Right on! I know there are lots of reasons people give for not using the natural resources in an area, but very few people realize that our presence can have positive effects as well. I get so tired of hearing about how everything damages the environment. I see animals all the time making homes out of discarded trash that people pile up (I do not condone dumping trash or anything like that so bear that in mind later when the replies come.). I think the biggest problem people have with clearing sites and fire pits and all of these other things is that they think it spoils the look of the outdoors (not that they put much thought into it while they were clearing the land to build a nice new split level with pool) and they seem to have this "save the whales" complex that causes rational thought to jump out the window. Everyone on this board contributes daily to the clearcutting of land somewhere yet they have no problem with their cellular provider clearing a swath of land so they can get better reception. No one cries foul when their SUV that uses 4 gallons per mile belches out toxic carbon monoxide. No one says that cows are animals too so lets not eat that big juicy steak that was taken from a steroid ridden cow raised on hundreds of acres that used to be wild animal habitat. I'm all for environmenal consciousness but there is a point that it gets ridiculous. The day that someone gives up civilization altogether and no longer supports anything at all that damages the environment, that's the day I will listen to what they have to say. Until then the little three foot patch of earth that I clear away so that I can cook my meal on the dead limbs I picked up off the ground, will not be a major environmental factor. I feel like the small spot I pick to camp in (which I use on a regular basis by the way) is just the spot that one animal (me) picked as his territory. It happens every day with other animals, why not this one?