Outdoor Ethics

Outdoor Code As an American, I will do my best to:

Be clean in my outdoor manners
Be careful with fire
Be considerate in the outdoors
Be conservation minded

Instilling values in young people and preparing them to make ethical choices throughout their lifetime is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America.

The BSA's Outdoor Ethic is summarized in the Outdoor Code.

Scouting has adopted the Principles of Leave No Trace to build upon the ethic in the Outdoor Code and to provide more specific outdoor use guidelines and skills.

Leave No Trace

Princples of Leave No Trace

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Leave No Trace IS NOT a set of rules or regulations.

Leave No Trace IS

an ethic, an attitude and a set of flexible guiding principles
respecting and caring for wildlands, wildlife, protecting our natural resources and protecting our future recreation opportunities
being considerate of other outdoor users
being prepared and learning minimum impact camping skills
making good decisions whenever we are enjoying outdoor activities

Every outing should be planned and conducted with Leave No Trace in mind!

Leave No Trace has been a program emphasis of the Longs Peak Council since 1994. Along with National BSA, the Longs Peak Council is one of the few Boy Scout councils in the nation who are official Partners of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.

What's New

New BSA Outdoor Ethics Awards

The new Awareness, Action and Service Outdoor Ethics Awareds were first announced at the 2012 BSA Outdoor Ethics Conference.
March 22, 2013 - The requirements for the Awareness and Action awards are now available on the BSA website.

Upcoming Leave No Trace Courses

See our LNT Courses page for information.

For Responsible Scouting Outings -- Get Trained in Leave No Trace!

Leave No Trace Trainer - Troop Junior Leadership Position

The Leave No Trace Trainer is a (new in 2010) junior leadership position in the troop which qualifies for the leadership requirements of the Star, Life and Eagle ranks.

LPC LNT Trainers - Google Group

A forum for anyone teaching and promoting Leave No Trace in the Longs Peak Council, especially LNT Trainers, district conservation chairs and leader trainers.

To join the Group, you will need a Google account. Then sign in and "Apply for Membership" at: groups.google.com/group/lpc-lnt-trainers?hl=en