Leave No Trace

[CacheNoTrace]

Greetings everyone,

For those who do not know me, I am David Cantrell (real name too, I know, how original!) Lately while caching, I have been placing some Leave No Trace (LNT) Hang Tags in various caches. I have been doing this simply to educate people and to perhaps plant a seed in us about our impacts that we may have in our future. Enclosed is a link that will take you to the National Park Service’s LNT Video. It’s an awesome video that really explains Leave No Trace. http://www.lnt.org/training/educationaltraining.php

Please look at it and let me know what you think of it. I think it would be cool if we can work hand in hand caching and spreading LNT at the same time. Personally I think both goes hand in hand.

Thanks for your time,

David Cantrell
Wisconsin State Advocate
Leave No Trace

[-cheeto-]

Some of you may have noticed the cards at the WGA Campout event registration table. Those cards came from David via the Appleton WGA CITO event. They were left over so I brought them to the campout to handout there as well.

[hack1of2]

Wow, that was a great video; very applicable to geocaching. Thanks for sharing it here. I think it would be great to have that video or some type of related workshop presented at a future WGA event or meeting.

[CacheNoTrace]

I would be more than willing for putting together an awareness session at future events and meetings. Just let m eknow if you want one ahead of time so I can put it in my schedule. I have awareness sessions that I can put together for all ages from gradeschool through adults.

[kbraband]

Very nice, Dave. It’s good to see the LNT-geocaching connection being continued. For some historical perspective, here’s an article I wrote about LNT a few years ago. It was originally published on the WGA website but I can no longer find it here so this is a link to a reprint on Maine’s geocaching website: http://www.geocachingmaine.org/forum/showthread.php?364-Leave-No-Trace

[Team Black-Cat]

Nice article, Ken. I found your original in the article archives from April 2002.

With your permission, I’ll put that in the Information Center where it will be more accessable.

[Trekkin and Birdin]

Thanks Ken for reposting that well written article and David for your work in raising awareness. I struggle daily with geocaching’s impact on the landscape I love….the fossil fuels burned, the trampling along well established geotrails, caches that get placed WAY off trail. We enjoy discovering the new places and gems geocaching has taken us, but wonder at the cumulative effect as more and more people get out there.

It’s really quite amazing to see how quickly a geotrail can develop. Caches where we’ve been one of the first 3-4 finders already show impact. We try to approach an area with our eyes first and a light touch. We often see trees ripped apart….half dead ones, to be sure, but those are also very important to the local ecosystem. Other than “no more geocaching,” it’s hard to know what the answers might be, but bringing these issues to the attention of more folks is a great start.

[CacheNoTrace]

It is all in the matter if what will have the “less” impact. Sometimes the simple straight forwatrd route is not always the best approach to a particular cache. It’s about using the most durable surface that is out there. And of course, CITO is always nice. However, we need to be careful with CITO at times as well. Example would be at an old mining camp and you see some “trash” like an old tin can or a shot up frying pan. Taking those items may be illegal because of it being part of the old mining camp.

And I agree, Ken, that is a very nice article.

[CacheNoTrace]

I will be having a temp. booth at the West Bend Cash Ba$he this year. Looking forward to this.

[CacheNoTrace]

Was at the Flambeau Canoe Base (Boy Scout Camp owned by Samoset Council) with the troop this past weekend and came upon one of my wost camping petpeeves. Multiple firerings in the same camp. There was 4 rings within 50 feet and 3 of those were within 10 feet from each other. Now this camp is open to canoeists doing canoe trips and needing a campsite to use for the night. What is sad about this is that the firerings that were there are soooo bad that it will take over 30 years anykind of natural growth to develop.

This is a simple sample on an impact that we do when we do not think before we act when it comes down to fires.

[huffinpuffin2]

Wanna Be Like Ralph? 😯

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Perhaps not………. 😉

[fdlseeker]

David Cantrell will you be at west bend cache bashe all 3 days or just on a serton day. I would like to learn to be a better geocahe for our planets future.

[CacheNoTrace]

I will be there the first part of friday and saturday. I am trying to find more volunteers for the both to keep it going the entire time.

In the mean time, you can go to http://www.lnt.org and there is a wealth of knowledge there.

[fdlseeker]

@David Cantrell wrote:

I will be there the first part of friday and saturday. I am trying to find more volunteers for the both to keep it going the entire time.

In the mean time, you can go to http://www.lnt.org and there is a wealth of knowledge there.

Thank you very much for the help. I look forward to meeting you.

[CacheNoTrace]

@huffinpuffin2 wrote:

Wanna Be Like Ralph? 😯

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Perhaps not………. 😉

❗ Well, if you are in pristine prairie land, it is best to not use a trail and spread out. This is one of the few areas that it is best to spread out to avoid impact.

So in that case, Ralph (Where’s Waldo) Emereson is right.

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