Unwelcome Object

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a system of caves in New Mexico. Recently, its ecosystem was threatened. A visitor dropped a bag of Cheetos there.

Food and drink are not allowed in the caves. A spilled snack might seem harmless. But “to the life of the cave it can be world changing.” That’s according to a Facebook post written by a park representative on September 6. The Cheetos “formed the perfect environment to host microbial life and fungi.” Much of this was not native to the cave. Rangers spent time carefully removing foreign molds.

The post called this incident “completely avoidable.” It reminded people that “we all leave an impact wherever we go.”