Leave No Trace principles by LNT.org By Peter Whittaker and Ben Lawthorn

2. 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.

3. Leave No Trace
Program Roots
 The Leave NoTrace
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.

4. Leave No Trace
Program 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).

5. Leave No Trace
Early 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.

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. The Seven Leave No
Trace Principles
 Plan Ahead and Prepare
 Travel and Camp on Durable
Surfaces
 Dispose of Waste Properly
 Leave WhatYou Find
 Minimize Campfire Impacts
 RespectWildlife
 Be Considerate of OtherVisitors

10. 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.

11. Leave No Trace Training
The Center offers training options across the country.

12. The Leave No Trace Challenge
 Prevent avoidable resource and
social impacts.
 Minimize unavoidable impacts.
 Preserve the quality of
resources and recreation
experiences.

13. Mountaineering-Specific Leave
No Trace Guidelines

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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” systems
W.A.G. systems
Paper bag with kitty litter
Clean Mountain Canister system
Direct deposit into snow
Bag latrines
Catholes

22. Leave WhatYou 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Be Considerate of OtherVisitors
 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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.

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

30. 1.800.332.4100
info@LNT.org
www.LNT.org