Two tourists at Rocky Mountain National Park are running a fever after taking photos in an area that is off-limits for ecological health reasons.
On the subreddit r/IAmTheMainCharacter, one Redditor shared a photo of a wannabe influencer standing on a rock just beyond a sign warning people to stay off the road.
The people in the photo had apparently traversed the fragile tundra ecosystem to step onto the rock that one of them was using as a pedestal.
Photo credit: Reddit
Tourists’ short adventures in the tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park are important because going off trail can harm flora and fauna. “The repeated footsteps often destroy tundra vegetation and blow away exposed soil, which can take hundreds of years to recover,” the National Park Service wrote.
Photos of similar situations in national parks are often popular in online communities of environmentalists, nature lovers, and people-watchers.
The reasons for their popularity vary, but many address the damage humans do to the environment and how this behavior affects other people’s access to nature.
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In a more general sense, this type of behavior violates the spirit of conservation areas. The damage to the ecosystem and the stress on other tourists, wildlife and rangers can be significant.
Tourists are guests, but it can be easy to forget that parks are home to living plants and creatures. Additionally, ignoring signs in natural areas is dangerous. Sudden falls, wildlife defenses, or other dangerous situations can result in injury or death.
In places where people seek to establish connections with nature that encourage action and reflection to heal the natural world, it is important to protect both nature itself and the experiences of others.
One commenter pointed out, “Yes, it’s beautiful, but the ecosystem implies that this destruction will kill life.”
”[Beyond] It’s infuriating to watch,” wrote another.
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