This trash retains food smells and becomes an easy target for wildlife to consume. Hikers may be tempted to add their own trash, believing that the people leaving unattended food will pick up their trash.Bears are increasingly being drawn to human food and must be killed when they threaten the safety of hikers. Wildlife may find and eat unattended food and trash, leading to “food attraction” behaviors that are problematic for both wildlife and hikers.While it may be tempting to leave food, this can create all kinds of problems. Hikers in the backcountry are often hungry and thirsty. Hikers may be made to feel like a captive audience-especially if feed facilitators promote their personal world-views.An abundance of hiker feeds may increase some hikers’ expectations of being entitled to preferential treatment and giveaways. Increased Expectations of special treatment. The threat of spreading norovirus and food-borne illnesses is increased by such events which concentrate people in small areas without appropriate facilities Large-group dynamics may create a party atmosphere with alcohol and drugs. Hiker feeds, especially when advertised in advance, may congregate and merge hikers into an unsustainable ‘bubble’ that moves along the Trail creating new campsites, expanding existing sites and causing crowding. Rare plants or sensitive cultural sites may be impacted in ways not readily apparent.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |