Nature Trails and Mixed Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 62

The nature trails movement
Although trails in natural areas, hiking trails and other outdoor paths
have existed for centuries, only during the past half century has there been
a systematic movement toward establishing outdoor nature trails for distinc-
tive purposes ( Walker, 1996). Like the cultural heritage trails discussed in the
last chapter, nature trails exist for a multitude of reasons, some of which
overlap with the purposes of cultural routes and trails.
Ecotrails have an important role to play in protecting the natural
environment. Interpretive trails are commonly designed in interesting and
important environments where visitors are taught about the value of protect-
ing the environment. The principle of use-induced appreciation for nature is
alive and well on the Bruce Trail in Ontario, Canada. The 725 km trail is
Canada's oldest and longest footpath, and provides access to the Niagara
Escarpment, which was designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in
1990 (Bowick, 2003; Bruce Trail Conservancy, 2013; Schutt, 1997). The
Niagara Escarpment is a massive linear geological feature in Canada and the
United States (US) that is home to Niagara Falls and many other rivers, falls,
animal species and old growth forests. The Bruce Trail was established by
the Bruce Trail Conservancy in 1960. It is well marked and interpreted with
the aim of providing a 'conservation corridor', a footpath along the escarp-
ment to protect the natural ecosystems and to promote environmentally
responsible public access (Bruce Trail Conservancy, 2013).
Tilden's (1977) principles of interpretation hold very true to nature trails.
Interpretation, according to Tilden and other interpretation specialists, edu-
cates visitors, who in turn learn to appreciate better the natural environment
and are therefore more willing to protect it and behave in a more steward-
ship-oriented manner (Fletcher, 1995; Hall et al. , 1993; Lemberg, 2004;
Ormsby, 1996). Ecotrails can be crucial in accomplishing the goals of both
formal education and informal education, the way many other heritage
and natural sites have done (Light, 1995; Prentice, 1995). Trail use in formal
education refers to utilizing nature routes as part of official instructive
programs, such as school field trips or site visits for hands-on learning
(Feinsinger et al. , 1997). Getting children to use nature trails early in their
lives instills within them a sense of respect and care for the environment.
This early intervention ethos is what leads many schools and summer youth
programs to include nature trails in their official curricula (Woyke, 2004: 83).
Informal education refers to the types of learning that go on at natural and
cultural sites via the visitors' experiences and their encounters with various
interpretive instruments (Timothy & Boyd, 2003). Much 'informal learning'
can take place in natural surroundings that will help people appreciate nature
and work harder for its protection (Ballantyne & Packer, 2005; Blanco, 2002;
Orams, 1996). Feinsinger et al. (1997: 115) noted that 'an ecologically literate
public may be the “last best hope” for a sustainable biosphere'.