Behind the scenes of a BC campaign to boost respect for the outdoors and recreate responsibly. Words :: Celeste Pomerantz.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely an outdoor enthusiast who has set foot, tire, skin or boot on a trail or in a park. On your adventures—no matter how big or small—you’ve probably passed a biodegradable bag of dog poo that was perhaps left with either evil intent, ignorance or, hopefully, the vague intention of being grabbed upon return—never to be grabbed again.
(There is no such thing as a Dog Poo Fairy who magically cleans the trails.)
Or perhaps you’re that person who left a hefty number two at the very top of the iconic backcountry ski run Husume this winter. (Yes, everyone saw it. Come on, man.)
To these instances, and so many more like them, I pose the question recently portrayed (hilariously) in the first video from BC’s new Don’t Love it to Death campaign, wherein comedian/director/athlete of leisure Katie Burrell asks: “You wouldn’t behave disrespectfully in a friend’s home. So why do it in nature?”
A unified venture from 30+ BC jurisdictions and groups (including BC AdventureSmart, BC Wildfire Service, BC Parks, Camper’s Code and each local tourism board and municipality from North Vancouver to Lillooet) the Don’t Love It to Death campaign is meant to educate British Columbians (and guests) on how to responsibly enjoy the outdoors. On-trail signage, blogs, videos and more promote being fire smart, safe, clean, respectful and sustainable when visiting BC’s outdoor spaces.
In April, campaign organizers sent out a survey asking British Columbians to share their experiences with bad behaviour. Questions covered all seasons and activities and the surveyed could answer as in-depth or as vaguely as they pleased.
The eye-opening results were probably not that surprising for Sea to Sky locals who spend time outside. More than two-thirds of respondents have regularly observed poor behaviour such as overcrowding, strewn garbage, human waste (see above), abandoned smoking fires and torn-apart trails. Most agreed that the issues are more predominant in the summer months, as more people access the outdoors when there’s no snow on the ground.
But did you know that nearly half of the wildfires BC has experienced over the last ten years have been human-related? And that, just last year alone, more than 600 black bears were euthanized because of their increased dependence on your half-eaten potato chip bag or trash left behind? I didn’t.
This isn’t the time to point fingers. No one has a perfect history. (I’ve definitely thrown an orange peel into the trees on a long bike ride and didn’t think much of it.) Instead, now is the time to educate ourselves, check out the online resources, share what we know with others (without violence or screaming, please) and unlearn our sh*t behaviour before we leave more sh*t in the wild.
Or, as Katie Burrell puts it: “When you’re wasted in the bush with your buddies and think you’re being cool, chopping down a green tree and setting it on fire… You’re not. Trashing nature makes you about as big a loser as it gets.”
We are all so incredibly lucky to be living and playing in one of the most beautiful and special natural places on the planet. Let’s keep it that way.
Go check out and share www.dontloveittodeath.com and tell everyone you know to do the same.
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