4. Leave What You Find (Overview)

A stone with a weathered petroglyph lies on a rocky beach. A bright fireweed flower stands by a glacial river. A moose antler lies in the grass.
Leave behind natural and artificial objects for others to appreciate.

Leave What You Find: Overview (click here for 184 kb pdf version)

Before and throughout your trip discuss how you are stewards for the present and future: emphasize the value of leaving natural and cultural objects undisturbed.

Preserve Alaska’s past -- appreciate, but leave as you find: rock art; stone tools; ancient fish traps; culturally modified trees; shell middens; grave sites; totem poles; cabin remains; village sites; and industrial remains including mines, canneries, and fur farms.

If you find artifacts during your expedition, please mark the location on a map or collect a GPS waypoint, photograph them and share your discovery with your local USFS archeologists.

Respect private inholdings, permitted cabins and traditional/subsistence camps you encounter in the wild.

Address souvenir-gathering before and during your trip: teach your clients and party to load their cameras, not their packs, to fill their journals, not their pockets.

Visit a site without modifying it and destroying its natural integrity: do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches; do not cut down trees, break branches or clear vegetation.

Minimize the spread of non-native species that alter natural ecosystems: before setting out, clean the dirt from your boots and tire treads; afterwards, empty and clean your packs, tents, boats, fishing equipment, and vehicles.