Get the whole family involved! Print out our Sustainable Living Coloring Pages https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/permits_ej_operations_pdf/sustainablecoloring.pdf and bring them with you on your camping trip. They are a great rainy-day activity!
Get your firewood locally.
• Locally sourced firewood is firewood from within a 50-mile radius of your desired campground. Under state regulation, it is illegal to transport untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its source within New York since it could spread diseases and invasive species that can quickly kill trees.
• When camping at a state island campground, always use a water filtration system when gathering drinking water from any body of water.
Use reusable drinking bottles to cut down on the amount of individual plastic bottle waste.
• Water spigots are provided throughout state campgrounds, excluding island camping, for easy refilling of reusable water jugs and bottles. This reduces individual plastic bottle use.
• Limit lantern, flashlight, and headlamp use when possible. Use only when necessary - it will help reduce light pollution for fellow campers and to create a more natural, enjoyable experience.
• Keep your trash and recycling separate, starting at the beginning of your trip. This will ensure easy management of these items at the campground’s recycling center.
• Throw away all food scraps in trash bags. Leaving food scraps on the ground attracts nuisance wildlife to your site, as well as disrupts the eating patterns of some wildlife species.
• It may seem convenient to throw packaging and wrappers into the fire, but DON’T. Please dispose of all trash in trash bags and recycle packaging to avoid polluting the air. This will also protect you and your loved ones from breathing in toxic smoke.
• Respect your natural surroundings and wildlife.
• Do not cut down vegetation on your campsite or anyplace in the campground.
• Do not feed wildlife. Leave them be and enjoy them from a distance.
• Packing up? Walk your campsite before pulling away to ensure all trash is removed from the site.
