Picture it: The United States of America, 2018. Two junior rangers are walking towards an overlook to gaze upon Horseshoe Bend. Countless water bottle caps line the trail. There’s a McDonald’s bag to the right. What is this madness?!?! Time to introduce the Wild Keepers and Impact Day. Keep Nature Wild started Wild Keepers and started the Impact Day fun several years ago to help keep our wild places wild and share the goodness through social media. There are close to one thousand Wild Keepers taking on places like Horseshoe Bend every single day and sharing their little bit of improvement to show the potential for a major impact when we all pitch in. Here are three ways that you can make an impact while out exploring:
1) Pack out what you pack in.
Take snacks or meals on your hikes that can easily be packed back out. Keep a small bag or container for micro trash or sanitary items that you might produce while out on the trail.
2) Take a trash bag and gloves with you on hikes.
You might be following Leave No Trace principles, but it doesn’t mean that everyone else on the trail is doing the same. Keeping a small garbage bag and gloves handy allows you to better pack out what you find along the trail.
3) Choose reusable options!!
We have probably picked up enough caps from single-use water bottles to fill a five gallon bucket. Many parks now have bottle filling stations, and there are multiple companies that produce reusable bottles that will keep your water icy cold for hours on end. We really can’t think of a good excuse not to dump plastic bottles and the tiny lids that always seem to find their way to the ground.
The same goes for food storage and utensils. There are plenty of options for cutting down on the use of sandwich bags and plastic utensils when camping and hiking.
JUST DO IT!
You have the ability to make a small difference in our national parks, state parks, local green spaces, and more. You have the ability to be part of the bigger IMPACT.