and fishing.  Historically, fishermen and conservationists have been at odds, but NOAA has developed new technological tools that could hopefully bridge the gap and bring fishers "on board" (pun intended) with conservation efforts.   Despite conflicts of interest, both hunters and conservationist could find common ground in that urban expansion is detrimental.  

Regarding the hiking community, a study by Catherine E. Dorwart, Roger L. Moore, and Yu-Fai Leung studied the relation between visitors perception of the parks and how those could guide future conservation efforts.  In short, I propose that their argument could be extended to say that by keeping parks aesthetically pleasing, we can improve public perception of national parks.  To that end, the Leave No Trace (LNT) movement has been initiated.  LNT proposes seven principles that hikers/outdoors enthusiasts should embrace to preserves the natural beauty of the parks they enjoy.  

1. Plan ahead and prepare
2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces
3. Properly dispose of waste
4. Leave what you find
5. Minimize campfire impacts
6. Respect wildlife
7. Be considerate of other visitors

In conclusion, we have been discussing how we can build public awareness and support for environmental conservation policies.  However, if the Pew Research numbers are correct, then we already have a bipartisan coalition that has formed in wilderness recreation activities.  I have found it easier to be sympathetic to various conservation movements because I can picture my experiences being ruined with pipelines, urbanization, and litter.  Maybe I am just biased and extrapolating my personal experience to the larger  public.  But I believe that the kernel of my argument will withstand scrutiny: in order to preserve the environment, we have to get people outside. 

Discussion questions:

1. Do you regularly participate in outdoor activates?  If so, how have they impacted (if at all) your perception of environmentalism reforms?

2. Psychologically speaking, how important is it to get people outside? 

3. How can conservationists get outdoor enthusiasts on board with various environmental reforms and protections? 

4. In what ways can you "leave no trace" in everyday life? 

Weekly Summary: 5

-This essay

-Commented on Ed's Post 

-Responded to Chris' comment on Heather's post

Semester total: 59