Why Tread Lightly!...?

Treading Lightly is one of the best practices that we as public land users can do to make sure that we can not only continue to use our public lands in a variety of recreational manners, but also make sure that the natural resources and experiences remain intact for future generations. Its not about restriction, but rather about responsibility for our public lands and to ourselves, our friends and families, other visitors, and future generations.

So what does it mean to "Tread Lightly"? Well, we've developed our 5 Principles to break it down to basics:

Tread Lightly! Principles

Travel Responsibly on land by staying on designated roads, trails and areas. Go over, not around, obstacles to avoid widening the trails. Cross streams only at designated crossings. When possible avoid wet, muddy trails. On water, stay on designated waterways and launch your watercraft in designated areas. For snow travel, know where your Wilderness boundaries and designated areas are.

Respect the Rights of Others including private property owners, all recreational trail users, campers and others so they can enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed. Leave gates as you found them. Yield right of way to all non-motorized users, those passing you, or going uphill. On water, respect anglers, swimmers, skiers, boaters, divers and those on or near shore.

Educate Yourself prior to your trip by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies. Plan for your trip, take recreation skills classes and know how to operate your equipment safely. Be prepared by taking an avalanche awareness course and know of the local resources in your area.

Avoid Sensitive Areas on land such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams. Stay on designated routes. This protects wildlife habitats and sensitive soils from damage. Don’t disturb historical, archeological or paleontological sites. On water, avoid operating your watercraft in shallow waters or near shorelines at high speeds.

Do Your Part by modeling appropriate behavior, leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species and repairing degraded areas.


We gain a lot by Treading Lightly as a community. Please help us by promoting the Tread Lightly! ethics whenever you can.

For more information: www.treadlightly.org

Also, you can follow us with social media!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TLoutdoorethics
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/tread_lightly
Myspace: www.myspace.com/treadlightlypage



Thanks for the support!! And please, feel free to ask here if you have any questions or desire for clarification, at all.

bdoe22 said:

As a former member of Tread Lightly, I can say that it is not the practices that drive me away from the organization. I agree wholy or in part with the fundamentals they teach. WHat I don't agree with is the organizations they team/ affiliate with. These organizations are continually trying to close our riding areas making areas people have rode for years off limits.

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Here is a list of our current official partners: http://treadlightly.org/page.php/partners-current/Current-Official-Partners.html

As for our affiliations with other organizations that "try to close down riding areas", I am not sure I follow. While we do work with other organizations, the truth is that it takes a certain level of cooperation to effectively manage public lands. By working with some of these organizations, we open up dialogue and continue to show the positive side of motorized/mechanized recreation to other recreation groups and the general public who may be ill-informed about the level of stewardship that actually happens within our communities. Without that, the false idea of motorized/mechanized users being "irresponsible and disrespectful of the environment" will continue to prevail, which in turn leads to closures.

Our end goal is to promote responsible use on public lands, not to eliminate it.

snowmobiler said:

why this rule? ........ Do not ride off cornices.
thanks

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This guideline (we don't make rules) comes mainly from a safety standpoint. As i'm sure most of us are aware, cornices can be unstable and release at any time, especially after adding the weight of a sled and rider. The resulting slide could easily catch and trap a rider, as well as affect others in the area.

That said, use your best judgement. The people who know your area and snow pack the best are you all. Be aware of your surroundings, other riders and back country users, and safety zones/escape routes whenever on a slope.

I know, I know... Its summertime most places. The snow is melting, and since i'm sure that you all are already done with annual sled maintenance and ready to hit the trails in any other fashion... :face-icon-small-coo

Tip of the week:

Now that summer has officially begun (by our definition, not the calendar's)... lets talk sharing and courteous use.

1) Be aware that with very few exceptions, almost all motorized areas are open to the vast majority of other uses. This could mean hikers, equestrians, and of course other riders/drivers in the area. Slow down in tighter areas and where visibility is reduced.
2) Motorized users yield to everyone, everyone yields to equestrians. Stop and say hello to other users if given the opportunity.
3) Use caution around equestrians. While many trail horses are getting more accustomed to vehicular travel, they can still be easily spooked. Stop well ahead of them, and turn off your engine unless waived by. On quads and dirt bikes, stop on the downhill side of the trail, as a horse's instinct with uphill movement is to anticipate a predator.
4) In general, yield to uphill traffic. This is not a rule, it's a guideline. Use common sense please, and most of all be patient. We've all been in situations where its in the best interest of all parties to yield to downhill traffic.

Happy Monday everyone! (Yes, I know... its a crime to be excited for a Monday, but still.)

Today's Tip of the Week takes on a different form... More of a discussion of the week.

Under the "Do Your Part" principle, we encourage all OHV enthusiasts to be ambassadors to not only the general public, but also within our community. This includes holding our peers accountable and promoting the Tread Lightly! ethic to those who may be unaware or uninterested... So here's the question:

Have you ever approached someone on the trail who was where they shouldn't have been, or doing something that could be considered irresponsible recreation? How did you handle that situation? What was the outcome?

Van Epps said:

Not sure why this is posted in a snowmobile forum. By definition, snowmobiles operate on a SNOW PACK, not bare ground. I would guesstimate that a 750lb snowmobile w/rider puts maybe 2-3 lbs per sq ft on the underlying soils when riding any sort of cohesive pack. I doubt if the pressure is even that high when riding snow packs averaging 7-15' deep. Doesn't get any lighter than that.

