Onlooker captures video of tourists' thoughtless actions at cherished park: 'These people don't care about anything but themselves'

Several tourists ignored that Panther Creek Falls is currently going through a critical restoration period just to take some pictures.

Tourons of The PNW (@touronsofthepnw) shared a frustrating video (click to watch if embedding is not possible) showing several people taking pictures at this cherished state park. This happened in an area that, according to one commenter, used to be covered in moss.

The person taking the video is sitting a decent distance away and above the people taking pictures. There are also many fallen tree branches and trunks around. These, combined with the running water below them, pose a safety risk for people who walk on or around them.

OregonHikers.org currently advises hikers to avoid the lower viewpoint trail as it is closed for restoration. Text in the video specifies that it's closed to restore moss to the area.

Moss may be tiny, but it packs an ecological punch.

When you think of plants that pull carbon dioxide out of the air, your mind likely jumps to trees. That's still true, but moss may be an even more effective carbon sink. This means it pulls more carbon dioxide out of the air than it produces, and it sequesters, or stores, the carbon.

A 2023 study found that mossy soil currently keeps about seven billion tons of carbon dioxide out of our air. This keeps us healthier and helps minimize the amount of money we have to spend on cleaning our air.

Moss can even help prevent floods, which could be helpful as our planet warms and more extreme weather events happen.

Other moss restoration efforts are happening in places like the UK, and this will ultimately help protect wildlife and our food supply. But like many environmental actions, this is a group project. If some people don't do their part, we all risk failing the assignment.

If you're going for a hike, make sure to be mindful of signs and warnings. Say something if you see someone you're with doing something that could be harmful to the environment. All of those little actions can add up and help the planet and ourselves.

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As for the tourists in the Pacific Northwest, a few people in the comments expressed irritation with their actions.

"When I was a kid, it was literally covered on moss that was emerald colored and so gorgeous," someone commented. "But these people don't care about anything but themselves so they will do whatever they want."

"But THEY 'just' NEEDed a 'quick' photo!" another person exclaimed.

The original poster replied in the same comment thread, "Such lack of consideration."

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