At Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, you can expect to see herons, eagles, black bears, red foxes, wood frogs, blue jays, and a range of fascinating plants and insects.
What you shouldn't expect to see is piles of trash.
One Redditor shared a picture of a mound of dirt scattered with full trash bags, takeout cartons, and what looks like used towels left on a path at the spot of stunning natural beauty.
"What level of ignorance and entitlement does it take to use the Blue Heron Reserve as your dump?" they titled the post. "As disappointing as it is to see this I'd be even more outraged if it was done by a local."
It didn't take long for someone to answer that question. "A huge amount of ignorance and entitlement," the user replied. "I was raised to leave nature better than you found it. Sucks to see that isn't the case for my fellow Canadians."
Indeed, this isn't the kind of trash that would be left behind by tourists mindlessly. People strolling through the park might accidentally drop a plastic water bottle or a food wrapper, and that is irritating enough. But this looks highly intentional, and park officials were forced to put cones around the debris until it could be properly cleared.
Lightweight trash, like the takeout cartons, could easily be carried by the wind and away from the main pile, meaning they'd be missed when it came to the cleanup. It's likely they will get caught up in plants or undergrowth, enter animal habitats, or even drop into water sources.
In all situations, it will take decades for these single-use items to degrade, if ever at all. While they persist in the environment, they will likely shed harmful micro- and nanoplastics, contaminate soil or water sources, or present a hazard to animals that try to ingest plastic shards.
Among the debris is even a plastic bottle that likely contained some kind of chemical, which could prove disastrous for the local fauna and flora.
Outdoor spaces like Great Blue Heron Natural Park provide a thriving area for biodiversity, which keeps ecosystems healthy for the benefit of everyone. Trash like this can easily upset that balance by making animals sick or leading to their demise.
But the site is also hugely beneficial for locals and tourists, who can boost their mental health by walking among the greenery. Seeing waste like this will immediately ruin that experience.
"It's ridiculous where you will find garbage and construction waste, I found drywall halfway up a mountain in mission while 4x4ing," another Redditor observed.
"I can't stand how disrespectful, selfish and ignorant some people can be, especially in a wildlife sanctuary," added someone else. "Absolutely appalling!"
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