How to camp without ruining nature for everyone else

This story was originally published on July 14, 2019.

With camping and outdoor season well underway there's a few things to keep in mind to ensure there's natural beauty for everyone to enjoy. 

Dean Cattell, a master educator with the organization Leave No Trace Canada does trail maintenance at the Meadow Lake Provincial Park.

Leave No Trace Canada has seven guiding principles; plan ahead and prepare; travel and camp on durable surfaces; dispose of waste properly; leave what you find; minimize campfire impacts; respect wildlife and be considerate of other visitors. 

"It's ethics, it's not rules and regulations, it's an ethics-based program," Cattell said of the organization's guiding principles.

Cattell spoke with CBC Radio's Blue Sky to share what he knows about responsible camping and trail use.

That apple core doesn't belong in the woods

Cattell said the harm that comes from tossing something as small as an apple core into the woods grows as the action is repeated.

"It's a food source that wildlife isn't typically exposed to," Cattell said. 

"If they become accustomed to humans supplying their food — and it's an issue you see in lots of areas, [where] bears associate people with food."

Microtrash a growing issue

Packing out what you pack in is a rule to live by when hiking or camping in the bush according to Cattell. 

He said on his excursions he's finding a lot of microtrash where it doesn't belong.

"What a lot of people are seeing now is, people will pick up after their pet when they've got them along the hiking trail, but then you'll see these little bags full of dog poop along the trail," Cattell said. 

Cattell said depending on where you are, the best way to properly dispose of waste is to dig a 15 to 20 centimetre hole in the ground, which will take you to the organic layer of the ground, where your waste will break down. 

The holes, known as catholes according to Cattell, should be at least 70 metres from water, your campsite, and other trails. 

Leave what you find

Taking a rock or pine cone might seem harmless in the grand scheme of things. But that does damage in its own way, according to Cattell.

Cattell said the perfect example of the impact of leaving what you find in nature comes from a 15 piece puzzle. 

"You take a 15-piece puzzle and put it along a trail, then, 15 people will go in there and they take one piece of the puzzle away," he said. "After the 15 people have gone through, there's nothing left for anybody else to look at and enjoy."