Lesson Plan for IOLS



LNT – IOLS Lesson Plan

(30 minutes)

Background on Leave No Trace (LNT)

• Wilderness Act of 1964 established Wilderness Preservation System (WPS)

• Included lands from various agencies (Forest Service, Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

• Sought to preserve lands where “man himself is a visitor who does not remain”

• Recreational use of the National WPS increased from 4 million in 1964 to about 30 million in 2000; 750% increase

• People were “loving the land to death”

• Individually campers and hikers are relatively benign, but collectively have a huge impact.

• Old attitude, even in the Boy Scout program was that of “taming the environment” rather than “coexisting with it”. That attitude had to change.

• Two basic approaches to preserving the wilderness

o Regulations – limiting access

o Education

• In the ‘70s various agencies, wanting to preserve access to the wilderness for campers came up with programs to educate people on how to care for the wilderness.

• In 1993 “Leave No Trace” was officially adopted as the nation’s official wilderness ethics program.

• In 1994, Leave No Trace, Inc was created to expand the scope and reach of the program

Introduction to Leave Not Trace, ethics in the outdoors.

Today we’re only going to spend about 30 minutes on a quick overview of LNT; this just scratches the surface; LNT, Inc, for example, has 5 day Master Educator training course , a 16 hour Trainer’s Course, a 3.5 hour Awareness course and various short interest generators like this.

• National BSA has adopted LNT is a centerpiece of the Boy Scouts’ outdoor program

• BSA has stated “it is imperative that our leaders and youth be trained in LNT”

The LNT Concept

• First – very important – think of LNT as an attitude – guidelines – rather than a strict set of rules. It is a matter of making the best ethical choice under each individual particular circumstance at a given time.

• LNT is far more than picking up litter and extinguishing campfires. The BSA LNT guide says it well, “LNT is not simply a program for visiting the backcountry; it is an attitude and way of life.”

• Classes such as this revolve around the basic tenet of LNT – education is more effective than regulation in modifying backcountry visitors’ behavior. Education is key to preserving the ecological health of our wildlands.

The Need for LNT – How are we, as Boy Scouts, doing?

• When managing agency representatives are asked how Scouts are doing the backcountry, the response is usually, “Not so well”. So clearly we need to do better.

• What are we doing wrong:

o Group sizes are way too big

o Groups make too much noise

o Completely soak up popular campsites

o Kids out of control

o Inexperienced campers in fragile areas

o Don’t keep appointments for service projects

o Camping skills are badly outdated

• What are we doing right?

o Incorporating LNT principles in the Scout Handbook and throughout the program

o LNT requirements in Ranger Award and LNT training award

o Updating camping skills

o LNT Training session (like this) in various outdoors training courses or sessions.

• With that as background, let’s move on to the 7 principles of LNT:

o 1. Plan ahead and prepare

o 2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces

o 3. Dispose of waste properly

o 4. Leave what you find

o 5. Minimize campfire impacts

o 6. Respect wildlife

o 7. Be considerate of other visitors

• What are some of the detail information concerning each of the 7 principles of LNT.

• Plan ahead and prepare

o Select appropriate equipment for the worst conditions of the country and time of year

o Repackage food into lightweight non-breakable containers and bags – reduces the amount of refuse brought into wildlands

o Know the area and what to expect – weather, travel conditions, popularity, local regulations

o With large or untrained groups, limit camping trips to locations with large group sites

o Carry equipment that will prevent impact at the site (stoves and lanterns)

o Plan meals that will minimize leftovers; e.g. one pot meals

o Divide into smaller groups for camping and cooking

• Travel and camp on durable surfaces

o Use durable ground when hiking and camping. Best surfaces are sand, rock, snow, dry grass, and pine needles

o In popular areas use established campsites. Keep tents, kitchen areas, and traffic in “hardened” areas that are already bare from previous use

o In remote areas, spread use. Spread out while hiking, avoid creating paths while in camp and utilize only durable ground for camping and walking

o Avoid places where impact is just beginning. Leave barely-used sites alone to regenerate

o Upon breaking camp, return a campsite to its most natural conditions

• Dispose of Waste properly

o Reduce litter at the source – repackage food into reusable bags or containers

o Plan meals to reduce left over food

o Reduce food particles in wash water by scraping uneaten food into the trash, or eat completely, swish water in your mess kit and drink the remaining food particles

o Strain or separate food particles from cooking water and pack them out

o Scatter gray water 200 ft from water sources and camps.

