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Leave No Trace

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The Leave No Trace program is a combination of science and common sense for enjoying the outdoors responsibly.

Sign up to volunteer on the LNT Team at Saguaro Man 2023

The message is framed under seven principles:

  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
  2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
  3. Dispose of Waste Properly
  4. Leave What You Find
  5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
  6. Respect Wildlife
  7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

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Some More Information on Leave No Trace can be found here:

What is Moop?

MOOP (n. & v.) : Matter Out Of Place Organic, inorganic, ‘trash’, even liquids.
Each and every item you bring with you from one environment to another has the potential to alter the original environment as a result of you bringing it there.As a participant, you must MOOP (verb) your camp For any and all MOOP (noun) your camp might produce. Make sense yet?

PACKING FOR THE EVENT
(or ‘HOW TO REDUCE MOOP BEFORE YOU EVEN LEAVE THE HOUSE’)

  • PACKING CAMP FOOD:
    • Remove all wrappers and take EVERYTHING out of it’s packaging (but save cooking directions).
    • Re-package like-items together in resealable baggies or other airtight containers. (Baggies can be re-used to securely store smaller MOOP that might otherwise fly away.)
    • Plan your meals so that you don’t end up taking a lot of food home.
  • COOKING/EATING  AT THE EVENT:
    • Prepare meals before leaving home!!! Camp stove dinners can be prepped ahead of time, frozen, and reheated on site. Even sandwiches could be made and bagged individually – why wipe peanut butter off a knife six times when you can have PB&J ready to eat right out of the bag?
    • Boil noodles at home on the stove and store them bagged in a cooler.
      Heating pasta in hot water takes less time & propane than bringing an entire pot to boil.
    • When packing fresh fruit and vegetables take into consideration the rinds, peels, cores, etc. EVEN ORGANIC MATERIAL IS MOOP WHEN IT’S ONLY THERE BECAUSE YOU ARE!
    • PAPER PLATES can burn in a community fire as long as they are NOT PRINTED with ink. Fight the urge to buy the ones with flowers and swirls. Never burn ANY paper product with printed ink. You & everyone downwind will regret it.
    • Chopsticks are burnable and can be used with most foods.
    • Bring a mason jar for used grease (bacon, etc.) and wipe out your cook pot with paper towels before washing.
  • WATER:
    • There is no water on-site!
    • Pack ice chests carefully.
      • If not contaminated (with food) you could use the melted ice as wash water.
      • Do not drain your ice chest on-site! Pack it out! 
      • Consider freezing gallon bottles of water and using them instead of ice. Then you can drink the water when melted
    • There will be free ice delivered to Center camp on Friday afternoon.
    • Non-potable water is considered GREY WATER & can be used for washing.
    • Do not leave grey water behind – pack it out with you in a tightly sealed plastic container (Like a Home Depot “Homer” bucket). If using a grey water container with a small opening, bring a large funnel.
    • Place your gray water container and garbage can in the vehicle overnight (to avoid animal spillage). Do put a tarp under the gray water bucket when in the vehicle.
    • Baby wipes cannot be burned unless you shell out the extra $$$ for the super 100% natural organic kind – which you probably won’t do. Plan to take used baby wipes home with you (in a used Ziploc bag, maybe?!)
  • DRINKING AT THE EVENT:
    • BRING A RE-USEABLE CUP! I bring THREE – a wide-mouth water bottle (for washing/ice cubes), a washable vessel for liquor, and a metal cup for coffee. DON’T EXPECT THE BAR TO GIVE YOU A PAPER CUP.
    • Try and avoid bringing glass containers. 
    • Cans crush and are easy to recycle.

Dress and Impress (Just Don’t Leave A Trace!

  • LEAVE ANYTHING CONTAINING SEQUINS, LOOSE GLITTER, FEATHERS (BOAS – I’m lookin’ at you),
  • HARSH CHEMICALS (nail polish remover, aerosol hairspray, spraypaint)
  • Biodegradable glitter gel is okay.
  • Put rubber stoppers on the backs of wire earrings!
  • Accessories that require your full attention to wear properly are better left at home. Same with family heirlooms you’d rather die than lose.

Gift Without A Trace

ONE MAN’S ‘GIFT’ IS ANOTHER MAN’S MOOP! Think about it.

  • Avoid handing out cards, cheap ass plastic party favors, and balloons.
    (Gifts should be something worth holding onto for longer than ten minutes)
  • If you are gifting something that comes in a wrapper (candy, Jello shots in a paper cup, etc.) be sure to carry a trash bag on your walkabout and remind those who do not consume your gift immediately to dispose of it properly when they do. If you brought it, and they drop it – that MOOP’s on you!

Set Up Your Camp Without A Trace

Trashbags

  • Bring more trashbags than you anticipate your group will need.
  • Bring adequate ties to secure trash bags once full.
  • Double bag anything that may contain liquids.
  • Contractor bags are the crème de la crème of the trash bag crop and can carry just about anything, no sweat. They are worth the investment if you’re going to be packing out your camp’s trash in the backseat of your mom’s car.
  • Secure your trash bags well for a 75mph drive on the I-10.  LNT doesn’t end at the gate.

PLEASE PLAN TO PACK OUT YOUR CAMP’S BAGGED TRASH AND AT LEAST ONE BAG OF COMMUNITY TRASH. TOGETHER WE CAN REDUCE THE WORK OF A DEDICATED FEW POST-EVENT.

