This weekend we embark on the last big weekend of the summer, the three-day Labor Day weekend with all of its normally nice weather and fun times.

Many of us will spend at least part of the holiday outdoors. We’ll camp, hike, swim, go boating or fishing, or have a picnic. We’ll connect with the natural world.

As we’re enjoying ourselves, it’s good to take at least a few minutes to think about how we treat our natural resources, We should ask ourselves if we’re using them responsibly, if we’re preserving them in a way that will make them pristine for many years to come.

There’s a saying that’s become popular in recent years, a saying that simply tells everyone to Leave No Trace.

I like the thought process behind Leave No Trace. It means that we should leave natural areas exactly like we found them, that we should alter them through our human activities.

It involves not leaving garbage along trails or in fire pits. It means staying on designated trails, not clamoring down hillsides in a manner that easily worsens erosion. Those are just two of many examples of how we make choices, and how it’s important to make choices that are good for the natural surroundings.

I’m reminded of a scene from the 1988 comedy movie The Great Outdoors. Roman Craig played by Dan Ackroyd and Chet Ripley played by John Candy were sitting on a lakeshore watching the water. The money oriented Roman expounded on what he envisioned from looking at the lake and trees.

He talked of mining and manufacturing, logging and paper mills. He then asked plain old Chet to share his thoughts. Chet said he just saw trees.

We need to be like Chet. We need to appreciate nature in its undeveloped status. Once a natural area is altered, it usually takes about 100 years to return to the mature natural conditions that existed for many years.

Habitat destruction and habitat change are the two most influential factors on wildlife populations. They normally make a bigger difference than disease, weather conditions, or any other factors.

In the 1930s at the height of the Works Progress Administration there was a movement to develop scenic natural areas. They wanted to make them more accessible to people and vehicles.

Almost a century later, park officials have to make choices. They often have to decide whether to interfere when there’s an imbalance in a park area or to let nature dictate what will happen.

An example is when there’s a large population of deer. They could have a deer hunt. They could also just let the deer manage themselves. Some of them will seek other locations if there isn’t enough food for an entire herd.

The goals are influenced by more than a century of land development. Since the late 1800s southwest Minnesota has lost 99 percent of its original prairie.

We don’t know for sure what the original prairie contained. In a general sense, we know that there were large expanses with only one or two grass species. Certain locations, especially land adjacent to wetlands, had more natural diversity.

The conversion to farm fields helped a few wildlife species such as pheasants, ones that like a combination of natural vegetation and clear land. For most, however, the effects on populations were negative.

Leave No Trace helps to ensure that our few remaining nature sites continue to have conditions favorable to natural diversity.

We all have a stake in maintaining the right kind of ecological balance, the sort of conditions that are best for environmental preservation. It’s possible. We don’t have to choose between natural resources and protection of rural property. We can do both.

Many landowners have proven that both goals are attainable. They’ve sponsored conservation projects on their private land with help from grant funds offered by government agencies and sportsman’s clubs.

We’ll never get to the point of having everything in perfect order. It’s a constant process. There’s always a potential to improve.

Meanwhile, individuals can make a difference. By practicing the standards of Leave No Trace, we can in a small way keep things going in a good direction. We can help to ensure that future generations can enjoy the outdoors as much as we enjoy it in the early fall.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent