Law of the Fish

Like me, you have probably come into contact with a dozen variations of the Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”

Most recently, I read this proverb in a New York Times article about philanthropy. In the article, an example was given with regards to eradicating poverty — taking care of the poor does not eliminate poverty and arguments can be made that it may perpetuate poverty. Using resources to find solutions to poverty, such as education, will have a much more lasting and desirable outcome. Regardless of how you feel about poverty argument, it does illustrate an important point about the role of education.

Does the same hold true for Leave No Trace education in the outdoors? Every year, well intentioned people and organizations put great effort and big dollars into environmental restoration and clean up projects on public lands all over the country. Could widespread, front-end Leave No Trace education prevent or, at least, greatly reduce the need for such projects? As organizations, volunteers and corporations commit resources for clean ups and restoration, aside from restricting access to land for recreation, what will prevent human-created land degradation from occurring again?

If that Chinese proverb rings true, should Leave No Trace education be a vital component of any restoration project, any clean-up effort, any long-term land management plan?