It’s hard to spend time in the great outdoors and not want to preserve the beauty around us. There is nothing more disheartening, frustrating, and sad than seeing those around us who don’t appreciate that beauty and for their own selfish reasons destroy or damage our natural resources. 

In Yellowstone I’ve witnessed coins and debris thrown into thermal features, and I watch visitors routinely wander off the trails into dangerous and delicate thermal areas. I see people get way too close to wildlife, putting themselves and the animals at risk. In areas like Zion National Park I’ve seen graffiti carved into the soft sandstone walls, and human waste left behind along with trash. Less obvious I’ve seen where people have wandered off clearly marked trails crushing delicate cyptobiotic soils which take decades to recover. 

As humanity we can all do better and be better. We can commit to follow the #yellowstonepledge and the principles of leave no trace behind. Let’s all commit to do our part to preserve and improve our wild areas not only for ourselves, but for future generations. 

I’ve mentioned only two parks, but in reality all our wild areas need to be cared for and treated with reverence and respect. I would encourage everyone to donate a few dollars to nonprofit organizations committed to protecting our wild places. Below are a few of my favorites.