“Digging Deeper”: Campsite and Outhouse Construction in Retezat National Park - June-23-26, 2005

IMPACT wanted to stop the environmental degradation existent in the proximity of Cabana Rusu and to better serve the guests of the National Park by building a “Leave No Trace” campsite and outhouse facility. This idea was based upon the 7 Environmental principles promoted by LNT Inc., USA. The core philosophy of each principle is based on respect for nature by using good judgment and awareness of one’s own personal actions while partaking in outdoors activities. The outcomes were:

1. We cleaned the entire area, filling up one truck load of garbage;

2. We built 4 campsites and named each one of them;

3. We created trail markers for each campsite, following LNT principle- travel and camp on durable surfaces;

4. We built an ecological deluxe outhouse filled with environmentally friendly quotes and park information;

5. We created a small water spout to make filling up water bottles easier;

6. We created an information bulletin board at the entrance of the campsite. The bulletin board contains all 7 “Leave No Trace” principles and rules for using the camp;

7. To limit environmental degradation, we built a table and 4 benches to concentrate use;

8. Finally, to avoid wildlife having access to food, we built a pulley system to hang food 30ft. above the ground.

Over 35 Impact members and leaders participated in this project. Night hikes and a meditative solo were also part of the program.

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