SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – An abandoned campsite discovered at the Badlands Wilderness Area prompted the Badlands National Park to advise visitors of the ecological harm leaving behind waste can cause.
In a Facebook post, rangers at Badlands National Park (BNP) said they found the abandoned site last week with large quantities of food, soaked sleeping bags, and a lot of trash in the area. They said that if rangers hadn’t been made aware and launched a clean-up effort, the wildlife would have been negatively impacted in many ways.
“Do not do this,” officials noted.
Park officials shared the below photos of the site.
Badlands officials emphasized that leaving debris behind is not only negligent but illegal. The state of the abandoned site also concerned rangers, as they considered the campsite could have been left that way due to an emergency.
“Due to the dilapidated nature of the site, our first assumption was that something had gone very wrong, and that people may be injured or lost. As such, first responders were deployed, and the time they spent on this could have been used to help those who really needed it.” BNP wrote in their post.
Badlands National Park reminded people planning a trip to the Badlands backcountry to be prepared, and if you pack it in, pack it out. Citing the Wilderness Act of 1964, BNP said to take only pictures, and leave only footprints when out in wildlife.
“P.S. If this was your campsite, and you’re now reading this: we really hope that you’re okay, but please know that your actions have serious consequences. Next time, give us the courtesy, and let us know if something goes wrong. We’re always happy to help!”
Park officials later said that they believe the site was abandoned intentionally “due to a large thunderstorm.”
“This mostly likely made for a very uncomfortable camping experience. It appears that the campers likely fled the campsite, got in their vehicle, and left,” a comment from park officials said as they explained why they determined this wasn’t a case of missing campers. “This is unfortunately a very common occurrence in the park, due to our extreme weather. Again, we don’t blame anyone for making a hasty escape, but we would like people to call and let us know what happened!”
Nexstar’s Addy Bink contributed to this report.
