Learn Basic Principles of Camping Safety and Ethics

Over the past 120 years, many prominent Americans, including Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and Ansel Adams worked hard to preserve beautiful federal and state lands from commercial exploitation. Once preserved, other concerned environmentalists realized that these lands had to be protected from thoughtless visitors and souvenir hunters. Thus began several public information campaigns to teach American citizens how to enjoy public lands safely and protect these lands along with their unique plant and animal species for future generations. From Yellowstone, Niagara, and Yosemite to dozens of small state parks in every state, these public lands are easily accessible and offer a wide range of economical family recreation opportunities.

In the early days, park visitors were very destructive to these lands. Woodcraft was a popular interest and park users practiced their woodcraft skills by cutting vegetation, digging trenches, and killing animals. Later in the mid 1900s, many park visitors just wanted to “see the popular views,” collect souvenirs, and then “leave their mark.” As a result, they painted or carved their names onto unique geological formations and historical structures, removed irreplaceable artifacts, burnt historic buildings, and committed other acts of vandalism. And so, park stewards soon realized that they needed to formulate a strategy for protecting these limited natural resources from total destruction. They realized that steps had to be taken to protect these public parks from irresponsible visitors and land speculators so that our children and grand children will have the opportunity to enjoy them as much as we do.

Campsite Safety

As a general rule, tent camping is the safest of all outdoor recreational activities. A few studies have shown that the rates of injury and emergency room admissions for tent camping are lower than the rates for swimming, biking, skiing, and several other outdoor recreational activities. However, injuries do occur and it is good to be aware of their primary causes. Falls from high places is perhaps the primary cause of camping related injury and emergency room admissions - followed by lacerations from knives or axes and burns from stoves or campfires. Allergic reactions to insect stings is another common cause of injury. So campers should take reasonable precautions to avoid common injuries. Here are some basic suggestions.

1. Avoid small, remote, primitive campgrounds with no overnight security. They are frequently visited by thieves and sexual perverts looking for easy targets. Instead, only stay in larger, more popular campgrounds with good overnight security.

2. Prepare 2 first-aid kits before leaving home - one for the car and one for the tent. Each kit should contain antibiotic cream, Benadryl, pain reliever, burn cream, and adhesive bandages of varying sizes.

3. Be weather aware. Move to stone/brick shelter when lightening is 15 seconds away and when wind gets moderately high.

4. Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and other mind-altering drugs.

5. Read and obey all warning signs posted in the campground.

6. Inspect campsite before setting up to identify potential hazards such as objects laying on the ground that could provide cover for snakes or spiders, fire ant mounds, hornet nests, leaf piles or debris that could conceal snakes or spiders, holes, landscape timbers, rocks, or tree roots that could trip someone, and window-maker dead tree limbs that could fall on your tent.

7. When possible, set up tent and kitchen shelter so that guy lines do not block high traffic pathways. This will be easy in large campsites but more difficult in smaller campsites. When a guy line does block a high traffic pathway, place a chair or some other object near its ground stake to reduce its tripping hazard.

Campfire Safety

One of the major causes of camping related injuries is campfire burns. Inattentive people occasionally fall into the fire. Children are especially vulnerable to campfire burns. So campers should recognize the potential danger of campfires and take special precautions to avoid injury.

1. Keep fires small and under control.

2. Keep a bucket or jug of water near fire to extinguish fire that gets out of fire ring.

3. Do not use gasoline or other accelerants to start a fire.

4. Do not drink alcoholic beverages excessively or use other mind-altering drugs when near a campfire.

5. Do not run or engage in “horseplay” near the fire ring - and don’t allow children to do so.

6. Do not allow children to play near the fire unsupervised.

7. Wear leather gloves when working with the fire or moving hot pots.

8. Keep burn cream in your first-aid kit.

Axe Safety

need a good axe to split firewood into smaller pieces and kindling. But axes can be dangerous! Modern tent campers should know and observe basic safety procedures.

1. Never work after consuming alcoholic beverages, marijuana or other drugs.

2. Do not allow young children (3 to 12) to handle an axe at any time. If they are interested, allow them to observe and explain the dangers

3. Only allow youth (13 to 18) to use semi-sharp axes under close supervision - to assure they follow safety procedures and avoid horseplay.

4. Avoid working after dark.

5. Avoid double bit axes: two sharp edges increase the danger.

6. Never use an axe with a loose head or badly damaged handle; the head could fly off and injure a bystander.

7.Wear safety equipment: protective eyewear, gloves, jeans & closed toe shoes.

