Sioux Falls, South Dakota – An abandoned campsite discovered in the Badlands Wilderness Area prompted Badlands National Park to warn visitors about the environmental damage that leaving waste can cause.
According to a Facebook post, the Badlands National Park (BNP) discovered the abandoned site, which contained large amounts of food, soaked sleeping bags, and a lot of trash. They claimed that if rangers had not been made aware and launched a clean-up effort, the wildlife would have suffered in a variety of ways.
Badlands National Park emphasized that leaving debris behind is both negligent and illegal. Rangers were also concerned about the abandoned site, believing it had been left in that condition due to an emergency.
“Because of the dilapidated state of the site, we assumed that something had gone horribly wrong and that people had been injured or lost. As a result, first responders were dispatched, and their time could have been better spent assisting those in need.” The BNP wrote in their post.
Badlands National Park reminded visitors planning a trip to the Badlands backcountry to come prepared, and if you pack it in, pack it out. BNP cited the Wilderness Act of 1964, stating that when out in wildlife, they should only take pictures and leave footprints.
