Heather J. Hansen – How to Not Love the National Parks to Death

This year marks the centennial of the National Park Service, and record numbers of visitors are expected to celebrate by exploring the system’s incomparable natural, historical, and cultural resources.

All those adventure seekers impact parks. But there’s a respectful way to go about it.

When a tourist loaded a young bison into the back of his car at Yellowstone National Park last month, the incident shocked people inside and outside the park. Butthere are ways all visitors—park veterans or nature newbies—can minimize effects on these irreplaceable places and set parks on a sustainable path for the next century. You can help keep the wild in wilderness and maybe even leave parks better than you found them.

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