8. Warn others and clear the area: children, vegetation & obstructions.

9. Anticipate the direction of a glancing blow and stand clear.

10. Never cut or chop overhead.

11. When felling trees and bucking logs: use a saw when possible; when unavailable, use long handle axe.

12. De-limbing: cut small limbs on opposite side of larger limb - from bottom to top.

13. Use a chopping/splitting block.

14. When splitting large tree rounds, use a maul, wedge, and large splitting platform if available

15. When splitting larger pieces of firewood, make short controlled swings and use a wedge.

16. When splitting larger pieces of firewood, kneel, bend over and/or squat to drive axe edge into the splitting block.

17. When splitting smaller pieces of firewood, do not hold wood with hand. Use side splitting technique when possible.

18. When using a short 10 to 14-inch handle, use a lanyard to prevent the axe from slipping out of your hand.

19. Cover edge with a sheath when not in use.

20. Hold unsheathed axe near head and shoulder.

21. When giving an axe to another person, put its sheath on or lay it down for the other person to pick up.

Axe Safety Myths

1. You need a razor sharp edge for all camping chores.

2. Sharp axes are safer than dull axes.

3. An axe handle with poor grain orientation is unsafe.

Food Storage Safety & Ethics

Campers and other outdoor enthusiasts should prevent animal access to their food for both ethical and personal safety reasons. For example, human foods have sugar, preservatives, and other additives that could make wild animals sick. If the food doesn’t make them sick, frequent access to human food could make wild animals dependent upon human food and unable to find adequate food in the wild when humans are no longer present. When animals realize that humans usually have unsecured food, they will visit your campsite when you are away and when you are sleeping and will destroy coolers, tents, and other equipment to get the food. And, they will leave a big mess of shredded plastic and paper all around the campsite. And repeated access to human food could make wild animals more aggressive to humans who will not share their food. For small animals like chipmunks and birds, aggressiveness may just be a nuisance; but for larger animals like bears, this aggressiveness could be dangerous and potentially deadly. Unfortunately, when bears and other animals learn to aggressively take food from humans, they must be destroyed. So, improper food storage is not only inconvenient for humans, it could be dangerous and deadly for the animal. Thus the saying, '“A fed animal is a dead animal.”

1. Never feed wild animals. And protect your food so that animals cannot get at it.

2. Use super soaker or strong water gun with a few drops of urea or vinegar mixed in water to keep animals away from your campsite.

3. In the eastern United States, store your food in your car or hard side RV when not eating. Black bears are smaller and usually unable to break not cars.

4. In western states, store your food in metal food storage lockers spread around most campgrounds. Brown or grizzly bears can easily break into cars.

5. Eat your last meal of the day and clean up before dark.

6. Bathe and put on clean clothes every night before going to bed.

7. Store dirty, smelly clothes in your car or approved storage locker.

8. Never take food, snacks, candy, or gum into your tent.

9. Do not allow children to bring food, snacks, or candy into the tent. Check their pockets before retiring.

Firewood Ethics

A major ecological problem associated with family tent camping is the introduction of destructive pests into uncontaminated forests and the subsequent death of large numbers of plant or animal species. Most recently, the Emerald Ash Borer insect, hidden in untreated firewood, has invaded forests throughout the eastern United States and killed thousands of ash trees. When untreated firewood is burned, the insect escapes into the forest to bore into healthy trees. To limit the movement of this insect, other destructive insects, and the further destruction of our forests, we must stop transporting firewood from our homes and other distant locations. Instead, we must learn to buy and burn pest-free firewood that either was heat treated or came from forests near our campground destination.

Unfortunately, many campgrounds sell poor-quality unseasoned firewood that is difficult to split and difficult to burn. As a result, many veteran campers have learned that, to have a campfire, they must find alternate sources of firewood. The best place to buy good seasoned, pest-free firewood is local grocery, convenience, and home improvement stores. Many of them sell reasonably-priced bundles of U.S.D.A. certified dried hardwood that is cut 12 to 16 inches long, have few knots, and is less than 8 inches in diameter. A second good source of firewood is local tree cutting services and firewood vendors but try to determine the type of wood before buying. Oak, hickory, ash, cherry, and pecan are good materials for firewood. They split easily, burn easily, produce high heat, and produce few sparks, little smoke or soot. Other woods have one or more limitations. For example, pine produces thick smoke and soot that will stick to your cookware and food. And some woods are hard to split or hard to burn. Ideally, the vendor will clearly identify the wood but if no signs are visible, ask the sales clerk. After determining the type of wood, examine it before buying to be sure it will burn easily. The wood should be dried and ideally have no bark attached very little odor. You could buy a moisture meter to be sure it is dry but you can learn to make good decisions based upon the weight, smell, and appearance of the ends.

To start a campfire, you will need some tinder and kindling. In some campgrounds you can find dry straw and small twigs laying on the ground bur frequently you cannot. We collect used paper from our home office for tinder and scrap pine lumber from my garage workshop for kindling - and we pack these materials in a small waterproof bag. After arriving at our campsite, we also split at least one piece of firewood into very small sticks for additional kindling. If we plan to cook on our campfire, we will need to split several more small pieces of stove wood so that we can maintain a low or medium heat level for simmering foods for an extended period of time.

Leave No Trace Ethical Guidelines

The “Leave-No-Trace” program began to emerge in the early 1960s when several public and private organizations, such as the U.S. Forrest Service and the Sierra Club, began encouraging low-impact hiking and camping. Around 1965, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) was founded and it gradually emerged as the lead organization for promoting the Leave-No-Trace (LNT) program.

