Sep 18, 2024
To make their way into New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park, visitors must pass by signs asking them to respect the fragile underground ecosystem by leaving no trace. This includes not dropping litter and food waste. Most people are mindful. But there was one recent slip-up with a half-eaten bag of Cheetos. It serves as a reminder of the outsized impact humans can have on our planet.
“A spilled snack bag may seem (small), but to the life of the cave it can be world changing,” Carlsbad Park officials posted on Facebook. The bag of Cheetos had been on the cave floor for a few days at most. But it had already grown a “fleeting ecosystem” around it.
“The processed corn, softened by the humidity of the cave, formed the perfect environment to host microbial life and fungi,” officials wrote. “Cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies soon organize into a temporary food web, dispersing the nutrients to the surrounding cave and formations. Molds spread higher up the nearby surfaces, fruit, die and stink. And the cycle continues.”
Volunteers cleaned up the bag and mold growth. They scrubbed every inch of the affected stone with toothbrushes. They will keep watch to make sure there is no more contamination.
Conservationists lament the impact that litter has on the caverns. But they say it’s still important to allow visitors in.
“So it can be really, really bad,” cave microbiologist Diana Northup told The Associated Press. “But here’s the other side of the coin: The only way you can protect caves is for people to be able to see them and experience them.”
Reflect: Why do you think it’s important to protect natural places, and how can people help take care of them?
Photo of Carlsbad Caverns National Park from Wikimedia Commons courtesy of Eric Guinther.
Urban Trees
This resource is comprised of of five 45-minute lessons where students will learn about the benefits of trees, predict and analyze the temperature difference of soil in the shade and direct sun, draw a map of all trees on their school grounds, and identify trees using a dichotomous key, tree identification guide, or app.
Water Conservation Lesson
In this lesson, students learn about the importance of water conservation as it relates to a changing climate, create a timeline of Native Hawaiian sustainability practices, and promote a law to address water conservation in their community.
Renewable Energy Lesson: Conserve Energy
In this lesson, students reflect on their personal energy use, make a bar graph to analyze data from the class, and create a conservation poster for display.
News brought to you by
