Environmental Awareness & Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real ACA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Environmental Awareness & Ethics flashcards as text
What is the ACA-endorsed protocol for cleaning equipment to prevent spreading aquatic invasive species between water bodies?
Answer: Clean, Drain, Dry — remove all plant material, drain water, and dry thoroughly before moving to a new water body
The 'Clean, Drain, Dry' protocol is the national standard endorsed by the ACA and US Fish & Wildlife Service to prevent the transfer of invasive species, pathogens, and plants between waterways.
Under the Leave No Trace framework, which campfire practice is most environmentally responsible?
Answer: Using a portable camp stove for cooking and avoiding campfires in sensitive or fire-prone areas
LNT principle 5 (Minimize Campfire Impacts) recommends portable stoves as the preferred method; fires should be avoided where wood is scarce or fire risk is high.
What does the term 'riparian zone' refer to, and why is it critical to paddling ethics?
Answer: The vegetated transitional area between land and a waterway that filters pollutants and provides wildlife habitat
The riparian zone is the land-water interface where vegetation stabilizes banks, filters runoff, and provides habitat; instructors must minimize impact here because it is ecologically sensitive.
A student asks if they can pick a small bouquet of wildflowers from a remote riverbank. Which LNT principle applies?
Answer: Leave What You Find
LNT Principle 4 — 'Leave What You Find' — prohibits picking plants, moving rocks, or collecting natural objects to preserve ecosystems and the experience for future visitors.
When leading a group in a wilderness waterway, how should human urine be disposed of ethically?
Answer: Diluted directly into fast-moving water or sprinkled on rocks and gravel away from trails and camp
LNT guidelines recommend urinating directly into fast-moving water or on rocks and gravel where dilution and dispersal are rapid; catholes are for solid waste, not urine.
What is the ecological significance of 'nutrient loading' caused by improper waste disposal near waterways?
Answer: It causes algae blooms that deplete oxygen and create dead zones harmful to aquatic life
Excess nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) from human waste trigger algae blooms that consume dissolved oxygen during decomposition, causing hypoxic dead zones that kill fish and invertebrates.
Which behavior by an ACA instructor best models 'responsible group size' ethics on a sensitive waterway?
Answer: Dividing a large group into small groups of 4–6 and staggering launch times to reduce crowding
Small, staggered groups reduce noise, bank compaction, and perceived crowding, minimizing ecological and social impacts in sensitive or popular paddling areas.