Mountain Parks

Okay, I get it - it’s a problem. But my park has mountains, not beaches. How am I affected?

The Water Cycle: The first thing to understand is that no area is immune anymore: microplastics are now raining down on mountains hundreds of miles from any possible industrial or urban source. Sadly, microplastics are part of the water cycle now. In fact, there’s a push in the scientific community to have microplastics classified as atmospheric pollutants, like the components of acid rain.
Connectedness: The second point of direct contact though is the question of whether visitors to your mountainous park may be contributing to the problem. The rivers in your park ultimately run to the ocean, and that connectedness is really the big overarching message. As John Muir said, “Everything is flowing, going somewhere.” That somewhere, when it comes to water, is the sea. So as with most systems in life, we’re all hitched to each other’s wagons.
Education: Lastly though is the educational component: national parks are uniquely positioned to bring this problem to the attention of their visitors, and visitor’s, when they come to national parks, are uniquely open to the talking about the environment. So it’s a true opportunity for park managers to be drivers of real, lasting, positive change, not just in their park, but outside of its borders, in the country as a whole.