Source: TreadLightly.org
What is Tread Lightly!? Tread Lightly!, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to proactively protect recreation access and opportunities in the outdoors through education and stewardship initiatives.
Not only is Tread Lightly! the nation’s signature ethics message for outdoor enthusiasts that use motorized and mechanized vehicles, but Tread Lightly! also offers unique training and restoration programs strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them.
The organization’s goal is to balance the needs of people who enjoy outdoor recreation with our need to maintain a healthy environment and it’s leading the way to help remedy current recreation issues.
Tread Lightly! is funded by donations from individual members, corporations, dealerships, clubs, retailers, and other organizations interested in spreading the message of responsible and ethical use of the outdoors. Federal Partners include the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and Army Corps of Engineers.
What does Tread Lightly! Do? Tread Lightly! focuses its programs and efforts in education and stewardship to further the goals of responsible and ethical recreation. Current programs include:
- Tread Trainer is a training course designed to train participants in innovative, practical methods of spreading outdoor ethics to the public with a curriculum specifically focused on motorized and mechanized recreation.
- Restoration for Recreation is another important element of Tread Lightly! that aims to construct, enhance or restore recreational sites across the country.
The organization also produces a multitude of educational pieces for outdoor enthusiasts, hunting educators, advertising agencies, the government and children of all ages.
Tread Lightly! has several communication tools including web, television, radio and print public service announcements.
Tread Lightly!
- Travel responsibly on designated roads and trails or in permitted areas.
- Respect the rights of others including private property owners and all recreational trail users, campers and others to allow them to enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed.
- Educate yourself by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies, planning for your trip, taking recreation skills classes, and knowing how to use and operate your equipment safely.
- Avoid sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams, unless on designated routes. This protects wildlife habitat and sensitive soils from damage.
- Do your part by leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species, restoring degraded areas, and joining a local enthusiast organization.