Following up on Paul Sveum’s paper about the ethics of modern camping and the reality of leaving no trace, I typed up an essay I had in an old book titled “The Myth of the Non-Consumptive User”. Many modern recreational groups see hikers and photographers, amongst others, as having no impact on the natural world because they don’t take anything from the landscape. Such groups often see hunters, trappers, and fishermen as villains because they actively harvest game for food and recreation. But is it so simple? Read the essay and you decide. It’s available as a .pdf file here and on our Online Articles page.