After working in the outdoors industry all my life, I'm…
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After working in the outdoors industry all my life, I'm not sure if I want it to grow.
I (30M) grew up in a family that worked in the outdoor industry in New England. Since I was a teenager, every job I've worked has focused on getting as many people as possible outside and experiencing the outdoors. I've worked a handful of different positions at outdoor shops and guiding; guiding especially has been my favorite. Though recently I've found myself conflicted about the future of the outdoors industry. As much as I adore introducing people to the outdoors, I'm not sure if outdoor spaces can handle more influxes of people. It hurts for me to write because I want everyone to experience the outdoors, but it may be better for these outdoor spaces if fewer people flock to them.
This worry especially hit me when I visited Yellowstone National Park a few summers ago, and the park was a sea of people looking at everything through their phones, and the bathrooms were the most disgusting sights I've ever seen. National parks were designed to preserve the natural environment and give people chances to experience the outdoors so they care about conservation. But maybe the greatest threat to conserving these places is actually the people who are visiting?
As vast as outdoor spaces may seem, I worry the amount of resources it takes to support influxes of visitors is unsustainable. Think about transportation, food, plumbing, etc., all that it takes to maintain these places. But I also don't want to abandon my lifelong values of getting people outside.
Growing up in the 2000s, it was easier to feel more optimistic about getting everyone outside, but around the mid-2010s when social media influencers rose in popularity, national parks and other outdoor destinations began to rise in attendance. I still remember visiting a national park in 2015 and being shocked by how people seemed to be on their phones the whole time; it was never like that before.
I currently live in Northern New England, and while our Autumns are truly something special, the past couple of years have seen a rise in 'leaf peeper' tourists. Autumn has always been a busy season, but the past couple of years have seen a rise in 'influencers' visiting to get content; the roads are packed with traffic, restaurants can't keep up with the demand, and people are glued to their phones everywhere you go.
It's a weird back-and-forth I've been battling where I want to get as many people outside as possible, but worried about the consequences people have on these places.
#nature
source
I (30M) grew up in a family that worked in the outdoor industry in New England. Since I was a teenager, every job I've worked has focused on getting as many people as possible outside and experiencing the outdoors. I've worked a handful of different positions at outdoor shops and guiding; guiding especially has been my favorite. Though recently I've found myself conflicted about the future of the outdoors industry. As much as I adore introducing people to the outdoors, I'm not sure if outdoor spaces can handle more influxes of people. It hurts for me to write because I want everyone to experience the outdoors, but it may be better for these outdoor spaces if fewer people flock to them.
This worry especially hit me when I visited Yellowstone National Park a few summers ago, and the park was a sea of people looking at everything through their phones, and the bathrooms were the most disgusting sights I've ever seen. National parks were designed to preserve the natural environment and give people chances to experience the outdoors so they care about conservation. But maybe the greatest threat to conserving these places is actually the people who are visiting?
As vast as outdoor spaces may seem, I worry the amount of resources it takes to support influxes of visitors is unsustainable. Think about transportation, food, plumbing, etc., all that it takes to maintain these places. But I also don't want to abandon my lifelong values of getting people outside.
Growing up in the 2000s, it was easier to feel more optimistic about getting everyone outside, but around the mid-2010s when social media influencers rose in popularity, national parks and other outdoor destinations began to rise in attendance. I still remember visiting a national park in 2015 and being shocked by how people seemed to be on their phones the whole time; it was never like that before.
I currently live in Northern New England, and while our Autumns are truly something special, the past couple of years have seen a rise in 'leaf peeper' tourists. Autumn has always been a busy season, but the past couple of years have seen a rise in 'influencers' visiting to get content; the roads are packed with traffic, restaurants can't keep up with the demand, and people are glued to their phones everywhere you go.
It's a weird back-and-forth I've been battling where I want to get as many people outside as possible, but worried about the consequences people have on these places.
#nature
source
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