The National Park Service (NPS) is asking for the public’s help to solve a case of illegal garbage dumping in Redwood National Park.
According to a press release, on August 16, someone left behind materials and trash from a roofing project. The materials included shingles, tar paper, old OSB board, siding, metal mesh, and gutter trim. Officials believe the building these came from may be light green or seafoam in color.
The NPS says, “All of these materials contain chemicals dangerous to wildlife and flora within the local ecosystem.”
Park rangers found the trash off of Walker Road up a hill near the Smith River. That part of Redwoods National Park is shared with California’s Redwoods State Parks. Together, the parks protect a section of Northern California famous for its massive redwood trees. The protected area is over 130,00 acres. The trees in the park tower sky high and can easily reach a height of more than 200 feet. Some even grow over 350 feet.
The Impact of Illegal Garbage Dump
Trash is already a big issue in national parks. Illegal garbage dumping only makes it worse.
Leave No Trace (LNT), a nonprofit focused on promoting responsible outdoor recreation and preventing litter in sensitive ecosystems, has calculated the amount of trash found in national parks. They report that visitors create more than 100 million pounds of waste annually. And that only accounts for recreational visitors. It does not include cases like this one in Redwood, where someone deliberately used the forest to dump trash.
On LNT’s website, they say, “Disposing of waste properly is one of the most vital skills sets — and it’s not just a matter of keeping parks visually appealing.”
Common items left behind, like plastic bags and aluminum cans, can easily take 100 years to decompose. In comparison, items like shingles, which are meant to last a long time, can take up to 400 years to decompose. That means illegal dumping incidents like this pose a long-term threat to protected lands.
Anyone with information about the illegal dumping in Redwoods should call Ranger McKisson at 707-465-7455 or leave a tip anonymously at 707-465-7353.