o Do not bury food scraps, animals will dig them up

o Use sump holes

o Carry out all trash and garbage

• Carry extra zip lock bags

o Bodily waste

• Always use outhouses when available

• Wildlife attracted to salts in urine; don’t urinate on plants, urinate on rocks, pine needles or gravel; dilute with water if practical

• Bury human waste 6-8” deep in individual cat holes. Carry out toilet paper in plastic bags (buried TP is dug up by animals)

• Leave what you find

o Help your Scouts recognize the magic of unaltered nature.

o Minimize site alterations by choosing sites that do not require modification (such as trenching). Carry enough equipment to be comfortable in bad weather

o Avoid damaging live trees and plants. Don’t chop or nail trees, harvest plants (including flowers), or harm living things

o Leave natural and cultural artifacts, such as bones, pottery, or petrified wood.

o Inspect your campsite before you leave to make sure it’s in its original condition

• Minimize campfire impacts

o Know current regulations and conditions

o Use only dead or already downed wood, only if it is allowed.

o Use lightweight stoves instead of campfires; use candle lanterns

o Use small wood (wrist size or smaller). It burns hot and easily burns to ash. Break wood into smaller lengths as needed

o Burn fires to ash before putting out the fire

o Tend fires diligently to make sure they don’t get out of control

o In high use areas, use existing, legal fire pits and campfire rings

o In remote areas use no-trace methods such as fire pans or mound fires.

• Respect wildlife

o Carry binoculars so you can observe wildlife from afar to avoid disturbing them

o If you’re close enough for them to modify their behavior because of your presence, then you’re too close.

o Plan your travel to avoid critical or sensitive wildlife areas

o Give animals a wide berth, especially during breeding, nesting, and birthing seasons

o Avoid nesting birds – leave young/newborn animals alone

o Camp 200 feet away from water sources to allow animals free access

o Store food securely and keep garbage and food scraps away from animals so they will not acquire bad habits

o Keep wildlife wild. Remember that “A fed animal is a dead animal.”

• Be considerate of other visitors

o Travel and camp in small groups

o Always travel and camp quietly – sound carries a great distance in the outdoors

o Select campsites away from other groups

o Keep noise down; leave the CD players * other electronics devices and pets at home

o If you do bring a pet, always keep under control – pack out your pet’s feces

o Groups with livestock have the right of way

o Bikers yield to both equestrian and hikers

o Take rest breaks well off the trail

o Try to blend with the environment – earth colors

o Respect private property; leave gates open or closed as found

That’s our quick overview of LNT.

• There are plenty of resources out there to help out. Scouting is asking that you incorporated LNT into your troop program starting with new Scouts all the way to your more advanced Scouts.

• As leaders, set the example.

Education is the key to keeping our natural resources available in the future.

• It is our responsibility to carry the education to the next generation.

• Educated, considerate campers will have a much lighter impact on our wildlands.

• Research has shown that techniques and behavior of a group in the backcountry are more important than its size in determining how it will affect the land and other users.

Reminder of resources:

• Boy Scout National Website: excellent ebook for download – lots of info about setting up a program in your troop, with various hands on exercises

• - for The Center for Outdoor Ethics training resources.

• outdoorethics- - for Boy Scouts of America training resources.

• Scout Handbook – New Edition Chapter 7 plus understanding chapter 6 helps.

• Scout Master Field Book - has many outdoor skills not up dated to LNT yet.

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