Preserving Baxter State Park
Leave No Trace is built on seven core principles that are used
to communicate the best available minimum impact guidance
for enjoying the outdoors responsibly. The Seven Principles
of Leave No Trace were developed to help educate and guide
recreationists in sustainable minimum impact practices. These
Principles are the most robust and widely utilized minimum
impact outdoor practices. Although Leave No Trace has its roots
in backcountry and wilderness, the practices have been adapted
so that they can be applied anywhere - from the backcountry, to
local parks, to your backyard - and for any recreational activity.
Each Principle covers a specific topic and provides detailed
information for minimizing impacts.
9
The Seven Principles
Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
The Principles are based not only on a respect for nature and
other visitors, they are also based on and supported by
scientific research. The majority of this research aligns
with the fields of Recreation Ecology and Human
Dimensions of Natural Resources. Recreation
Ecology research informs us about recreationrelated
impacts and how they can be reduced by
managers and visitors, while Human Dimensions
research tells us about outdoor enthusiasts
perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors regarding
enjoyment of the outdoors.
Baxter Youth Conservation Corps hires local
teens to work on trails in the park
The Baxter Youth Conservation Corps (BYCC) is a job training
and service learning opportunity for high school students from the
Katahdin region of Maine. Friends of Baxter State Park launched this
program in 2017, and thanks to strong community support it has
grown rapidly over the past two years. This program gives local youth
the opportunity to work with professional leaders on trail projects
in Baxter State Park. Participants earn $14 per hour while gaining
valuable skills and work experience.
During the first year of the program in 2017, ten youth participants
performed nearly 900 hours of work on nine miles of trails in the
Katahdin Lake area. In 2018, Friends doubled the size of the BYCC,
offering 20 full-time positions for local youth and adding a northern
crew based in Patten. Crews performed more than 1,800 hours of
work during four weeks in the Park. They installed 100 stepping
stones and seven bog bridges, blazed 6.2 miles of trail, and completed
more than 14 miles of corridor work. To top if off, they constructed
an entirely new 1.5-mile trail on land owned by Baxter State Park
in the town of Mount Chase. This new trail is already open to the
public.
In 2019, the BYCC is expanding to six weeks in total. The program
is scheduled for July 8 through August 16, with crews based in both
Millinocket and Patten. Thanks to a new partnership between Friends
of Baxter State Park and Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters, the
northern crew will spend one of its weeks working on Katahdin
Woods & Waters National Monument.
On the last day of the program, participants will spend the day
climbing a summit in Baxter State Park. Last year’s crews chose
Sentinel Mountain and North Traveler for their celebratory hikes.
For some participants, this was the first mountain they had climbed
in their lives.
The BYCC also includes a wide range of mentoring and training
opportunities. Participants take part in career workshops with
BSP Rangers, interpretive staff, Maine Conservation Corps crews,
Registered Maine guides, and other outdoor professionals. All
participants complete a resume-writing workshop at the Katahdin
Region Higher Education Center, and leave the BYCC with
a resume to use when applying for future employment or
educational opportunities.
Friends of Baxter State Park is proud to offer this
program to Baxter State Park and the communities of
the Katahdin region. The BYCC will provide nearly
2,500 hours of trail support to the Park and about
$35,000 in payroll to local youth in 2019. If you meet a
BYCC crew on the trail this summer, stop and say hello to
these teens who are working so hard to improve Baxter State Park,
their communities, and their own futures.
What is LEAVE NO TRACE?