Camping is all about getting outside and waking up to beautiful views and unaltered scenery. But in order to keep wildlife wild and ensure these natural areas remain pristine for future visitors, it’s important that everyone does their part to reduce waste and keep recreation areas clean.

Here are some of the ways you can protect our natural areas during your camping trip:

Reduce Waste

• As you’re preparing meals and snacks for your trip, think about packaging and how you can reduce waste through different storage options. Reusable, silicone bags can replace disposable bags.
• Bring two types of garbage bags with you: regular and compostable. Fill the regular bag with household garbage but put compostable items like paper plates in the compostable bags. This can greatly reduce the number of black garbage bags you fill.
• Opt for biodegradable soap for washing up. This can be found at many outdoor stores like Valhalla Pure and MEC.
• Pack a reusable water bottle and coffee mug to store your hot and cold beverages.
• Recycle, recycle, recycle!

Roam Sustainability

• Respect tidal ecosystems. Please don’t poke or prod tidal pools, and leave things like seashells on the beach where you found them.
• Stay on the trails. Refrain from stepping off the trail or taking shortcuts–this increases the ecological impact of trail use and creates more erosion.
• Walk through puddles, not around them. Stepping around puddles can cause the trail to widen. Instead, wear weather-appropriate footwear and embrace the mud!
• Leave no trace of your travels behind. Pack in and pack out any waste you create on your adventures.
• Keep wildlife wild. As cute as they can be, please don’t ever feed wild animals. This includes birds, seals, as well as bigger critters like bears.