“I love nature, and, therefore, I am an avid park visitor. I spend time in local community parks as well as national parks in other states. I cannot seem to get enough of the beauty in the world; no place is ever the same. However, on a recent visit to a local park, I was greeted with spray-painted graffiti and litter sprinkled across the ground.”
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I love nature, and, therefore, I am an avid park visitor.

I spend time in local community parks as well as national parks in other states.

I cannot seem to get enough of the beauty in the world; no place is ever the same.

However, on a recent visit to a local park, I was greeted with spray-painted graffiti and litter sprinkled across the ground.

Needless to say, I was upset.

It is not uncommon for people to complain about how their tax dollars are spent.

It simply does not make sense for some of these same people, then, to deface the parks that their tax dollars are wasted on.

What was once a gorgeous escape into nature becomes a sad reminder of the lack of respect of our generation.

The particular park I was visiting is well known for its rock formations and caves.

There are carvings in the stone that date back to the late 1800s.

These carvings, however, are far different from the spray-paintings that have marred the rocks.

While it takes hours to hand-etch a name and date in stone, spray-paint takes only minutes.

The etchings are the same color as the rock while the paint spans the entire spectrum of the rainbow.

The colors are not as upsetting as the content itself.

Etchings are often names and dates while the spray paint is often illegible.

The paintings that bother me the most are the numerous peace signs.

The symbol is often associated with hippies.

Ironically, the sign of the nature-loving hippies is now ruining nature.

In the end, the paintings show a complete lack of thought and a lack of concern for anyone else.

Not only did the graffiti take away from the natural experience of the park, but the ground was littered with water, beer and sport drink bottles.

This cannot be blamed on a lack of trash cans-there are plenty scattered throughout the park.

It is instead due to a lack of respect for others as well as nature.

There were bottles tucked away in caves and thrown off the path.

Not to mention that if one was really interested in saving the environment and enjoying nature, they would be carrying a reusable water bottle.

I understand that the public park is just that: public.

However, I wish that the public who decided to use the park would use it for its actual purpose.

Graffiti should be kept to man-made objects that can be replaced.

Trash should be placed where it will be removed by park employees and not on the ground.

Unless you can follow those simple ideals, you leave the parks to those who respect them.

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