Leave No Trace

I have been doing a little research and thinking about the principals of Leave No Trace. The way they are written they are met to be applied to a variety of situations. I thought it would be good to take each of the 7 principals and see how they should be applied to our Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve. I also will break this down into seven parts.

1. PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE Know the regulations and special considerations for the area you'll visit.Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies. Travel in groups of less than ten people to minimize impacts.

This is fairly straight forward. At PKR there are only a few rules, but there are some.

No Hunting
Please stay on the marked trails.
Please be courteous of other guests at the preserve.
Please do not harass or harm any of the plants or animals found at the preserve.
No removal of plants or animals without permission.
No camping, littering, fires, motorized or non-motorized recreational vehicles allowed on the preserve.
Leashed dogs are permitted except at the Gull Bay Preserve due to its ecological sensitivity.
Please park only in the preserve’s designated areas. If all spaces are full, please reschedule your visit. Do not park on neighboring properties.

Now you know. Many of these are tied into the other 6 principles as we will see later.

While this trail system is only four miles long, you don't have pack for the high peaks, it still is a good idea to bring along a couple of snacks, something warm to put on, a first aid kit and some water. just because you never know. In general it is always good over prepare within reason. My father always used to say that you cannot put on what you don't bring.

It is always better hike with someone even on a small preserve like the PKR again for safety's sake. If you don't, this is something that I am guilty of, you should always let someone know where you are and when to expect you back. This is very important. When I go up, solo to do tail work, my wife knows where, when, and how.

That is it for the first principal. As you can see this may be adapted and expanded to where you are going.