MEDIA RELEASE: 26 June 2017 – R00122

While Canadians are visiting national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas for free this summer, Brock experts want them to be mindful of their potential impact on these protected areas.

As part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, Parks Canada has opened its sites at no cost through use of a Discovery Pass. The gesture is expected to increase traffic at the national sites, and Brock experts are encouraging visitors to be mindful of leaving no environmental trace during their trip.

Garrett Hutson, Recreation and Leisure Studies Associate Professor, can speak to:

• Leave No Trace principles to minimize recreational impacts to natural areas
• Brock’s Outdoor Recreation programs and their commitment to teaching students to practise and learn outdoor leadership, while ensuring they leave a minimal impact on the environment

“Healthy parks help to create healthy people and communities, and can continue to do so for generations through actions of care,” says Hutson, who has done considerable research on the topics of outdoor recreation management, outdoor leadership and person-place relationships.

Canada’s National Parks are a great way to experience our environment. By using Leave No Trace practices, Hutson believes Canadians can be taught ways to minimize recreational impacts to natural areas.

Tim O’Connell, Recreation and Leisure Studies Professor, can speak to:

• Brock BaseCamp, a distinct summer experience for incoming undergraduate students that introduces them to life as a university student through backpacking, canoeing and rock climbing
• How Brock BaseCamp makes sure students are aware of the cultural and natural history of where they are travelling
• How to leave as little an impact as possible on the environment by following Leave No Trace principles

“Many BaseCamp participants appreciate learning how to travel lightly through our provincial and national parks,” says O’Connell, a member of the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario. “In fact, many of them apply these principles to their everyday lives when they are back on campus or at home.”

Leave No Trace Canada is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation while building awareness, appreciation and respect for the country’s wildlands.

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

• Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

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