More about trail building

Me moving a fallen tree.


My Earthwatch team after working on our trail.

Diamondbacks, thank you for all of your comments today. It seemed to me that all of you thought, for the most part, trails were good things for the environment. There were two of you who did not think that trails were very good for the environment and wondered why I was helping to make them.

If you think only about what I am doing, you are right, it is not good for the environment to build a trail. I am destroying habitats that existed in nature. However, if you think more about the big picture, trails are very important things for the environment.

Here are some reasons that trails are very useful and important:

1. With a trail you actually destroy less habitats. If there is a trail, you destroy only the habitats that are along the trail. If there is no trail, then you are destroying different habitats each time you walk through the forest.
2. It is easier to quietly observe animals from a trail.
3. Once trails are built animals actually use them when no one is around.
4. You can easily find field signs (feces, feathers, fur, etc.) of animals that are in the area along a trail.
5. It makes it easier to walk.
   

So the next time you are out hiking please remember that the trails were put there for a reason and it is very important for you to stay on the trail.


Here is our finished trail.