Let the freaks wither away worrying about heavy "treading", carbon footprints, how much methane a cow emits when it farts. :boxing:

As for me, I plan to enjoy myself on a sunny day in the snow, not waste a single second worrying about my "impact".

That being said, I completely agree that courtesy needs be extended to all users when sharing trails / area's. Simple politeness goes a long way. I personally slow way down or completely pull over when intersecting with folks on foot / skis / whatever. Sorry, didn't answer the question above.

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You are correct about the "treading" of a snowmobile being minimal. That's the beauty of snow. Its more of the interaction between user groups and encouraging knowledge of what areas are permitted for snowmobiling that is the point of our presence here.

But you answered your first question in the last part of your post. Tread Lightly! is not just about riding trails. Its about being a responsible and respectful public lands user, regardless of what activity you are pursuing. You will find tips on everything from snowmobiling to boating to hunting, and everything in between on our website.

Thank you for being an ambassador for the motorized community, snow or no. That little bit of respect goes a long way.

Proof of that...? http://backcountryaccess.com/blog/?p=3001

MT Backcountry said:

The problem in my opinion is that the Enviros WON'T Give ANYTHING BACK EVER!!! Why would we want to continue to negotiate with these JERKS. If we continue to give in to them we will have nothing worth riding (maybe Trails) I DONT RIDE THE TRAILS.!!!:face-icon-small-fro

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My apologies... I should have changed the "trails" part to "while out riding".


And to somewhat answer your question, its not about negotiation. Its about being a responsible user of public lands. Many (not all) of the land managers i've worked with are not necessarily anti-snowmobile or OHV. But they have to manage those lands for all users, and when irresponsible use or user conflict gets promoted by the general public, they find themselves under more pressure to place more restrictions on access. The simple way to prevent that is to a) recreate following the guidelines we encourage, and b) be involved with the public process of public lands management.

Hope everyone is enjoying the start to the weekend!

Tip of the week:

Again, as part of both the "Educate Yourself" and "Do Your Part" principles, this week I am encouraging everyone to take a small amount of time out of your evening and complete our Online Awareness Course.

This online activity covers the basics of the Tread Lightly! principles and is a wonderful way to quiz your knowledge of what responsible recreation means to us as a community.

Enjoy: http://treadlightly.org/page.php/education-onlinecourse/Online-Awareness-Course

Also, everyone who completes the course is entered into a drawing for a free hat, courtesy of Cabelas.

Good afternoon everyone!!

Tip of the week:

With the 4th of July holiday weekend rapidly approaching, we hope that you and your friends and families are making plans to head outdoors to enjoy some responsible fun and celebration. Since we figure (and hope) that many of you will be camping, we wanted to toss out a few reminders about campsite ethics.

- Look for previously-used campsites, and camp on durable surfaces.
- Campsites should be at least 200ft from water sources, other campsites, and trails. Pay attention to local regulations (MVUMs, etc) concerning how far your vehicle can be off the trail for camping.
- Keep a clean camp. Place food and other products with odors in animal-proof containers or back in vehicles.
- Follow the pack it in, pack it out guidelines. Police your camp before you leave to leave it in better condition than you found it.
- Campfires are not for waste disposal. Please do not leave trash in campfire rings, especially glass.

All that said, lets all cross our fingers for beautiful weather and get back to planning that perfect (or as perfect as it can be without snow at least...) trip!

OuraySledder said:

Why is it that only motorized users have restrictions placed on access? How many areas can you name that have been closed to skiers and open to snowmobiles because of "user conflict"?

I actively participated in the land management process for about 6 years. What a freaking waste of time and energy. We gave land up for closure to make an agreement. Next season they came back for it all again. Play nice all you want, you will continue to lose lands.

I also ride where I want, when I want. It is public land, and I am a taxpayer.

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I don't have an easy answer for you. While some agreements on local levels have left designated motorized and non-motorized areas, you are correct that there will always be pressure to remove motorized use from public lands. Its not fair, but it is a reality. Its partially because of that pressure, and partly because of stewardship and respectful use, that we continue to promote the Tread Lightly! ethics.

The taxpayer side of things is a valid argument, but must also be viewed from the eyes of those who are also taxpayers who would prefer to not have motorized and mechanized use on public lands. Would you consider the claim of "I am a taxpayer, these are my lands, and I don't want any sleds/dirt bikes/mountain bikes/etc etc on them" to be just as valid as your standpoint of the opposite?

I, for one, do not envy land management agencies, having to manage public lands for public use with many different viewpoints as to how that management should be done.

I Dare Ya Rene! said:

We just had a huge area closed North of Revelstoke, just to snowmobilers. It is not however closed to heli-skiing!!!!
Why should I tread lightly? I will continue to tread responsibily and use common sense. Common sense is not involved in many of the selfish, biased, dicriminatory closures made by closed-minded people in government!

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That's all we ask, so thank you. "Tread Lightly!" is treading responsibly and with respect for other users.

As for the heli-skiing comparison, there could be a number of reasons why sleds were singled out, but without knowing the reasons they gave, can't offer any advice... I will say though, that from experience of working with a heli outfit in AK, that outside of the sound of the aircraft, the "footprint" if you will is very small for heli-skiing.

snowmobiler said:

"Go over obstacles to avoid widening the trails" is sounding pretty extremist and doesnt hurt anything.ill probably never understand this type of thinking.but thats ok.

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This is in reference to summer trail use... As for sleds, obviously in most areas where you can ride, the trail is used to/from the riding area and use off of the groomed trails (where permitted) has very minimal impacts.