Leave No Trace: Principle 1; Plan Ahead and Prepare.
Shrpa empowers you to set the tone for adventurers by listing out the gear necessary for an adventure and preparing them properly for the undertaking. This could be telling dog walkers to bring poop bags and a leash. Briefing people on involved hikes to wear proper footwear for steep or wet hiking, or necessary backpack to carry all their gear.
This trickles down to individual safety as well. Understanding the undertaking you are embarking on before you’re there is important. Like the eponymous Boy Scouts motto says “Be prepared.” This includes an understanding of the wildlife, weather and other external factors present in an area.
Through the power of Shrpa you can also empower others to actively improve areas you love with the right equipment such as bringing trash bags to pick up litter. Principle 1 is the cornerstone of the other LNT concepts because it trickles down to other responsible behaviors by empowering visitors to visualize their responsible behavior before actualizing it.
Examples:
Bringing the wrong footwear forces visitors to hike off trail to avoid wet feet, accelerating erosion of delicate shoreline areas.
Bringing a map for an area to avoid becoming lost and requiring rescue.
Wearing the right clothes for conditions to avoid cutting a hike short due to heat or cold.
Walking in the wrong area is one of the smallest yet most harmful impacts humans can have on their environment. In sensitive areas, less than 10 impacts can kill vegetation and create a social trail. This is a self sustaining problem, as a social trail develops, more individuals travel the path, creating and continuing the impact.
This can be precious ecological areas such as prairies, cliff sides, riverbanks. While we have a natural urge to explore, this can be destructive to critical habitat for animals and closure of natural areas.
Examples:
Never cut switchbacks on steep incline. This expedites the erosion process.
When an area says keep off, keep off.
Avoid walking on the critical edge of trails. Critical edge is the outward edge of trail and trampling it causes the trail to narrow and degrade.