′Leave No Trace is a conservation nonprofit that advocates for sustainable environmental practices. The organization is known for promoting a set of guidelines known as its Seven Principles, which, according to LNT’s website, outline an “easily understood framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors.”

The Seven Principles are fundamental for Las Vegas Inspiring Connections Outdoors, a local chapter of the Sierra Club’s national outreach program that facilitates outdoor experiences for underserved youth. Chapter chair Cynthia Regidor recently spoke with the Weekly about how she approaches teaching these tenets.

1. Plan ahead and prepare.

Before Regidor and her team of volunteers start a hike, they take some time to brief each group on the basics.

“LNT is first and foremost something that we need to have them familiar with because we’ll be out in delicate areas that we want to preserve the integrity of,” Regidor says. “We also walk them through safety [tips] and point out certain things they should know about the landscape we’re going to. For instance, if we’re going to the Spring Mountains, we tell them we might see wild horses and remind them that, if we do, we should never get too close.”

2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.

While local ICO sessions don’t involve camping, Regidor says sticking to pre-established trails and traveling single-file is an important factor in preserving the landscape. A single-file line reduces trail erosion, allows speedier hikers or someone on horseback to pass the group if needed and decreases the likelihood that one of them accidentally steps on adjacent “foliage or fresh growth.”

3. Dispose of waste properly.

Regidor says most participants already know that littering is frowned upon. The old saying, “pack it in, pack it out,” applies here. One can avoid the nuisance of having to stuff crinkling wrappers in a backpack pocket by bringing reusable water bottles and food containers.

4. Leave what you find.

“We might say something like, ‘take only pictures, leave only footprints.’ If they see a beautiful flower, we tell them not to pick it, because we want to leave this area intact for the next person to enjoy. And they totally understand that,” Regidor says.

5. Minimize campfire impacts.

This one doesn’t apply to ICO hikes, but Leave No Trace generally advises against building unnecessary campfires. If a campfire is unavoidable, keep it relatively small, using only dead wood from the ground, and burn all wood and coals to ash before extinguishing it completely.

6. Respect wildlife.

To illustrate this principle, Regidor introduces what she calls “the thumb rule.”

“I’ll walk into the distance, pretending I’m an animal, and tell them to stick their thumb out towards me. If their thumb doesn’t cover my whole body, they should know they’re too close to the animal,” she says.

7. Be considerate of others.

“We’ll talk about how we want to keep our voices to a minimum because everybody is out there for their own reasons,” Regidor says. “The beauty of that is, when there isn’t any noise, they’ll tap into their five senses. They might hear a strong breeze and equate it to something they’re already familiar with, like the sound of the ocean.”