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Leave Only Footprints?

      "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." Such are the words seen on signs, pamphlets, etc., in various preserved natural areas. The idea is to minimize human disturbance. Of course it is not that simple.
      In Gary Larson's cartoon series "The Far Side," he drew one entitled "Wildlife Preserves" -- showing an African savanna dotted with giant glass jars, animals sealed inside them. Obviously, it was a comment on the way wildlife is "preserved" nowadays: an endangered species sequestered in some nature reserve or national park, cut off from the outside. If it should stray outside those human-made boundaries, it will be killed. Wildlife is preserved only insofar as it remains in its designated area, even as fruit is preserved only inside a hermetically sealed jar.
      "Take only pictures" was a good idea; it prevents visitors from stripping the land of "souvenirs" -- rocks, wood, etc. (That empty, bleached clam shell I pick up on a deserted beach may seem insignificant, but can I be sure?) But soon, "take only pictures" was proven inadequate, as people began approaching too near wildlife to photograph it, disturbing the animals and disrupting their behavior. So the pamphlets and brochures had to get more specific, giving guidelines on how to photograph wildlife -- e.g., if it stops feeding to look at you, you are too close.
      And so, inevitably, "leave only footprints" also proved inadequate. In the most sensitive ecosystems, human footprints can alter erosion patterns, or change vegetation cover. (The cryptobiotic soils of desert regions come to mind in particular.) And it is this that I had to think about as I wandered the earth.

      Activist Mike Vandeman has taken a radical stand on such matters. He began with the readily-observable fact that mountain bicycle trails are composed of gullies and ripped-up soil, and from this, drew the conclusion that mountain bicycles are as harmful to the environment as motorized vehicles. Predictably, he caught backlash from the mountain cyclist community, who -- like everyone nowadays -- like to portray themselves as environmentally aware. To their discredit, however, some among them have stooped to the same sorts of tactics Creationists use: deliberately taking Vandeman's words out of context, to try to make them seem ludicrous. But suppose it was me? If someone like Vandeman criticized my favorite outdoor activity, could I take an objective view?

      I once read a spoof on "ecotourism" -- a very simple writing, simply a comparative list of all the characteristics of ecotourism, and all the characteristics of regular tourism. The humorous point was, the lists were nearly identical. For example, both lists mentioned burning up huge amounts of fossil fuels to fly to and from the destination; both lists mentioned eating well on imported foodstuffs while the local populace suffered in poverty and hunger; both lists mentioned emphasizing Western superiority by bringing digital camcorders and other high technology. In fact, the only difference between the two lists was one single word in the final item:

Ecotourism: spend time looking at flora, fauna, and natural landscapes.

Regular tourism: spend time not looking at flora, fauna, and natural landscapes.

I look back on my life of vagabondage, and I find I have left some very big footprints. How many plastic and aluminum containers have I thoughtlessly thrown away? How much fossil fuel has been burned in getting me from point A to point B? How much agricultural pollution has resulted from producing the foods I have eaten? For all my high-sounding ideals, in practice I have done little better than the average eco-slob.
      Changes have come about as a result of this awakening. Whether at home or travelling, I make as much of my food as possible the unpackaged kind; I became a vegetarian; and I travel overall lighter, having found that stuff is usually more of an encumbrance than a convenience. Ordinary tourism has lost its appeal, as I think more and more of how to make my presence matter. In this, I am not unique -- there is a wave of young people with just such ideals, preferring to do overseas volunteering rather than mere travel. Ironically, this is a move away from "leave only footprints" and toward leaving a legacy.

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