TENTS/TARPS/SHADES N’ SUCH

  • DO NOT SECURE TARPS, SHADE CLOTHS, or TENTS to TREES or BUSHES under ANY circumstance. That tree was not put there to help your camp build it’s shade and I’ll bet it’d be pissed as hell to hear you think so.

  • Avoid camping near, on, or around bushes – You WILL squash them after a few drinks. And please, for !@#$’s sake – don’t pick any flowers you’re lucky enough to find. Same goes for shiny rocks. Put it down, hippie.

  • DO NOT BUILD YOUR OWN FIRE PITS !!!! Don’t even think about it! If the gusty, blustery winds weren’t enough to deter you, perhaps the wrath of our property owner will – he has specifically requested NO PERSONAL FIRES. We will have plenty of fire to warm you throughout the night.

PARTY-ING

  • CARRY AN ASHTRAY WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES! Mint tins and M&M mini’s tubes work great for storing smaller MOOP and won’t make your pockets smelly. If you don’t remember to bring one, stuff that butt in your pocket, you brought it!
  • Leave no butt behind!- Bring a refillable Zippo lighter or at the very least a few good lighters. (Avoid using match sticks – they, too, are born to become MOOP)
  • IF YOU ARE SOBER ENOUGH TO WALK -YOU ARE SOBER ENOUGH TO MOOP.
  • Don’t turn your back on a single piece of MOOP, no matter what.
  • Carry a plastic bag that zips in your pocket or Camelback. The winds can change at a moments notice and bury a days worth of MOOP in minutes. You may be the last human being to ever see that piece of trash – don’t make an excuse – just !@#$ing grab it!
  • POTTY-ING – Only that which came from INSIDE YOUR BODY CAN BE LEFT INSIDE THE PORTA POTTY!  —  Alright, here’s where I get preachy. Nowhere in any religions sacred text does it mention the Porta Potty as being a God-given right. In fact, the mere presence of so much as a single Porta Potty means that the organizers of your event chose to shell out cold, hard cash weeks before you even bothered to buy your ticket so that you, and more specifically – your ass, could have at it’s disposal a private, plastic box in which to your dirty business. Pretty nice of them, right?!

IF IT CAME FROM YOUR BODY, YOU CAN LEAVE IT IN THE POTTY.

If you need to pee – find a potty.
If you need to poop – find a potty.
If you need to puke – FIND A POTTY!

  • We will pay to have the porta potties serviced during the event for you by men who drive giant shit-tank trucks and can’t possibly get paid enough…  These men have been known to get very angry at event organizers when participants SCREW THEIR PORTA POTTIES UP.
  • Respect the potty, fear the potty. PUT THE LID DOWN BEHIND YOU.
  • Water bottles, tampons, maxipads, paper cups, chicken legs, glowsticks, empty bottles of Jack Daniels…none of these belong in the potty! NO AMOUNT OF INTOXICATION CAN EXCUSE THE DISRESPECT OF OUR HOLY PLASTIC VESSEL!
  • USED TAMPONS ARE MOOP. – USED TAMPONS ARE NOT MADE INSIDE YOUR BODY (or at least, I hope not…)

How to pack out your used feminine products proper ::

  • BRING AN OPAQUE PLASTIC BOTTLE WITH A LID THAT TWISTS ON TIGHT (dishwashing liquid, bleach, even a cardboard carton of OJ you’ve rinsed out ahead of time, etc…)
  • LABEL THIS CONTAINER APPROPRIATELY AS A PERSONAL BIOHAZARD BEFORE LEAVING HOME. Be explicit.
  • TAKE THIS BOTTLE INTO THE PORTA POTTY WITH YOU
  • REMOVE USED TAMPON AND PLACE IMMEDIATELY IN HOMEMADE TAMPON RECEPTACLE (bring a large enough container and you can dispose of your wrappers and applicators in the same bottle)
  • TWIST THE LID ON TIGHT
  • PACK IT OUT IN YOUR CAMP’S TRASH = NO MESS / NO TRACE.

PACKING UP CAMP WITHOUT A TRACE

  • Have each member of your camp MOOP your campsite. It cures a hangover.
  • MOOP from day one.  If you see trash, pick it up and dispose of it in your camp trash.
  • A good rule of thumb is to take a plastic water bottle with a lid that screws on and fill it with MOOP. Do this everyday of your life and you will change the world.
  • Cigarette butts and other such miniMOOP make up the majority of what gets overlooked. LOOK TWICE. LOOK BETTER, LOOK SMARTER.
  • Do not drain ice chests until you get home!
  • DO NOT DUMP GREY WATER ON THE LAND no matter how ‘clean’ it looks! (Grey water is non-potable water that has been used for washing dishes, hands, feet, etc. Pack it out with you! ) FILL EMPTY WATER JUGS WITH GREY WATER USING A FUNNEL AS NEEDED OVER THE COURSE OF THE EVENT and you won’t have any liquids to worry about in your trash on the drive home.

PLEASE PLAN TO PACK OUT YOUR CAMP’S BAGGED TRASH AND AT LEAST ONE BAG OF COMMUNITY TRASH. TOGETHER WE CAN REDUCE THE WORK OF A DEDICATED FEW POST-EVENT.

INFORMATION RE: NEARBY LANDFILLS
(CALL to verify they are open, before you make the drive )
https://azdeq.gov/cochise-county-waste-transfer-stations

LNT Downloadable/Printer friendly version
(Or save to your phone/Dropbox)

Any questions about LNT @ Saguaro Man should be directed to: lnt@azburners.org