What better time than Earth Day’s 50th anniversary to think about the little things we can do every day to savor, enjoy and protect our planet.
In our March/April 2020 issue put together to celebrate the beauty and bounty of our region, there was one set of stunning photographs that we had all set to run, and then set aside.
The ponies of the Grayson Highlands region of the Virginia mountains are a beautiful and photogenic aspect of our part of the earth, especially when photographed amid the peaks, balds, rocky outcroppings and big blue skies of “the roof of Virginia.”
But alas, (and also a good catch), we heard from the good people at Virginia State Parks just before we began production of the issue, with a plea to avoid coverage and images of the ponies in Grayson Highlands State Park.
The primary concern, we were told, is the safety of users of the park, and people’s tendencies at times to forget that, and instead to approach the animals as if they were domesticated. And, at least in one case, put children on top of ponies. The other concern—perhaps no less important—is the safety of the animals, in the form of the things fed to them that are foreign and unhealthy.
And the request not to push the ponies is common sense, really, when you think about the simple fact that the ponies are wild animals, and as such can have territorial or other unexpected actions and reactions; and they deserve to be left to their own devices upon the land.
Which is completely in synch with Principle 6 of The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics’ set of seven tenets. And what better time to revisit those guidelines than when we are about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
Principle 6 is, simply, respect wildlife. “Do not touch, get close to, feed or pick up wild animals,” goes part of it.
The other guidelines:
Principle 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare. The more you think about what you’re about to do—with considerations of weather, terrain, skill levels, gear needed—the better the chance of a successful outing and the less chance of risk to self and of degradation of lands.
Principle 2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces. Again, pretty common-sense. Walking on trails only and camping on a site that naturally lacks vegetation helps keep the land around the durable surfaces alive.
Principle 3. Dispose of Waste Properly. Bury human waste and pack out all trash and garbage.
Principle 4. Avoid Damaging Live Trees and Plants. “Picking a few flowers does not seem like it would have any great impact and, if only a few flowers were picked, it wouldn’t.” But hey, none for me, none for you.
Principle 5. Minimize Campfire Impacts. Leave No Trace encourages stoves instead of fires for backcountry cooking. And if you build a fire, use fire rings where they exist, use dead-and-down wood only, extinguish all fires thoroughly and pack out any campfire litter.
Principle 7. Be Considerate of Others. Focal points here are excessive noise and unleashed pets. And it’s always a happy little moment on the trail when those headed downhill step aside on a narrow trail to let the uphill walker pass, as trail etiquette dictates.
And a simple “thank you” for the yield is another small pleasure of the trail.
No, we don’t have those pony photos, but we do have lots of other viewing and reading pleasure to celebrate the beautiful lands of our part of the world.
The story above appears in our March/April 2020 issue. For more subscribe today or log in to the digital edition with your active digital subscription. Thank you for your support!