Park Rangers Warn of Immersive Impact of Discarded Cheetos Bag in National Park
"From a human standpoint, a spilled snack bag might appear insignificant, but it can lead to major shifts for a cave's existence," the park pointed out in their post about the litter found off-track in the Big Room.
"The dampness within the cave turned the chewed-up corn into an ideal habitat for microorganisms and fungi. Soon enough, cave crickets, mites, spiders, flies formed a short-term food chain, dispersing the nutrients to the surrounding cave formations. Molds spread over higher surfaces, rotting fruit, and emitting a foul odor. The cycle rolled on."
The park's rangers spent 20 minutes to meticulously remove molds and foreign particles from the cave's surfaces, pointing out that while some life forms from the snacks were native to the cave, "many of the microorganisms and molds weren't."
The post labeled that specific impact on the cave as "completely preventable," contrasting it with the seemingly unavoidable traces of lint left behind by each visitor.
"Size doesn't matter; we all leave a mark wherever we go. Let's all strive to leave the world better than we found it," the post urged park visitors.
The park's website mentions that consuming anything other than plain water invites animals into the cavern.
The Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns National Park is the largest single chamber by volume in North America, and it's accessible via a fairly flat 1.25 mile (2 km) trail. The cavern was formed over millions of years through the dissolving of limestone by sulfuric acid, forming cave passages.
The park's post warned visitors about the potential impacts of food waste, emphasizing that "even a small news of forgotten snacks can lead to unwanted travel of invasive species into the cave ecosystem." After noticing an increase in tourist visits, the park announced new regulations limiting the types of food allowed inside.
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