By Laura Tamayo

When we carry out activities in contact with nature, such as camping, hiking, taking photographs, swimming, even exploring new destinations with research purposes, such as projects and school work, the landscape captive us so much that makes us feel responsible of taking care of it and preserving it.

During 2 days, September 14 and 15, 2018 the first Leave No Trace training course took place in the Punta Mazo Nature Reserve, Baja California. The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) instructors, McKenzie and Caio, taught this course in which techniques and abilities development to carry out activities in natural areas generating the minimum impact were taught.

Course objectives

The course objectives included:

  • To learn about the 7 principles of Leave No Trace through the application of practical, educational, informative, and conscious awareness oriented techniques.
  • To share a space to learn and share experiences with members of La Chorera and El Rosario with park rangers of Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, staff members of Terra Peninsular and NOLS instructors.
  • To generate a team and personal action plan based on environmental ethics that contributes to conservation.

During these learning days, in which 17 people participated, we shared our ideas, experiences, moments of reflection and practices, we all feel involved as a community. Each one of us contributed with something during the tours, participating with their personal and job related stories and experiences.

Foto Enrique Alfaro (1)

Take a moment to observe

If you look around to your surroundings you will find out that there is a lot to do. I invite you to reflect about the problems you can find when doing the activities that we enjoy the most when we are in contact with nature. Reflect about how the landscape has been changing, and do our part to help solve them and be more aware of the way we enjoy nature.

And now… what’s next?

The course showed us a broader perspective over the value of natural protected areas and how, through planning, we may considerably diminish the impact we do when visiting them.

I can say that everyone involved in this course have the task of passing this knowledge to their closest ones and inviting through our own actions to a habit change that may protect and conserve the natural areas.