Spending time outdoors has many benefits, such as improved physical and mental health and promoting community building. But with being outdoors comes

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

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2024-11-17 15:30:02

Spending time outdoors has many benefits, such as improved physical and mental health and promoting community building. But with being outdoors comes great responsibility. It is important to acknowledge the impact humans have on the environment and the cultural importance of many outdoor spaces.

National parks in the United States have often been built on stolen land and the genocide of Indigenous peoples. Tourists also produce an unmanageable amount of waste and communities surrounding these parks have been greatly disrupted.

Parks have seen an influx in visitors with the pandemic and more people valuing travel, but with that comes necessary precautions. Many national parks don’t have the infrastructure to support modern populations. Funding is not available to maintain, let alone upgrade, the current roads, trails and buildings to support tourism in the parks.

With overcrowding and underfunding, the parks are in jeopardy. Disrespect towards wildlife and the environment is destroying these spaces. People feel a certain entitlement towards visiting these areas without thinking about the native species. Wild animals have become a photo-op, with many disregarding the boundaries and safety. In 2018, a 55-year-old tourist went viral for a video in which he was seen taunting a bison in Yosemite National Park.