2016 is the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service, and there has been a lot of hype about this in the media. What is garnering even more attention are the actions of numerous tourists in Yellowstone National Park who are making some really poor decisions.

Yellowstone National Park is the nation’s first national park, founded in 1872, and over the years, millions have visited. Over the last month or so there have been a slew of incidents involving tourists getting too close to wildlife. While every year there are incidents involving wildlife, this year is really getting out of control before the season has even peaked.

These events began with the bison calf which was put in the back of a car because tourists thought it looked cold and then later had to be euthanized because it was rejected by its herd. In the weeks since tourists have tried to pet bison, a woman was killed by a car while trying to take a photo of a bald eagle. A photographer was charged by an elk after getting too close, and another woman got dangerously close to a mother black bear and her two cubs for a picture.

Watching these completely preventable events occur is frustrating to say the least, but it is important to educate tourists from these experiences to prevent future incidences. Below is an open letter to tourists planning to visit Yellowstone in the future:

Dear Tourists,

Welcome! We are excited to have you here and hope your experience can be memorable and will shape the way you view natural resources in years to come. The following are some tips and guidelines to ensure the safety of all and the preservation of the landscape.

1. Do not approach wildlife.

Park guidelines state that the safe distance from large animals is 25 feet. This distance increases to 100 feet in the case of bears and wolves.

2. Stay on the marked paths.

Robert Frost was not visiting a national park when he took the path less traveled. Please stick to the marked boardwalks and paths. Your footprint could leave a lasting impact that generations to come will have to see instead of the wondrous landscape they traveled for.

3. Your photo-op should not be your primary concern.

Your camera is not a shield that will protect you from being charged or gored by a wild animal. Place your personal safety over your photo-op, use a zoom lens or enhance the shot on a computer. Getting closer to wild animals is not okay.

4. The park is the animals' home.

While wild animals are free to come and go as they please from the park, it is important to remember that as a tourist you are visiting their home. You are a guest in this place and as such should respect a safe distance with wildlife so they can continue doing their wild animal thing. Please do not litter, feed the animals or vandalize the land with your initials and a heart.

5. In case of emergency contact 911 or the park service.

This really is common sense but everyone can use the reminder.

Once again, we are super excited for you to be visiting this incredible national resource and hope you will use common sense to make your visit remarkable. If you have questions, ask the park rangers.

Wishing you happy trails!

I grew up visiting Yellowstone, usually through the Northern entrance with the Roosevelt Arch which boldly states, “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” I value the opportunity to be in the wilderness and believe that it is something all people should experience at some point in their life. I truly think that getting outdoors benefits all people and if you are smart and follow the rules in place it’s easy to enjoy your time. Wilderness experiences are fun, humbling, and extremely memorable but they also inspire people to care about conservation and the natural world. For these reasons, I encourage everyone to explore the National Park System (especially the ones in Montana, but I’m biased) because the Earth can always use more advocates. But, if you are going to visit the parks, please use some common sense especially when interacting with wildlife.

Click here to visit the safety page for Yellowstone National Park.