A bag of Cheetos created a huge impact on a national park ecosystem

Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It’s pretty simple — leave no trace. But at least one person didn’t get the message and left behind a bag of Cheetos at Carlsbad Caverns National Park during a visit earlier this summer. Seems trivial? Hardly. Rangers describe it as a “world changing” event for the tiny microbes that call this specialized subterranean environment home. It took a ranger about 20 minutes to carefully scoop up the mess and use a bamboo toothbrush to remove mold that had started to grow on the cavern floor and on nearby cave formations. From deep underground in New Mexico to lagoons in Florida, park rangers and volunteers collect tons of trash left behind by visitors each year to keep unique ecosystems from being compromised.