KarunaNews Story

As autumn is fully underway across the US, fall foliage tourism is overwhelming state parks across the Northeast. While this influx of visitors boosts the local economy, their impact on natural spaces has not gone unnoticed. In New Hampshire this weekend, a group of local friends paid a visit to Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains. But unlike the thousands of tourists, they weren’t there to see the changing leaves. They were there to clean up trash left behind by tourists. From water bottles to dirty diapers, the pair picked up countless items in just one morning. “Just seeing the photos, and us working in the Notch and seeing all of the people who’ve come through the tram, we’ve just realized that no one wants to go up there when there’s trash everywhere,” Siobhan Smith said. “I think just having pride in our community and seeing how beautiful it can be without garbage is truly important.”