Hiking is a great way to (literally) stop and smell the roses as you engross yourself in all the majesty of nature. But sometimes, people on the trails are tempted, for whatever reason, to leave "unnatural" remnants amongst the roses of nature.
Just take a recent post on Reddit in the thread r/boulder for example, in which a hiker shares their disdain when they discovered caramel popcorn on the Old Kiln Trail loop in North Boulder that they spotted another hiker littering in the act.
The hiker that posted on Reddit added that "this is a whiny little post but feeding and otherwise interfering with wildlife is a pet peeve, and to me this is just trash/litter. I've hiked these trails for years, and before the pandemic I rarely saw litter or dog bags on these trails, but now it's unfortunately common. I feel like there are a lot of people using Open Space who have never heard of Leave No Trace, and it's a bummer."
Leave No Trace encompasses the golden rules of conservation and, most importantly, to leave nature how you found it. In following the Leave No Trace principles, you play a small but critical role in protecting ecosystems and biodiversity.
Feeding wildlife does more to harm than help the animals in a number of ways. As human food — like caramel popcorn — is not a part of a wild animal's natural diet, it can pose dangers to them and even death in some cases. And if that's not enough to convince you, some states even have fines for those caught feeding wildlife, like Cook County, Illinois, that charges $75 for each offense.
One Redditor added in a comment, "There are so many tourists and such feeding the animals that they have become downright aggressive. I'm talking squirrels, chipmunks and birds. They'll try to run right up your leg for a granola bar. And birds will dive bomb you from a tree for trail mix."
Another Reddit user noted, "It's fun for people to interact with animals. It seems to be a universal thing and when people do interact with animals it's rarely good for the animal."
So next time you're on a hike or enjoying nature, make sure you stop and smell the roses, but remember to leave no trace of food or other litter for wildlife to find.
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