190603Paper1TreadLightly
CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM PAPER 1 20th June 2019
CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM
Title: Promoting “Tread Lightly” in the National Park
Prepared by: Adam Streeter-Smith, Outdoor Access Officer
Purpose: To update members on the work undertaken to date towards promoting responsible access in the Park and seek views on draft materials and dog friendly messaging
Advice Sought
Do LOAF members have any comments on the draft “tread lightly” concertina leaflet?
Who should the target audience be for a dog friendly Cairngorms campaign?
What are the key messages we should be promoting for a dog friendly Cairngorms campaign?
Background
Tread Lightly
- The Park Authority has a duty to promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. “Tread Lightly” is the main campaign by which the Park Authority and its partners, Ranger Services, Visit Cairngorms and land managers, promote key messages on what the exercise of responsible access looks like in the Park. Developed and running since 2011 through consultation with the LOAF, Ranger Services and other partners, it seeks to set a welcoming and informative approach to encouraging responsible access. The key messages in “tread lightly” agreed by the LOAF, ranger services and key partners at the end of 2018 are:
- Responsible dog walking
- Campfires
- Outdoor cooking
- Biking and:
- Litter.
- To promote these messages the Park Authority is developing a revised concertina leaflet, a new leaflet for Local Information Centres, flash cards for use on social media and high fire risk posters for point of sale locations.
Tread Lightly – concertina leaflet
- Since the last LOAF meeting in November 2018 outdoor access staff have been working closely with rangers and other partners including SNH, Forestry and Land Scotland and Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland to refine the key messages in the leaflet (see annex 1) so that they:
- Reinforce the fact that access rights come with responsibilities:
- That the Park being a special area requires an extra level of care and:
- Access takers need to follow local advice.
It is critical that we get the wording right in this leaflet as it will form the basis for all communication on tread lightly in the Park.
Other partners have been keen to incorporate the statement “leave no trace” into the core messages however we have looked at this in detail and feel strongly that it shouldn’t be included because:
- It has direct conflicts with the key messages in SOAC namely that LNT states you should minimise campfire impacts and does not refer to high fire risk nor does it say you can’t have a fire in woodlands, unlike SOAC:
- “leave no trace” is copyrighted.
Do LOAF members have any comments on the draft “tread lightly” concertina leaflet?
Dog Friendly Cairngorms
Whilst it is important to stress that Park the messaging in “tread lightly” is designed to be welcoming and engaging rather than forceful and authoritative. Members of the public have highlighted that to date all our messaging targeting dog walks has been about restrictions rather than opportunities.
We would like to address this by developing a dog friendly Cairngorms type campaign that would include:
- Positive stories about dog walking in the Park:
- Peer group leaders promoting their favourite walks:
- Some form of pledge:
Images of people enjoying dog walking and
A dog friendly walk logo for paths in the community paths leaflet.
- Other national parks and tourism development agencies have attempted similar campaigns for example Mollie the Collie at visit Pembrokeshire and the Take the lead campaign in the South Downs National Park.
Who should the target audience be for a dog friendly Cairngorms campaign, should it be residents or visitors?
What are the key messages we should be promoting for a dog friendly Cairngorms campaign?
Next steps
Once finalised the revised tread lightly concertina leaflet will be published in late June early July.
Develop key activities for the dog friendly Cairngorms campaign.
Continuing activities for the revised “tread lightly” campaign in 2019 will focus on:
- Maintaining awareness of “tread lightly” through social media, publications and press including text on the welcome leaflet:
- Joint media campaigns with key partners such as Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland and the Cairngorms Business Partnership:
- “Point of sale” promotion using posters, banners and leaflet holders for example in garages, outdoor shops and ranger bases:
- Continued support for events such as “top dogs day out”:
- Training for visitor facing staff through “tread lightly” being featured in the “make it yours” training programme:
- Awareness raising with key stakeholders on the ground i.e. local dog trainers, commercial dog walkers and others such as Duke of Edinburgh Award groups and Junior Rangers:
- Face to face contact with the public through the Ranger Services.
Adam Streeter-Smith Outdoor Access Officer adamstreetersmith@cairngorms.co.uk
Annex I revised leaflet
Tread Lightly in the Park
Cairngorms NATIONAL PARK Páirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh
On foot, by bike, canoe and even horse back, the Cairngorms National Park is a great place to enjoy the outdoors. Know the code before you go and enjoy the outdoors responsibly by remembering to:
- take responsibility for your own actions
- respect the interests of other people
- care for your environment
A quarter of Scotland’s native forest
Scotland’s wild heart: an accessible wilderness
Dogs
Take TheLead when enjoying walking your dog, as all of the forests, mountains, moorlands and farmland are a safe haven for rare and endangered birds. Play your part by keeping your dog under proper control at all times and on a lead when asked — look out for local signage.
Campfires Never light fires near trees, in forests or on open moorland. Please guard against all fires by following local advice on where it is safe to have a campfire and making sure you leave no trace.
During a high fire risk period fires are not allowed anywhere and barbeques may be restricted to certain areas.
A stronghold for Britain’s rare and endangered species
Outdoor cooking Use a stove rather than an open fire. Place foil barbeque trays on a solid, fire-resistant surface such as stones or shingle. Always take your barbeque home.
The UK’s highest and most massive mountains
Biking The forests of the Park are fantastic places to ride your bike but it pays to #Do TheRideThing and reduce the impact of your riding on the trails. When advised advised avoid areas with ground nesting birds and help land managers by being careful not to disturb deer stalking or forestry operations.
Enjoy Scotland’s Outdoors Responsibly Everyone has the right to be on most land and inland water providing they act responsibly. Your access rights and responsibilities are explained fully in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
SCOTTISH KNOW THE CODE BEFORE YOU GO OUTDOOR ACCESS CODE outdooraccess-scotland.com
Litter Litter can spoil the view from a summit or a night in a bothy and harm wildlife so #TakltHame. Why not do your bit for #LoveCairngorms by taking more out than you take in?