For many of us, recreation in any season means getting out into 'nature' -- going to the cottage, camping, skiing, boating, hiking, or taking the snowmobile or ATV for a spin down a forest trail. In choosing how and where we spend our recreation time, it is important to consider how our presence is affecting vegetation, soil, wildlife and water in the places we visit. We can enjoy family fun in the outdoors while minimizing our impact on natural areas.

LGLW Recommends

• Even during casual visits to relatively developed sites, littering makes a mess and presents a danger to animals. Think of plastic bags being eaten by deer, or animals being cut by broken glass. Don't leave discarded packaging or other litter on the ground. Put refuse in secure containers at picnic sites, or take it with you.
• Motorized recreational vehicles are noisy, heavy and smelly! They disturb wildlife, compact soil, and produce more polllutants and greenhouse gas emissions per kilometer of travel than cars. Although four-stroke engines are less polluting than two-stroke engines, we suggest non-motorized forms of recreation while on wilderness and cottage country vacations -- walking, canoeing, snowshoeing, and hiking, for example. Human-powered recreation is healthier for people, too!
• The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Manitoba Chapter has produced an excellent Green Cottager Guide with great suggestions for eco-friendly practices inside the cottage (kitchen, laundry, bath, wood heating), and for fishing, shoreline protection, septic systems, and protecting wildlife habitat. They offer a longer version and a quick reference guide.
• For detailed low-impact camping guidelines, check out the Seven Principles of the Canadian Leave No Trace program.
• Estimate the climate change impacts of your recreational vehicle using the Calculator developed by the the Clean Air Trust .