Leave No Trace

Oak Creek Watershed Council embraces the philosophy of Leave No Trace.

According to Wikipedia, Leave No Trace is a set of principles for participation in outdoor recreation that seeks to minimize the impact on the natural environment. Proponents of Leave No Trace believe that individual impacts caused by recreation can accumulate to degrade the land.

Therefore, the Leave No Trace message encourages people who spend time in the out-of-doors to behave in such a way that they can minimize unavoidable impacts and prevent avoidable impacts. It is often summarized: “Take only photos, leave only footprints.”

Keep Oak Creek Canyon Beautiful – Volunteer Poster

The U.S. Forest Service discusses it thus:

Leave No Trace (LNT) is a set of principles designed to cultivate outdoor ethics and protect the natural integrity of our public lands. By promoting and following these principles, you blend your visit with the natural environment and serve as a steward of our public lands.

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

Portions of this information contain text copyrighted by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. For additional information on Leave No Trace in general, visit www.LNT.org or call 1.800.332.4100.

There are hundreds of thousands of visitors to Oak Creek annually, so in order to preserve the quality of water in Oak Creek, there must be rules (we call them “protocols”) for everyone to understand and follow.

As a visitor, you should be aware that litter is to be taken with you, or deposited into a trash receptacle, and the creek is not to be used as a bathroom, nor is the forest.

This is a large part of what the Oak Creek Watershed Council is all about….preserving Oak Creek for our children, and yours… and their children!

If you are visiting Oak Creek with family, or friends, please share our web site with them.

That’s all we ask… we’ll do the rest.

We hope you enjoy your visit.