We all take responsibility to steward our public lands as visitors and users to these special places, and one way to do this is to practice Leave No Trace principles. The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF), the only non-profit whose mission is to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests has joined Leave No Trace as a 2021 community partner.
As a community partner, PPFF will spread the principles of low impact visitation in order to protect and maintain our public lands. PPFF will incorporate the messaging of Leave No Trace into their own communications and help others understand the importance of leaving minimal impact on our state parks and forests.
While PPFF has always supported the Leave No Trace principles, through this partnership they gain access to additional resources and training to strengthen their communication and educational efforts.
“The adage to take only pictures and leave only footprints is one that we support,” said Marci Mowery, President of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation. “By becoming a Leave No Trace partner, and sharing this partnership with our 47 friends groups, we can not only reduce human impacts on our public lands, but also help keep visitors and users safer”
The seven basic principles of Leave No Trace include:
- Plan ahead and prepare.
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
- Dispose of waste properly.
- Leave what you find.
- Minimize campfire impacts (be careful with fire).
- Respect wildlife.
- Be considerate of other visitors.
To learn more about PPFF and their community partnership with Leave No Trace visit https://paparksandforests.org/our-work/education/leave-no-trace/
To learn more about Leave No Trace, visit: https://lnt.org
Follow the PPFF calendar of events to learn more about workshops and opportunities to become a Leave No Trace ambassador with PPFF.