Responsible Recreation by Holly Henderson
Herd of elk viewed from a Skagit Fisheries vehicle
With warm weather finally making an appearance in western Washington (did anyone else feel like this past winter was painfully long?) many folks are choosing to get away this Memorial Day weekend. This time of year, it is more important than ever to take time to consider how you can be a respectful and active steward of the outdoors while traveling or recreating, when spaces are crowded and being used daily. Responsible recreation means different things for different activities – it could look like leaving wildlife alone/viewing from a safe distance on hikes, proper waste disposal, or inspecting/washing off water crafts after each use. No matter which activities you partake in this weekend, there are always ways to consider your impact on your surroundings and the greater environment. Habitat conservation is something that everyone can and should be involved in – do your part by taking small steps to lessen your impact on natural spaces.
“Leave No Trace” is a phrase used in the greater recreation/conservation community that refers to taking actions to not leave a human “trace” in recreational areas. There are 7 main principles of the concept – read more here!
Another way to recreate responsibly this weekend is to take a micro adventure; a short trip that is environmentally conscious, less than 4 hours car travel from where you call home, enhances the economy of where you travel to, and is generally inexpensive. Anything from a trip to a local State Park for a walk from a weekend trip to Steven’s Pass can be considered a micro adventure. These short and sweet trips are great options for full-time working folks that want to get away for the day or a night (or two). Reframing a short trip as a micro adventure helps put things into perspective – in the Pacific Northwest we are blessed with natural beauty that folks travel incredible amounts of time and distances to see, but these spaces are in our backyard.
No matter how you spend your weekend, we at SFEG hope you have a fun, safe, and environmentally-aware few days!
