Leave No Trace Principles and Links

The Boy Scouts of America have adopted the Leave No Trace (LNT) outdoor skills and ethics program, which has been developed by the National Outdoor Leadership School, Inc., and Leave No Trace, Inc., with the support and cooperation of four federal land management agencies -- the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

The basic purpose of the Leave No Trace program is to promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation through education, research, and partnerships.

The Leave No Trace program is based on a set of core principles to be used by those who are camping, hiking, or engaging in other activities in natural settings. Those principles, as adopted by the Boy Scouts of America, are:

Plan ahead and prepare
Camp and travel on durable surfaces
Pack it in, pack it out
Leave what you find
Minimize campfire use
Respect wildlife
Respect others

Further information about the Leave No Trace program is available from Leave No Trace, Inc., at http://www.lnt.org.

(Please note that this site specifies six LNT principles that vary somewhat in wording from the BSA principles listed above. Because LNT is a dynamic, evolving program involving many different groups, the specific language of the
core principles remains in flux. These differences are small, however, and one can readily see the common ideas that underlie the different manifestations of the program.)

In order to encourage adoption and use of LNT principles by Scouts, the Boy Scouts of America has developed special Leave No Trace Awareness Awards for both Scouts and adult leaders. The requirements for these awards are listed in BSA Publication 21-105. Excerpts from this publication have been posted at http://www.lnt.org/TeachingLNT/boyscouts.html.