Have your say on the Proposed Code of Ethics

Confederation President, Brian Walker, has re-written the draft Bushwalking Code of Ethics with extensive input from a number of other experienced walkers including Andy Macqueen and Maurice Smith. Based on the original code which was thought to be a bit too wordy, it will shortly be presented to a general meeting for consideration.
To ensure it truly represents the bushwalking community’s beliefs, the draft is reproduced here for comment. If you would like to suggest changes or additions, please contact Brian urgently so your suggestions can be included when the draft is presented for consideration.
You can reach Brian on 9969 8476 (phone), 9960 5772 (fax in business hours) or walka@ozemail.com.au (E-mail).

THE BUSHWALKERS’ CODE (DRAFT)
This code is for everyone who goes walking in the bush. It was prepared by the Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW.

Purpose
This document defines standards of right behaviour for everyone who seeks to enjoy the wild natural landscape by travelling through it on foot.

Do not disturb
If you enjoy the pleasures of bushwalking and other related self-reliant outdoors activities, you have a big responsibility to protect and preserve the natural landscape for the enjoyment of future generations. Your goal should always be to leave no sign of your passage. This Code of Ethics lists the essentials for enjoying the bush with minimal impact.

Be self reliant
*Enjoy the natural landscape as it is, on nature’s terms. Carry with you everything you need for your comfort and safety. Leave nothing behind.
*For accommodation carry a tent or fly, or use a cave or rock overhang. Don’t use huts except when conditions are really bad.

Tread softly
*Keep walking parties small in number; four to six people is ideal.
*Avoid frequently visited areas at the busiest times of the year.
*Use existing tracks; don’t create new ones. In trackless country, spread your party out; don’t walk in one another’s footsteps. Avoid easily damaged places such as peat bogs, cushion moss, swamps and fragile rock formations.
*Wade along submerged tracks; don’t create a skein of new tracks around waterlogged sections.
Except in really rugged terrain, wear lighweight walking shoes or joggers with non-skid soles rather than heavy boots.
*Become proficient at bush navigation. Don’t build cairns, place tags and other markers, break off living branches or tie knots in clumps of grass to mark your route. If you have to do any of these things, you are lacking in bush navigation skills.

Watch your safety
*Know what to do in emergencies. Rescue operations often cause serious damage so take care to avoid the need for rescue.
*Acquire knowledge of First Aid so you know how to handle illness and injuries.
*Carry clothing and equipment to suit the worst possible conditions you are likely to encounter.
Pack it in, pack it out
*Don’t carry glass bottles, cans, drink-cartons lined with aluminium foil and excess packaging. If you simply can’t resist carrying such things, don’t leave them in the bush. Remember, if you can carry a full container in, it’s no trouble to carry the empty one out.
*Remove all your rubbish including food scraps, paper, plastic, aluminium foil and empty containers. Don’t burn or bury rubbish. Burning creates pollution and buried rubbish will be dug up and scattered by animals. Digging also disturbs the soil, causing erosion and encouraging weeds.
*Carry a plastic bag for your rubbish. If you find litter left by irresponsible people along the track or around a campsite, please remove it. Show you care, even if others don’t.
Always remember—
Aluminium foil doesn’t burn and plastics release toxic gases when burnt. Carry them out in your pack with all your other rubbish, including food scraps. Don’t use your campfire as a rubbish incinerator.

Take care with hygiene
* Don’t go to the toilet within 50 metres of campsites, streams and lakes, or in sensitive areas such as caves and canyons.
* Bury all faeces and toilet paper at least 15cm deep. In snow, dig through the snow first, then dig a hole in the ground.
* Things that won’t easily decompose, such as used tampons, sanitary pads and condoms, should be carried out.
* Carry a lightweight plastic trowel to make digging easier.

Keep water pure
* Wash well back from the edge of lakes and streams so waste water falls on soil where it will be absorbed.
* Don’t let soap, detergent or toothpaste get into natural water systems as they harm water life. Similarly, when washing cooking utensils, don’t use detergent and don’t let oils and food scraps get into streams or lakes.
*Always swim downstream from where you draw drinking water.
* Be VERY careful with fire
* Don’t have a fire unless you are absolutely certain you can light it with safety. Instead of a fire, use a stove for cooking and thermal clothing for warmth.
* Fuel stoves are preferable to fires for cooking in places where even a tiny fire may cause permanent damage. These include some rainforests and all alpine regions.
* Don’t light fires in hot, summer conditions and in dry windy weather.
* Don’t light fires in declared ‘fuel stove only’ areas and when there is a declared fire ban..
If you must light a campfire, follow these rules:
* In popular campsites, light your fire on a bare patch left by previous fires. Don’t light it on fresh ground.
* Light your fire on bare soil or sand, well away from stumps, logs, living plants and river stones (which may explode when heated).
* Definitely don’t build a ring of stones as a fireplace. This is unnecessary and unsightly. Destroy stone rings wherever you find them.
* Sweep away all leaves, grass and other inflamable material for at least two metres around your fireplace. (Major bushfires have been caused by careless campers who didn’t take this precaution.)
* Burn only dead wood that’s fallen to the ground. Don’t break limbs from trees or shrubs.
* Keep your fire small—remember, the bigger the fool, the bigger the fire.
Before you leave—
* Douse your fire thoroughly with water, even if it appears to be already out. Don’t try to smother a fire by covering it with soil or sand as the coals will continue to smoulder for days. Only water puts a fire out with certainty.
* Feel the ground under the coals. If it is too hot to touch, the fire is not out. Douse it some more.
* Scatter the cold charcoal and ashes well clear of your campsite then rake soil and leaves over the spot where your fire was. You should aim to remove all trace of it.
* Choose campsites carefully
* Think twice about using a popular campsite to avoid overuse. When possible, find an alternative site.
* Don’t clear vegetation to make a campsite and don’t dig drains around tents for rainwater runoff.
* If you have to remove branches or rocks, replace whatever you move before you leave.
* Leave your campsite pristine. After a few days it should be impossible to see where you were camped.

Protect plants and animals
* Try not to disturb native wildlife. Remember, you are the trespasser.
* Give snakes a wide berth and leave them alone. They have more right to be there than you do.
* Watch where you put your feet. Walk around delicate plants.
* Don’t feed birds and animals around campsites or they may become pests. Unnatural food is harmful for many species.

Respect Aboriginal heritage
* Many places have spiritual or cultural significance for Aborigines. Treat such places with consideration and respect.
* Obtain permission from traditional landowners or the relevant land manager to visit sensitive areas.
* Leave Aboriginal relics as you find them. Don’t touch paintings or rock engravings.

Be courteous
* Man-made noise is out of place in the bush. The sound of radios, CD players, mobile phones and similar devices is not in keeping with the natural environment. Leave the electronics at home.
* Ensure your behaviour and activities don’t offend others.
* Camp as far away from other groups as conditions allow. Don’t use another group’s campfire without permission.
* Leave gates and slip rails as you find them. When you open a gate, make sure the last person through knows it has to be closed.
* Respect the rights of landholders and land managers. Don’t enter private property without permission. In national parks, abide by plans of management and encourage others to do so too.
When in camp—
* Do your share of collecting firewood, getting water and cleaning up the campsite before you leave.
* Don’t throw rubbish on a fire where people are cooking. (In fact, don’t throw rubbish on a fire at all, carry it out with you.)
* Don’t step over other people’s uncovered food.
Minimal Impact Bushwalking = do nothing, leave nothing that shows where you have been.