Six Tips to Preserve and Protect the Outdoors This Summer

Summer is here, and many Californians are headed out to enjoy the warmer weather and wonders of the outdoors with friends and family. Before recreating outside, be sure to think about your impact and do your part to keep public lands clean to protect the natural ecosystems.

Caltrans, Clean California, and California State Parks recommend a few simple tips to help keep public spaces and communities safe and free from litter and debris:    

Pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace by bringing a trash bag, especially if visiting a remote area. Put food waste, napkins, single-use food wrappers, and other waste in the bags until it can be properly disposed of. For human waste, the use of waste alleviation gel (WAG) bags or other portable toilet options is recommended. WAG bags can be safely disposed of in regular trash receptacles.
Choose reusable over single-use items. Reusable containers keep harmful toxins out of our water and community recreation areas and are more cost-efficient in the long run. If you do use cans or plastic bottles, be sure to properly recycle them to help mitigate their impact. 
Pick up small, littered items to make a big impact. Keep an eye out for bottle caps, food wrappers, cigarette butts, and other small items and be sure to properly dispose of them.  
Properly dispose of large items, such as pop-up canopies, beach chairs, and coolers. Leaving these items on the beach or in a park or near a trash receptacle may be considered illegal dumping. Please haul back broken items and dispose of them properly at a local garbage site.
Secure your load. Whether you live nearby or are traveling to reach your destination, be sure to properly tarp and tie down items in truck beds, trailers, and boats to ensure items make it to your destination and do not fly out during the trip.
Prevent wildfires and toxic pollution. The hotter and drier climate in the summer makes for optimal conditions for wildfires. Litter adds to this problem, especially cigarette butts, as they can start and fuel the spread of wildfire. Litter, when burned, can also release toxins into the environment, harming wildlife and nearby communities. Do your part to properly dispose of all items.

More tips are available online at CleanCA.com. Before heading outside, do a little research on your destination to scope out trails, reserve picnic areas and campsites, and pack belongings accordingly. To find a state park close to you, visit Parks.ca.gov.

Photo credit: Caltrans and Clean California

夏天來臨，許多加州人都計劃和親朋好友一起享受戶外的溫暖天氣和美麗風景。在外出活動之前，請考慮一下您所帶來的影響，並盡自己的一份力來保持公共土地清潔，從而保護自然生態系統。

加州交通部（Caltrans）和加州州立公園（California State Parks）為您提供了一些簡單的建議，旨在幫助維護公共空間與社區的安全，避免其受垃圾和廢棄物的破壞：

• 帶來的統統都帶走。特別是在拜訪偏遠地區時，請攜帶垃圾袋，走後不留痕。將剩飯殘渣、餐巾紙、一次性食品包裝及其他廢物放入垃圾袋中，直到您能夠妥善處理它們。對於人體排泄物，廢物排泄凝膠袋（WAG袋）或其他便攜式廁所都是我們推薦的選擇。WAG袋可以被安全地丟棄在常規垃圾箱中。
• 選擇可重複使用的物品而不是一次性物品。可重複使用的容器能防止有害毒素進入我們的水域和社區娛樂地，並且從長遠來看還更經濟划算。如果您使用罐子或塑料瓶，請務必妥善回收，以幫助降低它們的影響。
• 撿拾小垃圾，造就大不同。留意瓶蓋、食品包裝、香煙頭和其他細小垃圾，並確保妥善處理它們。
• 妥善處理大件物品（如折疊帳篷、沙灘椅和保溫箱）。將這些物品留在海灘、公園或垃圾箱附近可能被視為非法傾倒。請把損壞的物品帶回家，並送到當地垃圾場妥善處理。
• 固定好您的車載物品。無論您住在附近還是需要旅行到達目的地，請務必用防水布和繩索固定好卡車、拖車和船上的物品，從而確保物品能安全到達目的地，並不會在旅途中飛出。
• 預防野火和有毒污染。夏季的高溫和乾燥氣候為野火提供了理想條件。垃圾會加劇這個問題，特別是香煙頭，因為它們可能引火並助長野火的蔓延。垃圾燃燒時還會釋放毒素到環境中，危害野生動物和附近的社區。請盡己之力，妥善處理所有物品。

獲取更多建議，請訪問CleanCA.com。在出門前，做一些有關目的地的研究，以查找步道、預訂野餐區和露營地，並根據需要打包行李。查找您附近的州立公園，請訪問Parks.ca.gov 。