LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES of OUTDOOR ETHICS
Leave No Trace is an educational message that helps public land visitors understand and practice their own minimum impact ethic. Leave No Trace information is rooted in scientific studies and common sense. The message is framed under seven principles:
PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE
An outdoor trip begins long before you leave home. Trip planning and preparation helps visitors arrive with the right information and gear to enjoy their visit and minimize their recreational impacts.
TRAVEL AND CAMP ON DURABLE SURFACES
Regardless of how you travel - hiking, biking, skiing, horseback riding or even boating - staying on durable surfaces helps reduce soil erosion and protect wildlife and plants. Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses, water or snow.
DISPOSE OF WASTE PROPERLY
Pack it in. Pack it out. This familiar phrase applies to all places and to everything you bring with you when you recreate.
LEAVE WHAT YOU FIND
The joy of discovery is one of the most unique parts of outdoor recreation. Encountering history at a cultural site or finding a field of rare wildflowers is an experience to be cherished, but it is also fleeting. A misplaced footstep or inconsiderate action can destroy these priceless treasures. Do your part and be especially mindful of fragile and irreplaceable resources.
MINIMIZE CAMPFIRE IMPACTS
Even though campfires have been a part of camping for a long time, the lagacy of campfires too often are large trash-filled fire rings, charred rocks, damaged trees, and uncontrollable wildfires. The best way to reduce these unsightly and dangerous impacts is to use a lightweight stove for cooking. A candle lantern or headlamp works well for providing light at the campsite.
RESPECT WILDLIFE
As more and more people visit wildlands, the wildlife in those areas is affected by the visitors' presence. To help keep wildlife wild, it is best to give animals a wide berth and observe them from a distance.
Public lands are an important shared resource and we should all enjoy them with other wildland visitors. Trail courtesies never go out of style. For example, yielding to other users prevents trail widening and allows everyone space on the trail.
Click here for a printer friendly Leave No Trace brochure in PDF format. Want to learn more? Visit the Leave No Trace website.
Walk Into Spring
It was a winter to remember, but spring is finally here! The sun is getting higher, the days are getting warming and Healthy Maine Walks is encouraging you to "Take It Outside" and go for a walk. 
Healthy Maine Walks has devised a quick and easy way for you to find a walking route near you. Whether you live in the city or the country, in Aroostook County or York County all you need to do is click here to Find a Walking Route Near You.
Visit a State Park or Public Reserved Lands Unit
Maine has 47 State Parks, Historic Sites and River Corridors. In addition, there are 28 Public Reserved Lands units. Spring is a great time to visit one of these locations. Enjoy a walk on a white sand beach (before the summer crowds arrive), or go for a stroll in the woods to admire spring wildflowers in blossom, or hike to the top of a mountain to watch the seasonal hawk migration. There are so many reasons to Take it Outside! Find a State Park, Historic Site, or Public Reserved Lands Unit near you.
It is not too early to make your summer camping arrangements. Reserve your campsite at one of the 12 Maine State Park Campgrounds today.