Today, the LNT program promotes 7 general principles for ethical outdoor recreation activities. At first these principles seemed to apply only to wilderness hiking and backpacking, but recent efforts have been made to show how they apply to other outdoor recreational activities. Here are the seven principles (plus one more that I have added) with specific examples of ethical considerations for family tent camping in developed, front-country campgrounds.

PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE

1. Before departing on a camping trip, visit the park website and learn as much as possible about the campground’s unique features, regulations, and geographic layout.

2. Read campground rules before reserving a campsite and be committed to obeying them all.

3. If you plan to have a campfire, read campfire regulations and find a good local firewood vendor before leaving home. Do not transport firewood from your home or other location more then 30 miles away from your campground destination.

4. Plan your trip so that you arrive early enough to set up camp and relax before 10 p.m. We usually leave our home at 5 a.m. so that we can drive up to 8 hours and still arrive by mid afternoon.

5. Learn more about plant/ animal ecology and environmental issues - so that you will be prepared to respond appropriately in unique outdoor situations and help others understand how to preserve our natural resources.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

1. Drive, park, and walk on established roads and trails, rather than on bare ground, to preserve vegetation and thereby preserve animal habitat and prevent unnecessary soil erosion.

2. Set up camp within the boundaries of your campsite.

3. Park your car and trailers in approved parking areas rather on the grass.

4. Walk to the bathroom and other campground destinations on paved or gravel roads and established trails.

Dispose of Waste Properly

1. Become aware of the amount of waste your family produces every day, and dispose of it properly, rather than throwing it on the ground.

2. Bag all garbage and place it in designated trash containers at the end of each day.

3. Save recyclable waste and dispose in recycle recepticals.

4. Collect grey water and dispose according to campground regulations.

5. Pick up cigarette butts and other trash that may have fallen to the ground.

6. Pick up pet poop.

7. Do not burn trash in fire ring.

8. Clean fire ring so it is ready for the next campsite occupant.

9. Remove ALL tent and tarp stakes. Use pliers and a small crow bar to remove stakes stuck in tree roots or landscape timbers.

10. After packing up after the end of your camp, walk through the campsite one last time to find small pieces of trash and leave it cleaner than you found it.

Leave What you Find

1. Resist the impulse to collect park resources as souvenirs so that they can be enjoyed by future visitors. Fortunately, small digital cameras are now available that can take thousands of photos instead.

2. Do not pick or cut flowers, sea oats, or other vegetation.

3. Do not remove rocks, wood, or other objects found in the park.

4. Do not cut, carve, or paint scenic areas, historic structures, or other places in the park.

Minimize Campfire Impact

1. A camp without a campfire is no camp at all but you must use fire responsibly.

2. Only build fires where permitted.

3. Only burn U.S.D.A. Certified heat treated, pest free firewood, state certified pest free firewood with bark removed, or wood sold by a park approved vendor.

4. Keep fires small and under control.

5. Place bucket or jug filled with water near the fire ring to use if the fire gets out of control.

6. Use fire ring or pit where provided or where used before. Do not move fire ring to a different location.

7. When possible, use a metal fire pan to protect the ground from excessive heat and soot.

8. Extinguish your campfire completely with water before retiring to bed or leaving your campsite.

Respect Wildlife

1. Animals, birds, and other wildlife may visit your campsite looking for food but you should ignore them as much as possible to keep them from getting sick from our foods, from loosing their natural food finding instincts, and from becoming a pest that must be destroyed.

2. Do not feed animals or birds and do not allow them to access your food. Keep all food locked in your car - or in approved storage area - except when cooking or eating.

3. Dispose of garbage in animal-proof containers.

4. Do not tease or harm animals, reptiles, or birds.

Respect Vegetation

I added this principle because many thoughtless campers have repeatedly cut and damaged trees and shrubs near their campsites.

1. Do not cut standing trees or bushes, even if they look dead.

2. Some parks forbid removing downed dead trees because this decaying wood offers food and habitat for small organisms that constitute the lowest level of the food chain.

3. Do not drive nails into trees.

4. Do not throw knives or axes at trees.

5. Remove all ropes and straps attached to trees.

Be Considerate of Other Campers

1. In all areas of life, we should learn to treat people with kindness and respect rather than hostility and disrespect. Avoid excessive use of alcohol and other mind altering drugs that worsen inconsiderate behaviors.

2. Be quiet - at all times and especially during quiet hours. Do not yell when setting up camp, argue with companions, yell at kids, or play loud music. If you like your music loud, use earbuds.

3. Keep campsite clean and orderly.

4. Help other campers recover lost personal property. Leave small items such as clothing, towels, and toys where they were left assuming that the owner will return to find them. Take valuable items, such as jewelry, wallets, and keys to the park Lost & Found office.

5. Do not walk through other campers’ campsites or let your kids run through them.

6. Turn off lights by midnight.

7. Keep pets restrained on a 6-foot leash.

8. Do not leave dog alone or allow it to bark repeatedly.

9. Secure all food and camping equipment before leaving campsite.

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