{"id":17732,"date":"2018-10-09T18:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T01:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=17732"},"modified":"2018-10-10T07:02:56","modified_gmt":"2018-10-10T14:02:56","slug":"how-to-have-the-talk-with-your-boating-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2018\/10\/09\/how-to-have-the-talk-with-your-boating-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Have \u2018The Talk\u2019 with your Boating Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is it. One of the most awkward conversations of our adult boating life. Far too often, we, as otherwise mature, responsible grown-ups, dance around the topic of Leave No Trace<\/a> with the dexterity of a Russian ballerina avoiding Legos on a spiral staircase.<\/p>\n

But how do you talk to your boating buddies about Human Impact Disease, or HID, and how to prevent it?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the moment to initiate \u2018the talk\u2019 is pretty blatant. Like when a self-styled \u201830 year guide\u2019 tosses half a pot of uneaten ravioli into the crystal clear waters of the Upper Colorado River and calls it fish food. But often, the call to action is a bit more subtle.<\/p>\n

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Tell me if this sounds familiar: You and the crew pull into a beautiful camp after a long day with a nasty headwind. It\u2019s taco night, and someone says, \u2018I don\u2019t want to get my mess kit dirty, so I\u2019ll just palm it.\u2019 Perhaps a few looks are exchanged, but no one wants to be \u2018that guy,\u2019 especially not when everyone\u2019s just starting to relax, and it would totally kill the mood. Instead, ground beef and shredded cheese lightly sprinkle the sand near the kitchen and the culprits simply proceed with beer and bocce. <\/span><\/p>\n

It may only be a tiny bit of food, but it wasn\u2019t there before, and it won\u2019t be there in the morning after the local rodent population gets involved. And when you wake up to mouse turds in your camp chair, you know it\u2019s time to have \u2018the talk.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The concern is that if one speaks up for these practices on a river trip, it might ruin the moment and one will be permanently labeled the \u2018fun-police,\u2019 \u2018smartass,\u2019 or \u2018Captain Bossy-Pants McGee.\u2019 But the reality is the health of our river ecosystems is more important, and you needed a new nickname anyway.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So here we go.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wild & Scenic Snake River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First of all, no one should be ashamed to open this topic of discussion. We\u2019ve all been in this situation. Anyone recreating in the outdoors is a part of the very real impact we messy humans have wherever we go. And every single one of us is responsible for the things we leave behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some impacts are small and unintentional, like the aforementioned taco bits, and often occur because of a genuine lack of awareness. Other instances, however, can come from the egos which are often attached to boaters of all age and experience level. <\/span><\/p>\n

While the only sure-fire way to avoid impacting the outdoors is to abstain from them completely, there are a lot of ways to effectively prevent the transmission of HID.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most experts suggest practicing the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace. As river-runners, we often find ourselves in high-risk situations for HID involving heavily used campsites in extremely sensitive environments. We must, therefore, learn how, and proudly encourage our peers, to tread lightly.<\/span><\/p>\n