Applying Leave No Trace in the digital age

Changing the way we talk about our favorite places online may be the key to preserving them.

We’ve all been there. That point when you finally reach a gorgeous vantage after a long hike or bike ride. You stop for some water, snap a photo of the view, maybe even a selfie with your friends, and post it to Instagram to share with the world. That’s the world we live in now, and it’s this exact behavior that may be hurting the beautiful places we visit. Since the early days of social media, several outdoor enthusiasts and organizations have raised concerns regarding the online tagging and promotion of various trails, parks and other recreation areas. Their reason being, to protect fragile ecosystems from overuse and those that may visit without land conservation in mind. In February of this year, the National Park Service released highlights from 2017 stating 61 national parks reported new visitation records, with total park visitation reaching well over 330 million people. That’s a lot of boots on the ground. “Locally, we’ve definitely seen an uptick in land use in the last decade,” Suzanne Endsley, Bureau of Land Management public affairs officer, said. “We attribute some of it to the decline in the economy around 2008, free or cheap recreation became more appealing, but we’ve continued to see an increase in popularity, especially at places like Mineral Ridge that are just outside of town.” Two major issues Endley noted, is the increase in trash left on or around trails, including drug paraphernalia, and users walking off trail. Shoshana Cooper, public affairs officer for Idaho Panhandle National Forests, cited similar issues. “While most visitors to the national forests are LNT consciousness, our urban interface trail systems like Canfield Mountain and the Hayden Creek area unfortunately receive a lot of misuse,” Cooper said. “This includes natural resource damage like shooting live trees, mud bogging, and traveling off designated routes to dumping trash.”To help combat an increase in land use and any possible impact from social media, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics recently posted some general guidelines for sharing outdoor spaces online. The organization stated in a blog post, “[Leave No Trace is] a framework for making good decisions about enjoying the outdoors responsibly, regardless of how one chooses to do so. If outdoor enthusiasts stop and think about the potential impacts and associated consequences of a particular action, it can go a long way towards ensuring protection of our shared outdoor spaces.”With areas like Horseshoe Bend in Arizona, and Vance Creek Bridge in Seattle skyrocketing in popularity due to a few viral photos, it’s no wonder avid hikers and outdoors enthusiasts are now taking pause to reconsider if tagging locations is the right thing to do.Chris Celentano, a local landscape photographer and avid outdoorsman, spends his time hiking the trails of northern Idaho, scoping out isolated locations for his work. “I have seen a huge increase in traffic at many of our most incredible places,” he said. “On one hand it's great because other people are out enjoying it too. On the other, it is extremely disappointing to see a general lack of concern and respect for these unique places that are often right in our own backyards.”In searching popular hiking spots on Instagram, like Mineral Ridge for example, you can see #mineralridge has been used over 3,000 times, and although the actual numbers are not included, after minutes of scrolling through the geotag feed, it seems there are possibly thousands more. Endsley cited Mineral Ridge as an example of when walking off trail and overuse can cause damage. In addition to walking on delicate greenery, the worn paths and shortcuts formed by hikers can create a funnel for future erosion, damaging the hillside and trail, and possibly leading to water contamination. “I think that social media has had an overall positive impact on our society from an outdoor perspective,” Celentano said. “It has inspired more people to get up off the couch and get outside to explore this incredible world we live in. Unfortunately, our world hasn't fared as well. Social media has resulted in many untouched places being utterly destroyed due to people and their lack of concern.”In addition to the seven existing principles of Leave No Trace (which you should read up on at LNT.org), the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics issued the following social media guidelines for consideration:

Tag thoughtfully – avoid tagging (or geotagging) specific locations. Instead, tag a general location such as a state or region, if any at all. While tagging can seem innocent, it can also lead to significant impacts to particular places.
Be mindful of what your images portray – give some thought to what your images may encourage others to do. Images that demonstrate good Leave No Trace practices and stewardship are always in style.
Give back to places you love – invest your own sweat equity into the outdoor spaces and places you care about. Learn about volunteer stewardship opportunities and get involved in the protection of our shared lands.
Encourage and inspire Leave No Trace in social media posts – given the millions of social media users in the world, think of the incredible potential that social media has to educate outdoor enthusiasts – first timers to seasoned adventurers – about enjoying our wild lands responsibly.

Fortunately, there are several local agencies that provide support to popular trail systems, educational opportunities, and ways to volunteer to help maintain and clean up our local trails. If you want to learn more about local opportunities to become a better land user, check out the Kootenai Environmental Alliance, Friends of Scotchman Peaks, Idaho Conservation League, Lake City Trail Alliance, or the Spokane Mountaineers. As someone who frequents our local trails, and often writes about them for my blog, I know I’ll be thinking twice before tagging a location or posting something that may demonstrate less than ideal trail etiquette. But please, don’t stop posting beautiful images online, I know I won’t. Just post responsibly.