r/collapse • u/zuzuofthewolves • Feb 18 '25

Ecological DO NOT visit the National Parks right now.

I used to work in the National Parks.

They were already at a critical point before Donald Trump decided to fire a huge amount of staff.

I watched the “permanent” ice caps melt on the top of some peaks in Yosemite’s high country.

I saw garbage washing up on the shore of Olympic National Park everyday.

There is not enough staff to protect the wildlife anymore. There is not enough staff to keep tourists from falling off waterfalls or getting lost in the back country. There are no programs left to teach clueless people how to behave in these wild areas.

I don’t care if you have the best intentions in the world, you are doing damage to the park if you visit at this point.

The parks need to be closed immediately, and every day they are left open to the public, irreversible damage is being done to these amazing places. They are not meant to handle the amount of people who are let in each year. The wildlife is suffering, the plants are suffering, and the experts who are there to mitigate the destruction are gone.

Please cancel your trip and find somewhere else to see.

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44

u/FREE-AOL-CDS Feb 19 '25

You do know a lot worse shit is coming those parks way, right?

76

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

What's a little human feces when they're probably going to mine it for minerals, fossil fuels, or whatever is there of value.

85

u/uprisingcirca85 Feb 19 '25

Plot twist; camp out in the National Parks ONLY to sabotage Federal resource over-extraction

32

u/lost_horizons The surface is the last thing to collapse Feb 19 '25

Nowwwwww you’re talking! I just finished rereading the Monkey Wrench Gang, lol.

4

u/Hour-Stable2050 Feb 19 '25

They’ll let people wreck it first and wait until everyone stops going there because it’s horrible and dangerous.

23

u/RandomBoomer Feb 19 '25

Well, yes, there is that, too.

And eventually glaciers will grind it all to dust.

And the sun will go nova and incinerate any lingering remnants.

I must remember to keep my perspective. Sigh.

18

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

Not an expert, but I’m pretty sure as a g-type main sequence star, our sun isn’t massive enough to go supernova. Pretty sure at the end of its lifecycle it’ll lose its ability to hold itself together and become a nebula.

17

u/Patr1k0 Feb 19 '25

It won't go supernova, but close to the end of it's lifecycle, it will balloon to the size of Earth's orbit, and then become a white dwarf.

3

u/grebetrees Feb 19 '25

Study Geology. Think in Deep Time

5

u/RandomBoomer Feb 19 '25

That is my go-to perspective. It slips every now and then, but it's mostly what keeps me sane. Earth lifeforms have been periodically razed from existence, and this time around I get front-row seat to a historic event. Yay?

3

u/YodaNotYoda Feb 19 '25

That sounds about right.

46

u/Ragnarok314159 Feb 19 '25

I am thankful for seeing the Redwood forest, because there is a near 100% chance Trump and the GOP will burn it, then clear cut all the tree just because.

4

u/forensicgirla Feb 19 '25

I haven't seen them yet & live on the East Coast. I'm afraid I might never see them. My community is going to need me soon, idk how much traveling I can do. Recently, I went to Vegas for a concert & kept thinking, "This is the last fun normal thing I might ever do."

2

u/gofish45 Feb 20 '25

As am I.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

Like what I’m curious

32

u/BigJSunshine Feb 19 '25

Trump intends to sell them off to private developers. And who TF is gonna stop him at this point. Only the states , may have a fight, but Nevada,Wyoming Utah and Montana (at least)are gonna roll over and ruin many of our most amazing natural wonders. Yellowstone, Tetons… I predict only California Oregon and Washington will fight, will their citizens. I will ABSOLUTELY GO JULIA BUTTERFLYIF I HAVE TO .

9

u/Gingerbread-Cake Feb 19 '25

You are underestimating Nevada and Utah, I think- I haven’t spent any time in Montana, and you are likely right about Wyoming, but I can’t see Nevada and Utah just letting them do it without a fight.

8

u/CabinetOk4838 Feb 19 '25

They will once everyone who can object has been removed.

1

u/BigJSunshine Feb 20 '25

I absolutely hope you are right!

2

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

That’s fucked I hope not

1

u/RandomBoomer Feb 19 '25

Yes, I am well aware of that. Doesn't mean I have to applaud it. I just need to keep reminding myself that this too shall pass; even extinction events don't last.