Allow others a sense of discovery by leaving rocks, plants, archeological artifacts, and other objects of interest as you find them.

Avoid damaging live trees and plants Do not hammer nails into trees for hanging gear, hack at them with hatchets and saws or cut live trees for poles. Avoid girdling thin-barked trunks with tent lines. Cutting boughs for use as a sleeping pad creates minimal benefit and maximum impact. Inexpensive sleeping pads are readily available at stores catering to backcountry travelers.

Enjoy an occasional edible plant, but be careful not to deplete the surrounding vegetation. In remote areas, a good rule of thumb is to harvest only abundant species, and take only 10-20 percent from any site. In popular locations and national parks you should not pick any vegetation; take pictures or make a sketch instead.

Leave natural objects and cultural artifacts Natural objects of beauty or interest, such as antlers or petrified wood, are appealing when you find them in the backcountry and should be left for others so that they too can experience that sense of discovery. In National Parks and some other areas it is illegal to remove natural objects.

The same ethic is applicable to the discovery and removal of cultural artifacts from public land. Cultural artifacts are protected by the Archeological Resources Protection Act, and it is illegal to remove artifacts from any public lands. This act protects all artifacts ranging from seemingly insignificant potsherds to arrowheads to ornate pots and clothing items.