Officials from Badlands National Park are using an abandoned campsite found in the Badlands Wilderness Area to let the public know that leaving behind waste while camping can have cause ecological harm to our pristine lands.
Park rangers found the trash strewn site last week complete with uneaten food and soaked sleeping bags (they later determined it was likely abandoned during a thunderstorm). While it may have been wise to seek shelter during the storm, not returning to clean up your mess is awful etiquette. Bandlands expressed their opinion on the behavior simply: “DO NOT DO THIS.”
Had the rangers not been made aware of the campsite and cleaned up themselves, local wildlife would have been impacted negatively. To be clear, leaving behind trash is not only irresponsible and unethical, it is illegal.
While we hope the campers who left this mess made it out safe, we also hope they get the message that pulling up stakes and leaving a trashy mess for park rangers to clean up is unacceptable. Read the full statement from Badlands below.
Related: Why Badlands National Park Allows You To Hike Basically Anywhere
Badlands National Park Statement:
Do not do this !!!
Last week, thanks to a visitor report, we were made aware of an abandoned campsite in the Badlands Wilderness Area. Whether it was left behind due to unpreparedness or carelessness, the result is the same- ecological harm. Leaving debris behind like this is negligent and is also illegal. Around the site we discovered large quantities of food, soaked sleeping bags, and a lot of trash. Had rangers not been made aware and launched a clean-up effort- this abandoned campsite would have negatively impacted the wildlife in many ways.
Due to the dilapidated nature of the site, our first assumption was that something had gone very wrong, and that people may be injured or lost. As such, first responders were deployed, and the time they spent on this could have been used to help those who really needed it.
If you’re planning a trip into the Badlands backcountry, be prepared. Pack it in, pack it out. Take only pictures and leave only footprints. After all, “wilderness is an area untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain” (Wilderness Act of 1964).
P.S. If this was your campsite, and you’re now reading this: we really hope that you’re okay, but please know that your actions have serious consequences. Next time, give us the courtesy, and let us know if something goes wrong. We’re always happy to help!
FOLLOW UP: After searching the abandoned campsite, Park Rangers determined it was likely abandoned due to a large thunderstorm that had rolled through the area the prior night. Due to the location that the campsite was established, water collected, and the tent was likely soaked in water. This mostly likely made for a very uncomfortable camping experience. It appears that the campers likely fled the campsite, got in their vehicle, and left. The campsite was not far from an established road, and there were no vehicles parked nearby by the time Park Rangers arrived. While we absolutely understand how scary thunderstorms can be out here, and absolutely encourage visitors to take shelter, if need be, we wish we had been notified. This is unfortunately a very common occurrence in the park, due to our extreme weather. Again, we don’t blame anyone for making a hasty escape, but we would like people to call and let us know what happened!
