US national parks have struggled in recent years with unruly visitors and vandals who ignore rules meant to keep plants and wildlife safe, according to media reports.
This damage can affect the park's ecosystem for centuries. new york post Reported.
The newspaper gave examples of three popular parks that have seen changes with dire consequences. In Southern California, many tourists explored Joshua Tree National Park during the 2019 government shutdown.
Instead of enjoying the park's desert ecosystem, visitors left behind graffiti and dilapidated trails.
On this day in history, August 25, 1916, the National Park Service was established under President Wilson
Three tourists from Germany used paintball guns and slingshots to destroy signs in Joshua Tree National Park. National parks have dealt with vandalism and rule violations in recent years. (National Park Service)
“What has happened to our parks in the last 34 days will be irreversible for the next 200 to 300 years,” former parks director Kurt Sauer told the Guardian at the time.
“There have been more than a dozen instances where large vehicle traffic has gone off the road and, in some cases, into wilderness areas,” said park superintendent David Smith at the time. “Two new roads were built in the park. Government property was destroyed, including cutting chains and locks for people to access campsites.”
3 times in August tourists from germany He was accused of carrying out a paintball shooting rampage that defaced the park's street signs, restrooms and trash cans. Park rangers said there are at least 11 road signs along Park Boulevard. From Jumbo Rocks Yellow paintballs were being shot at campgrounds from the park's west entrance to the Maze Loop Trailhead, two miles away.
“I have never seen such a level of restricted encampment,” he added. “Joshua's tree was actually cut down to make way for a new road.”
Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana. (National Park Service)
in the 3 million acre Custer-Gallatin National Forest; In the region, which stretches from South Dakota to the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, Forest Service officials have seen an increase in the amount of unburied poop on popular trails and informal campgrounds, news outlets say. reported.
The discovery violates the park's Leave No Trace policy, which requires visitors to bury poop deep enough that woodland creatures can't dig it up.
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Vandalism in Yosemite National Park. Officials say some parks have dealt with unruly visitors in recent years. (National Park Service)
“They pick up all kinds of trash, whether it's toilet paper, diapers or beer bottles,” Oswald told the clean-up contact. “And generally, if they find human waste, they try to deal with it by burying it at an appropriate depth.”
In 2022, the National Park Service revealed on social media that a trail block in California's Yosemite National Park had been defaced with graffiti.
In Nevada, vandals toppled a natural rock formation along the Lake Mead boardwalk. redstone dune trail at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the National Park Service said.
Authorities are searching for two vandalism suspects after they allegedly knocked over natural rock formations along the Lake Mead boardwalk. (National Park Service)
Gettysburg National Park experienced two vandalism incidents within a week of each other in August. According to the NPS, park officials reported on Aug. 15 that graffiti had been written on the surface of a large rock at Little Round Top, and multiple rocks had been defaced.
The second incident occurred on August 19, when visitors to the historic site reported that the historic War Department Observation Tower had been spray-painted with graffiti.
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“We were concerned that the graffiti carved into the rock might remain for future generations,” park manager Christina Heister said at the time. “We are so grateful to our amazing conservation staff who professionally and quickly restored these sites so that visitors can continue to experience them as they were intended.”
“They truly are the heroes of this sacred land,” she added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the National Park Service.
