Now that summer has arrived, we’re all gearing up for whatever camping, fishing, or other favorite outdoor pursuits we can get in before they close the forests. Which they hopefully won’t, after the unfathomable gift of rain and snow we received in early May.

Regardless of what happens it’s never a bad idea to be reminded that public lands need their TLC. They aren’t reserved for the enjoyment of individuals as much as for the pleasure of lots of people from lots of places around the country.

Indeed, such a reminder seems more necessary each year, since campfire pits in New Mexico’s forests continue to be left full of garbage, if not live and smoking coals, by too many irresponsible recreationists.

Here’s a helpful hint: if it’s not part of a tree, the dirt, the grass or the stream, it goes home with you, and no, those disposable teeth flossers aren’t made of wood. Don’t chop on trees that are standing and still have green foliage. Dispose of your toilet paper and fishing line properly. Maybe pick up some trash left by others. Otherwise, take care of the outdoors as you would your mother’s yard, assuming you take care of your mother’s yard, which you should.

If you open a gate, close it behind you. It was closed for a reason, probably to keep livestock in one place or out of someplace else. Stray livestock, usually cows, will wander into unfamiliar territory and get lost, at great expense to the rancher and great annoyance to people like you who don’t like cowpies and flies near day-use areas and campgrounds.

Closed gates often prevent cows from accessing riparian areas where they can trample streambanks and degrade water quality with excrement. It is a rancher’s responsibility to keep his pasture fences in good repair, but hikers, bikers, and motorists have a role to play too. Keep gates closed.

Similarly, and for the same reasons, do not cut fences when hiking or riding ATVs. If a fence stands between you and where you want to go, you’re not supposed to go there, at least not via your current route. Stay on designated trails and avoid riding in meadows, where ruts caused by machines can trigger cascading erosion issues. Erosion gullies eventually lower headwater water tables, harming elk habitat, trout habitat, and the reliability of irrigation flows in communities down the hill. As with open gates, cut fences enable cows to stray where they don’t belong.

Another note on cattle. If you encounter a drinking trough on your travels through the woods, leave it alone. Which is to say, don’t shoot it. Troughs drained thusly will force cattle to head to the nearest creek, and since creeks are at the base of canyon slopes, they won’t want to walk back uphill after quenching their thirst. They’ll park in the riparian areas and cause damage that may take years to heal, if at all.

Don’t camp near cattle troughs either, as doing so causes cows to head for the creeks. Consider also that cows aren’t the only animals needing a drink. Bears, deer, elk and other wildlife benefit enormously from human-made watering fixtures. Like cows, elk are notorious for wrecking trout streams, so every minute they’re drinking somewhere besides a creek is a plus. All to say that functioning troughs are good for our fishing.

Backpackers, cattle troughs are also not for bathing. Animals will drink some pretty nasty water, but consider that water containing your gunk (sunscreen, insect repellant, pachouli oil) might be a step too far. Tainted water might cause cows and wildlife to get sick, or they might avoid the trough altogether.

Please take into consideration these points, and have an enjoyable summer outdoors, caring for our forests and animals upon whom we depend.