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If You Drop a Bag of Cheetos…

When a visitor dropped a bag of Cheetos on the floor of a cave, big problems emerged.

An empty, crumpled Cheetos bag lies on the floor of a cave.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

A Cheetos bag sat on the floor of a cave, causing many problems before officials cleaned up the crumbs.

How bad is it to drop one piece of garbage on the ground? When an empty bag of Cheetos (a cheesy corn snack) ended up on the floor of a cave, it turned out to be a very big deal.

The bag was discovered inside a cave at Carlsbad Caverns, a national park in New Mexico. Each year about 500,000 people visit Carlsbad Caverns. They’re not supposed to bring food into the caves, which are full of delicate life forms.

“A spilled snack bag may seem [unimportant], but to the life of the cave it can be world changing,” a National Park Service (NPS) official wrote on Facebook.

A large amount of mold has grown on the floor of a cave.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Mold grew where a bag of Cheetos was dropped in a cave.

Inside the humid (moist) cave environment, the dust and crumbs from the Cheetos bag began to soften. Mold (a type of fungus) began to grow on the Cheeto dust. Crickets, mites, spiders, and flies came to eat the mold and ended up spreading it around to other parts of the cave. Luckily, cave experts at the park were able to clean up the mess, using a toothbrush and other tools.

But while this problem was solved, experts say people need to be careful about what they leave behind. Every environment contains ecosystems, or communities of living things that are connected and depend on one another. Litter can upset the balance of an ecosystem and affect many life forms.

People who visit U.S. national parks create millions of tons of trash every year. The NPS says park visitors should leave no trace, which means that when they leave the parks, there should be no sign they were ever there. 

After all, if one bag of Cheetos makes such a difference, think of what many tons of trash can do!

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Fun Fact

A map shows all the cave passages within and beyond Mammoth Cave National Park and a surveyor explores and maps one of the cave’s passages.

National Park Service, Rick Olson/NPS; Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

So far, scientists like the one in the photo have measured 426 miles (686 kilometers) of passages in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave system. It would take at least five days to walk through all those passages!

Leave No Trace

A child uses a large bottle of water to put out a campfire.

© Igor/stock.adobe.com

Make sure all campfires are out completely before walking away!

It’s a good idea to be aware of how your actions can affect living things. Leaving no trace means enjoying nature without changing it.

Whether you’re in a city park, in a national park, on a beach, or at a campsite, here are some ways you can leave no trace.

  • Don’t touch wild animals or pick plants. Take photos instead!
  • Don’t feed wild animals.
  • If your pets chase other animals, leave them at home.
  • If you are camping, set up your campsite at least 200 feet (60 meters) away from riverbanks. Many living things depend on rivers.
  • Do not wash dishes in or near rivers and lakes. Dish soap can harm the environment.
  • If possible, use existing toilets instead of using nature.
  • Many campsites have firepits or camping stoves. Don’t build a fire if there is no firepit.
  • Always put out campfires completely.
  • Don’t litter.
  • Take home your garbage and leftover food.

Cave Magic

A flashing GIF shows six different caves with crystals and other features.

© Helgidinson, Kaido Rummel, Vinicius Tupinamba/Dreamstime.com, © jeremyabaxter, Joshua/stock.adobe.com, © wedekiba—iStock/Getty Images; Animation Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Caves aren’t just openings under the ground. They can develop into huge systems of “rooms” and contain amazing features like crystals. You can learn more about caves at Britannica!

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Word of the Day

stalagmite

Part of speech:

noun

Definition:

: a pointed piece of rock that sticks up from the floor of a cave and that is formed by dripping water that contains minerals

Definitions provided by
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