While visiting national parks, there are many things to notice — the mountains, the trees, the wildlife, and last but not least, the signs.
In a viral Reddit post, one user shared a photo of a person who had climbed over a fence marked with an obvious warning sign to get closer to a giant sequoia tree.
The original poster wrote, "Sign says to stay on the trail to avoid damaging the sequoia roots."
Although sequoias may look invincible, they can be far more delicate than they appear.
Trampling over broken tree roots or knocking bark off a sequoia tree exposes its interior and leaves it vulnerable to disease, pests, and poor growth. One or two encounters won't likely hurt the tree. However, over 1.2 million people visit Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks annually, per the National Park Service.
Sequoia trees aren't just enormous and impressive — they also do a lot of good for the environment. Their massive size enables them to absorb substantial carbon from the air while providing safe habitats for endangered birds and threatened wildlife, according to Save the Redwoods League.
In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, these gentle giants are also greatly influenced by climate shifts due to air pollution, fires, diseases, and droughts. According to the National Park Service, "Mapping vulnerability of giant sequoia groves to severe drought and warming temperatures will help managers more strategically target treatments."
Meanwhile, national park rules aren't in place to over-police the general public or infringe upon your personal rights. They are established to preserve our incredible natural resources by allowing visitors to experience them and have safe and rewarding experiences while learning about nature.
Buzzworthy, sharable posts showing visitors violating park rules, inappropriately feeding wildlife, and destroying natural structures increase public awareness about why these actions are wrong and inspire us to do better.
"I just wish humans didn't have the urge to disturb living things so much," said one Redditor.
"Other people really don't follow the rules even though they understand that the rules should be followed," another Redditor commented. "These people should be fined money not to repeat the disobedience."
"For future reference, if you can get a picture of their face, NPS has a team that will try to find them via social media and pursue proper penalties," suggested another commenter.
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