ACA Environmental Awareness & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When camping on a riverbank, what is the recommended minimum distance from the water's edge to set up a camp kitchen?
- 50 feet (15 meters)
- 100 feet (30 meters) (Correct answer)
- 200 feet (60 meters)
- 25 feet (8 meters)
Correct answer: 100 feet (30 meters)
Leave No Trace principles recommend camping and cooking at least 200 feet from water, but the ACA and LNT standard minimum for camp kitchens near waterways is 100 feet to protect riparian zones.
Question 2: A student wants to collect a beautiful river rock as a souvenir. As an ACA instructor, how should you respond?
- Allow it since one rock won't matter
- Discourage it and explain that removing natural objects disrupts the ecosystem (Correct answer)
- Permit it only if the rock is below the waterline
- Allow it only if the student has a state permit
Correct answer: Discourage it and explain that removing natural objects disrupts the ecosystem
Leave No Trace principle 'Leave What You Find' prohibits removing natural objects, as this disrupts habitats and, if done by many paddlers, causes cumulative damage.
Question 3: What is the primary reason ACA instructors are taught to use biodegradable soap even when camping far from water?
- It costs less than conventional soap
- Even biodegradable soap requires soil microbes to break it down, so distance from water protects aquatic ecosystems (Correct answer)
- Biodegradable soap lathers better in cold water
- It meets federal campsite regulations
Correct answer: Even biodegradable soap requires soil microbes to break it down, so distance from water protects aquatic ecosystems
Biodegradable soap still needs soil microbes to decompose and can harm aquatic life if it reaches water before breaking down, so it must be used at least 200 feet from any water source.
Question 4: Which federal law most directly protects migratory birds that nest along paddling waterways in the US?
- Clean Water Act
- Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Correct answer)
- Endangered Species Act
- National Environmental Policy Act
Correct answer: Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918) prohibits harassing, capturing, or killing migratory birds and their nests, making it directly relevant when instructors lead groups near nesting areas.
Question 5: During a class, you notice blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) bloom on a lake. What is the correct action?
- Proceed carefully, staying in the center of the lake
- Cancel or relocate the session and report the bloom to local authorities (Correct answer)
- Allow swimming only in areas without visible bloom
- Continue if the bloom is light green, not dark green
Correct answer: Cancel or relocate the session and report the bloom to local authorities
Blue-green algae blooms can produce cyanotoxins dangerous to humans and animals; instructors must avoid all contact, cancel water activities, and notify local environmental or health agencies.
Question 6: What does the ACA's Outdoor Ethics program most strongly emphasize regarding wildlife feeding?
- Feeding is acceptable with natural foods like berries
- Never feed wildlife because it alters natural behavior and diet (Correct answer)
- Low-impact feeders may offer bread to ducks
- Feeding is permitted for photography purposes
Correct answer: Never feed wildlife because it alters natural behavior and diet
Feeding wildlife conditions animals to associate humans with food, disrupts natural foraging, and can cause dependency, aggression, and population imbalances.
Question 7: Which practice best demonstrates 'Respect What You Find' when paddling through a historical Native American site along a river?
- Take photos but leave artifacts in place (Correct answer)
- Remove artifacts for safekeeping at a museum
- Document the site GPS coordinates and report to land managers
- Excavate carefully to protect items from flooding
Correct answer: Take photos but leave artifacts in place
The correct approach is to observe and photograph without touching or removing anything, as disturbing archaeological sites is illegal under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.
ACA Environmental Awareness & Ethics 2
When camping on a riverbank, what is the recommended minimum distance from the water's edge to set up a camp kitchen?