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I Leave No Trace

Can you camp like a ninja—with no sign at all that you were ever at the site?

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Plan

  • When and where will you have your Leave No Trace camp?
  • How will you get to camp?
  • What games and activities will you do? How can you do these things while leaving no trace?
  • How can you minimize or prevent creating packaging waste for this camp?
  • How can you minimize or prevent impacting the ground of your camp?
  • How can you show respect for wildlife, wildflowers, trees and other campers when in the outdoors?

Do

  • To have a successful Leave No Trace Camp, you will need to pay close attention to the seven principles of Leave No Trace:
    • Plan Ahead and Prepare
    • Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
    • Dispose of Waste Properly
    • Leave What You Find
    • Minimize Campfire Impacts
    • Respect Wildlife
    • Be Considerate of Other Visitors
  • Before leaving your site, take a look to see what impacts are especially hard to prevent. Do you see any footprints? Have your tents matted down the grass? What about the packaging from the food you brought—where will it wind up? Can you leave no trace?

Review

  • What do you know now that you did not know before?
  • Was your team successful in leaving no trace? Did you camp like a ninja?
  • What signs did you discover at the end of your camp that your Section had visited its site? Could any of these have been prevented?
  • How did leaving no trace change your camping experience?
  • How can you build on this experience? What would you do differently next time?
  • Remember to submit your activities on our Scouts for Sustainability Take Action Map

Keep it Simple

  • Practice your Leave No Trace Skills on your next hike. What principles apply to hiking? How can you make sure that when you leave the trail, there is no evidence of you ever having been there?

Take it Further