Most visitors to Long Pond, Rhode Island, come for birdwatching, a stroll among the trees, or the sight of beautiful blooming rhododendrons. But one visitor couldn't resist tagging a rock with enormous graffiti … and it made fellow visitors furious.
Backpacker and trail runner Seth (@RhodySeth) posted a video of the offending display on YouTube. "[This is] one of my favorite spots here with this steep rocky canyon," he says, before panning over to show the spray-painted rocks. "And look what someone did. God damn it. That is terrible. For shame."
Frustrated commenters agreed. "Bummer that someone felt like that was a good way to spend a can of paint," one said.
"Yeah, a real shame," Seth agreed. "Never seen that kind of vandalism there before."
Other commenters mourned the degradation of a cherished place and the memories associated with it. "I love that place," one person lamented. "My daughter and I go there for lunch often."
This kind of behavior is particularly frustrating in protected areas like this one, which are intended to serve as a peaceful haven — both for the flora and fauna that live there and for human visitors.
Seth pointed out that Long Pond isn't a heavily trafficked site, which only furthered his consternation. "It's such a remote area, that's why I was surprised to see it," he said. "Hopefully, it's just a one-off incident."
Unfortunately, people sometimes find ways to make their presence known even in the most remote areas on the planet. From throwing gender reveal parties and littering colored confetti or paint all over the ground, to chopping down trees just to spray-paint them, to literally carving names into a coral reef, it seems that peoples' creativity knows no bounds when it comes to vandalizing nature.
"Argh!!! That gets me every time," one commenter wrote. "Going along on a beautiful spot, and BAM!"
These acts are not only disruptive to human visitors, they're also deadly to nature. Whether it's plastic litter trapping or choking wildlife, or toxic chemicals leaching into the soil and making its way up the food chain, these careless actions can have lasting negative impacts on some of the planet's most beautiful natural environments.
Instead, visitors are better off following the principles of Leave No Trace — and helping preserve places like Long Pond for generations to come.
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