Minimum Impact Standards

Coastal ecosystems are rich in biodiversity.  As trip leaders, we must take steps to minimize our impact on these areas.  This set of Minimum Impact Standards provides a basis for environmentally sensitive travel by kayak.

Etiquette

  • Keep unnecessary noise levels at a minimum at campsites, on trails and on the water.
  • Whenever practical, coordinate camp destinations with other parties in advance and find another site if one is already occupied.
  • Store gear neatly when on shore and keep a tidy campsite.
  • Co-operate and communicate in a friendly and professional manner with other operators or parties.
  • Bathe in streams at the mouth, not upstream or near drinking water sources.

Wildlife

  • Without compromising risk management, while in the proximity of wildlife we will conduct ourselves in a manner that does not disturb or alter their natural behavior.
  • We will not allow clients to approach rookeries or haul-outs so as to cause the animals to dive into the water.
  • We will not have low fly-overs by aircraft above rookeries or haul-outs.
  • We will not permit feeding of wildlife or close approaches to them.
  • We will store food away from tent sites and hang food in a cache overnight and when the camp is not occupied.
  • We will not set our tents on bear trails.
  • We will keep each other informed about sites where bears and people have had problems.
  • We will ensure that we are familiar with wildlife concerns in the various areas where we work.

For additional information on whale watching guidelines, please see:  Marine Wildlife Guidelines for Boaters, Paddlers and Viewers

Camping

  • We will leave campsites as clean as or cleaner than when we arrived.
  • We will dismantle any structures that we have built before moving camp.
  • We will use only driftwood in our fires.  We will build fires below the high tide mark and away from large quantities of driftwood that might catch fire.  We will limit the amount of wood put on a fire so as not to leave large pieces of charred wood.
  • Where a fire pit is already established we will use it rather than build a new one.
  • We will not light fires on the forest floor.
  • We will, where practical, use the intertidal zone for defecating.  Where this is not possible we will dig a pit toilet.  In either situation we will ensure that all toilet paper and sanitary napkins are burned or packed out.

Seafood

  • In addition to observing relevant fishing regulations, we will limit our catch to what we can eat during the trip.
  • We will not harvest purple-hinged rock scallops.

If discrepancies exist between ACSKG printed material and material published on the ACSKG website, the online content will be considered valid.  The most up-to-date content is published at:  ACSKG.ca

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