Leave No Trace - Online Awareness Course

As part of guide school, I was required to take the Leave No Trace online awareness course.  It was interesting - I would recommend it to anyone who uses public lands, whether it is for day-hiking, backpacking, fishing, rock climbing, dog walking, or some other activity.

The seven principles of Leave No Trace, as well as some highlights, are:

1. Plan ahead and prepare: know the regulations of the area you are visiting and carry a map, compass, adequate water, and appropriate gear for the location and season
2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces: walk in the center of the trail when official trails exist (even if this means walking through mud), camp in official camp areas when they exist, camp on durable surfaces away from the trail in the backcountry, walk in dispersed and small groups on durable surfaces in the backcountry, avoid areas beginning to show impact
3. Dispose of waste properly: either dig a 6-inch or deeper hole at least 200-ft away from water, camp, and trails to bury excrement or collect and carry it out (this includes dog excrement!), carry-out all food waste including apple cores and banana peels
4. Leave what you find: do not collect stones, shells, flowers, ect, do not carve into trees, do not move natural elements to build furniture
5. Minimize campfire impacts: use a lightweight stove if possible, but create a small, controlled fire if you must have a fire (and be sure to burn it completely ashes and put it out completely before bed and then scatter the cool ashes before leaving)
6. Respect wildlife: Do not disturb wildlife, never feed wildlife, avoid interactions with wildlife (hang food, trash, toiletries in trees)
7. Be considerate of other visitors: take breaks off of the trail on durable surfaces, keep noise/talking to a minimum

Although I'd heard of the Leave No Trace initiative before, I did not know its seven principles.  As such, I also didn't realize that I was unknowingly breaking a few of them: walking around muddy areas, collecting shells at the beach, moving rocks to sit on, and not always taking breaks far enough away from the trail.  It might be nice if the National Park Service had their Leave No Trace video available for viewing at their visitor centers.