Preventing the Spread of Invasive Plants Through Hiking Etiquette

Doing our part as individuals as we enjoy nature takes a little etiquette.

Beyond the usual field trip guidelines of bug spray and sturdy shoes, I would like to discuss an often-overlooked aspect of hiking etiquette, cleanliness, and sanitation. Now, I’m not going to talk about using outhouses (please don’t hover over the seat; you’re too likely to miss and make a mess) or deodorant (hey, we’re all a little smelly after a day in the field). I’m going to talk about what you have on your feet. Boots, whether rubber, leather, or other material, can carry invasive plant seeds and deadly diseases into natural areas, harming the very places we have come to appreciate.

Boots and shoes, especially ones with rugged soles, can carry seeds of invasive plants stuck in the mud in the treads. So, if you have been walking in nature where there are invasive species, there is a chance you may introduce these to new locations. However, many plants we don’t consider invasive can cause big problems in nature. Your lawn comprises bluegrass and fescue (and perhaps other invasive species). You may have lawn seeds stuck to your shoes after mowing the grass or working in the yard. 

Is introducing invasive species from your shoes a genuine concern? Absolutely. People who have learned to identify invasive species soon recognize that they occur along many trails and can be seen spreading from the trails into healthy natural areas. Once they become established along the trails, the situation becomes worse, as the clean shoes you started the walk with may pick up seeds along the trail and spread invasives further into the area. I encourage land managers to take invasive species along trails very seriously. If you clean up the trails, you can work from the preserve’s interior outward to create large, healthy areas.

The solution is to use a stiff brush with a metal pick to clean your shoes. The ones used to clean horse hooves work great and last for years. After picking the dirt from the soles and brushing the boot, there should be little concern about introducing invasive seeds. But what’s this about diseases?

Not only are seeds being spread around the world, but diseases are, too. Frogs, turtles, and snakes in the Midwest suffer from introduced diseases. And there are most likely many introduced diseases affecting a wide range of native animals that we don’t know about. I don’t have space to discuss all the invasive diseases here, but I encourage you to Google Ranavirus, turtle shell disease, snake fungal disease, and chytridiomycosis. 

What can you do to protect our wild animals? After scrubbing your shoes/boots, make a 10% Clorox solution and (for rubber boots or boot soles) soak them in the solution for five minutes, then rinse in water. This works exceptionally well with rubber boots or boots where the lower portion of the boot is rubber. The lower portions of boots are most likely to get wet and allow diseases to disperse in the water. Boot leather can be disinfected with disinfecting wipes (after cleaning dirt off) or disinfectant spray. Note that Clorox and other disinfectants may be dangerous, especially if they get in the eyes or concentrate is breathed. Always follow safety instructions.

Also, to further protect our wild animals, never turn pets loose in nature or capture wild animals to keep as pets. Fish, frogs, turtles, snakes, snails, and other pets may carry low levels of dangerous diseases they acquired at pet stores or brought from their country of origin. Even wild-caught pets can become sick in your home and spread diseases if released back into the wild. Capturing wild animals for pets is a federal crime. Many of our wild animals are already in trouble, and removing some of them from the wild may be the final straw that will wipe out a wild population.