Introduction: Place and Activity
A recreational activity that I have taken into consideration is camping. It happened two years ago when we were in Canada. The campsite is called Algonquin Provincial Park and is 230 km from Ottawa. More precisely, we stayed on the shores of Canisbay Lake, located near the main road leading to this park. The advantage of this place is that this park is located in an extremely scenic location, which gives people a real understanding of nature. We chose such a place because my family and I have long wanted to visit the nature of the northern country, where the plants are very different from the ones we are familiar with.
The main value of camping is that it allows the whole family to live in a clean environment for more than one day. Unlike staying in a cottage or hotel, a person is in an inseparable connection with nature on a camping site. The trip was organized in the summer because the cold weather does not always allow visitors to spend the night in tents during the rest of the year. While camping, we walked in the forest, swam in the lake, cooked on the campfire, played board games and just had a good time. The main feature of this activity was that it took place not far from our tent. Also, at the end of the trip, we noticed that there was a lot of different garbage left after a long hike. These were grocery packages, campfire coals, and food leftovers. So this was the problem that got me interested in learning how to avoid polluting the environment with a lot of trash after camping.
Impact on the Camping Site
In the current time, nature experiences a huge number of negative impacts that people caused. Camping is not is exclusion from that range. Concerning environmental impacts, I will outline three of them. Firstly, campfires are the main cause of forest fires around the world. According to scientists from Oregon, 90% of fires are caused by human actions (LeCroy, 2020). Secondly, the rubbish that indifferent visitors leave creates damage to the environment. Although the park administration imposes a $100 fine for leaving trash (“Summary of Provincial Park Offences”), some visitors left it, which was then removed by special services. Thirdly, there is a positive impact because the money got from visitors is spent to preserve this park. People and nature are in a mutually beneficial symbiosis: people enjoy time in nature, and nature stays clean at the expense of the funds received.
Camping also has a social and cultural impact. It gives people the opportunity to spend time together outdoors, which rarely happens in the cities. For example, camping is a good reason to meet friends and get to know each other more. Also, long-term contact with nature can convey a sense of duty and responsibility to the environment. Finally, camping provides an opportunity to learn more about the natural beauties of their country, which until then remained underexplored.
Impact of COVID-19
The spread of the coronavirus disease has led to global, crushing turning points, to an acceleration of the crisis of human lifestyle, social needs, and relations. The COVID-19 pandemic also damaged the industry of camping. Many parks in Canada were closed for a long time and were reopened only on July 16, 2021 (“COVID 19”, 2021). Algonquin Provincial Park, which we visited, was also closed for months and opened with some restrictions concerning social distancing, hand sanitizing facilities, and overcrowd avoiding. It was impossible to take photos of the park during the pandemic, so there are no photos that depict change in the area.
Management Strategies to Ensure Sustainability
One of the main tasks of camping environmental managers is to develop strategies that will help keep the environment clean and sustainable. The first option is to limit the place where groups can be allocated to campsite zones, while the rest of the forest will be safe. For example, this strategy is used in New Hampshire’s White Mountain Park by creating campsites, which “separate and spatially restrict camping to minimize both resource and social impacts” (Marion et al, 2019, p. 16). With such a system, a pre-booking service for campsites should be organized. In my opinion, it is a really beneficial initiative which will make every group of tourists responsible for their piece of the site. However, some visitors will not approve of that policy, as such rules will appear to be too restrictive for many.
Another strategy is to inform and educate visitors before they pitch their tent. For example, some camping workers need to describe the possible harm that visitors actions can cause. Another way is to show educative movies about the negative impacts of staying at the campsite and avoid them. Having learned about the harm they can cause, visitors will be more attentive during their visit to the park. The advantage of this educational program lies in its focus on people, not against them. These lectures do not bring on any prohibitions but make people think and change their attitude towards nature. The obvious disadvantage is the possible lack of personnel for such lectures and dialogues.
Conclusion
Time in Algonquin Provincial Park gave me a lot of food for thought about the environment’s challenges. Forest fires from campfires and excessive trash left by people are destroying nature. To prevent an environmental disaster, people should be more careful with using natural resources and places. Professionals must develop strategies to help reduce environmental damage to a minimum while making camping a safe and sustainable activity.
References
COVID-19. (2021). Ontario Parks. Web.
LeCroy, H. (2020). 90 percent of wildfires are human-caused, but climate change isn’t helping. CBS News 10. Web.
Marion, J. L., Wimpey, J., Arredondo, J., & Meadema, F. (2020). Sustainable camping “Best management practices.” Virginia Tech Field Unit. Web.
Summary of provincial park offences. (n.d.). Ontario Parks. Web.