Exploring one of the top 10 national parks in the United States is a great eco choice for your next vacation, however, it’s important to make sure that your visit doesn’t jeopardize these natural beauties. Help keep U.S.A national parks in great shape during your next eco adventure by following these five environmental rules.
Following principles of Leave No Trace will help preserve the outdoor experience of U.S. National Parks offer for future generations. Flickr User: Jurvertson
The National Park System welcomes over 280,000,000 visits each year throughout the 397 areas and many of them represent the last vestiges of once vast undisturbed ecosystems. That is the reason why the main mission of the National Park Service is, “…to promote and regulate the use of the…national parks…which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1.
In spite of all of the National Park System’s hard work, if every park visitor forgets a small amount of trash in one of the national reserves, eventually, the U.S national Parks would become a massive landfill and lose all their natural treasures. That is why your visit can’t be made without an environmental conscience:
- Give up your car and take the bus and other alternative transportation systems that many parks offer to their visitors. It will reduce your carbon footprint as well as air pollution linked to the use of your car.
- Keep the park clean: you can easily minimize the impact of your visit by recycling what you can and pack out all trash, leftover food and litter from backcountry/wilderness areas. To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap
Pack it in, pack it out! Flickr User: Nc_Hiker
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces: this includes established trails and campsites, rocks, gravel, and grasses. Stay on trails to keep from trampling fragile vegetation. Shortcuts create new trails and increase trail erosion.
- Leave what you find and respect wildlife: All plants, animals, rocks, and artifacts are protected in U.S. National Parks. Preserve the sense of discovery for others by leaving all natural and cultural artifacts as you find them. Take pictures, carry binoculars, and observe wildlife quietly and from a distance. These steps will help to keep this natural heritage as wild as possible.
- If you are staying at a hotel or a campsite, conserve energy and water when possible. Little things like adjusting the heat or air conditioning when you leave your hotel room or the water faucet when you are brushing your teeth go a long way in protecting your parks and making them even “greener.”
Respecting these simple environmental rules will help preserve and protect the uniqueness of America’s cultural and national reserves for the enjoyment of this and future generations.
Go on-line to also discover new green practices the National Park Service has established to reduce their own carbon footprint linked to their activities.
