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https://apnews.com/article/carlsbad-caverns-national-park-cheetos-04f30c48dfa7fa3deee29702e083aa56>
"ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A bag of Cheetos gets dropped and left on the floor.
Seems inconsequential, right?
Hardly.
Rangers at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico describe it as
a “world-changing” event for the tiny microbes and insects that call this
specialized subterranean environment home. The bag could have been there a day
or two or maybe just hours, but those salty morsels of processed corn made soft
by thick humidity triggered the growth of mold on the cavern floor and on
nearby cave formations.
“To the ecosystem of the cave it had a huge impact,” the park noted in a social
media post, explaining that cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies soon
organized to eat and disperse the foreign mess, essentially spreading the
contamination.
The bright orange bag was spotted off trail by a ranger during one of the
regular sweeps that park staff make through the Big Room, the largest single
cave chamber by volume in North America, at the end of each day. They are
looking for straggling visitors and any litter or other waste that might have
been left behind on the paved trail.
The Big Room is a popular spot at Carlsbad Caverns. It is a magical expanse
filled with towering stalagmites, dainty stalactites and clusters of cave
popcorn.
From this underground wonderland in New Mexico to lake shores in Nevada,
tributaries along the Grand Canyon and lagoons in Florida, park rangers and
volunteers collect tons of trash left behind by visitors each year as part of
an ongoing battle to keep unique ecosystems from being compromised while still
allowing visitors access."
Via Frederick Wilson II.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
