GOVENRMENT CANYON: When visiting this state natural 
area ... leave no trace ... we explain on Passport to Texas ... 
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Passport to Texas ... from Texas Parks and Wildlife 

When you have something of value, you do what you must 
to protect it ... or "keep it nice," as my mother would say. 
And that's the driving force behind the work of the non-
profit organization Leave No Trace. 

Leave No Trace is an organization that puts forth, a series of 
- I would call them - wilderness ethics. 
 
John Keopke is a peace officer and interpreter at 
Government Canyon State Natural Area, an 8,622 acre 
expanse of unspoiled wilderness, just twenty miles 
northwest of downtown San Antonio, and an official Leave 
No Trace partner. 

Leave No Trace is really guidelines to help people learn how to enjoy 
the outdoors while having the least amount of impact as a result of 
their visit. 

Any time human beings set foot into wilderness areas, 
there will be some impact - it's inevitable. Yet, Leave No 
Trace encourages outdoors enthusiasts to "do the least 
harm." 

Towards that end, one of the components is to try to reduce 
your group size when traveling in a group, so that you're 
quieter, you're not making as much of an impact on other 
visitors or certainly on the wildlife ... And it reduces the number 
of feet pounding on the trail as well. 

Government Canyon is open to the public as a day use 
facility. In addition to trails, visitors will find picnic areas, 
and a state park store. Log onto the TPWD website for 
more information about Government Canyon and Leave 
No Trace.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti.