+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
Heroes

This Instagrammer is unapologetically shaming people into protecting California's Joshua Trees.

This Instagrammer is unapologetically shaming people into protecting California's Joshua Trees.
Photo by Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons

Joshua Tree National Park, an 800,000-acre nature preserve located about 130 miles east of Los Angeles, made news earlier this year as a victim of the 35-day government shutdown.

During the shutdown, many of the park rangers and staff were furloughed, leaving a large portion of the sprawling park unattended. This opened the pristine landscape to vandalism, camp fires, and illegal off-roading.

A few of the park’s iconic Joshua trees were destroyed during the shutdown as well.

Even though the shutdown is over and the park is fully staffed, the massive reserve is still susceptible to damage created by its visitors and their pets.

The park's namesake are its spiky trees with whirling branches that resemble vegetation in a Dr. Suess book. Joshua Trees can live to about 150 years, but some of the park’s largest trees may be much older.

Although they are called trees, the Joshuas are actually succulents with shallow root systems, so they're easily be damaged by people climbing, hanging, or pulling yoga poses on their limbs.

To help preserve the National Park’s fragile desert environment, an Instagmmer by the name of @JohsuaTreeHatesYou (JTHY) has been calling out tourists who disrespect the park rules via the “gospel of shame.”

JTHY’s favorite targets are tourists striking yoga poses while trampling on the delicate landscape in an attempt to spirituality signal their way into Instagram likes.

"Gone are the days of climbers and hikers who are familiar with nature and experience it to get away from the world, and without leaving a footprint," the anonymous Instagrammer told Upworthy via email.

"This new era of tourists come for the fashion show and Instagram likes," they continued. "They couldn't care less about destroying the place they claim to have had a 'magical' experience" in."

Although some may disagree with JTHY’s condescending, aggressive tone, we can all agree the Instagrammer is doing right by calling attention to the importance of preserving this delicate ecosystem.

After dutifully shaming Instagrammers for their photos in the comments section, JTHY will often educate them on the Joshua Tree:

Yucca brevifolia is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, Yucca Palm, Tree Yucca, and Palm Tree Yucca.

Joshua Trees only grow in one place on Earth- the Mojave Desert (southeast California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.) The root system of a Joshua tree is incredibly shallow. Repeated abuse by tourists, (over three million visitors a year,) is slowly causing their demise, bringing them closer to being added to the endangered list. Joshua trees take roughly 60 years to mature, and can live up to 500+ years! The trunk consists of thousands of small fibers, and lacks annual growth rings. Its top-heavy weight is a recipe for disaster due to its shallow roots.

Hanging, climbing, sitting, swinging, standing, leaning, touching, hugging, supporting your yoga poses, hanging hammocks (or anything else,) on these PROTECTED succulents- (Joshua trees are not actually trees,) are all violations of County and City law…Not to mention incredibly dangerous for the Joshua trees themselves. Any sort of weight or pressure on the branch of a Joshua tree can cause it to break or fall over completely. See a dead one? Leave that alone as well. Dead trees become habitats for local wildlife whether they are still standing or on the ground.

Please be mindful and refrain from contributing to their extinction - you are NOT the ONLY person thinking it may be a “good idea” to use a Joshua tree as an Instagram photo prop!

Here are just a few of JTH's posts along with their comments.

"Just get over yourself already. A protected plant is actually more important than your Instagram likes... Smh. The fuck is wrong with people. "

[rebelmouse-image 19345984 dam="1" original_size="467x519" caption="via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram" expand=1]via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Well at least we know who's responsible.... For deleting comments instead of their dumb photo.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Anyone want to gift this lady a scholarship to Zoolander's School for Kids who can't read good? I'll never understand assholes like these...

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Submitted by a loyal follower, and simply hysterical.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Oh... You know... Just throwing hatchets at Joshua Trees.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Actions such as hanging from branches, climbing, sitting on branches, leaning on branches, supporting your yoga poses on trunks, hanging hammocks from branches, and standing on these PROTECTED trees are all things that are incredibly dangerous for them. They are in fact, a succulent- not a tree. Their roots are shallow, and repeated abuse by tourists, dangered list, which is why they are PROTECTED BY LAW.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Dead or alive, we prefer to have our trees standing if possible. It looks pretty, others can enjoy it, and animals can continue to use it as their habitat and as a safe place away from predators. If you want to claim something, learn to rock climb. There are plenty of organizations and guides that will help you on your journey.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Joshua Tree National Park is not here for you to have a 30 second "spiritual experience" while posing for an Instagram photo. Protected wildlife is not there as a photo prop. You can't handle this, then please venture elsewhere. The desert deserves better.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

When your soul is darker than a black steer's tuckus on a moonless prairie night. Actions such as hanging from branches, climbing, sitting on branches, leaning on branches, supporting your yoga poses on trunks, hanging hammocks from branches, and standing on these PROTECTED trees are all things that are incredibly dangerous for them.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Please don't dump paint all over the rocks.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

@subaru_usa pulling a @reebokclassics and using Joshua Tree abuse to promote their product. Did you have a permit to film? No. A ranger would not have let. This happen.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Pretty much over this whole "I abuse Joshua Trees because it's Christmas" bs.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Work on your balance, don't endanger a Joshua Tree. SO tired of these cliché tourist photos. Smh.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Karen A. and Karen B. seem to think that posing on Joshua Trees is cool. You suck, Karens. Most of the submissions we receive are like this--copycat "models" doing anything for Instagram likes. The is a national park, respect it, you fucking plebs.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Shout out to @what.joshua.trees.think for this amazing post

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Please don't litter in #jtnp, there are designated trash receptacles available in multiple campgrounds. Keep your #trash off our trees.

via JoshuaTreeHatesYou / Instagram

Posts that make their way to the feed come only after multiple attempts to inform the "park violator" of their misdeeds.

"Before any post is made, featuring a park or Joshua Tree violation, we make multiple attempts at polite education," JTHY told Upworthy. "If they STILL refuse to be educated, delete comments and block people, then their photo is captioned and posted. The entire goal is to get them to delete their post before it comes to this."

JTHY's game of Instagram whack-a-mole is important because every time someone posts a photo of themselves hurting the national park's natural landscape it's like pouring gasoline on a fire.

"Destroying Joshua Trees out of ignorance has become an Instagram craze and an enormous problem," JTHY told Upworthy. "It's quite literally an Instagram fad to take a photos while hanging and/or climbing on Joshua Trees. So if that post stays up, more people see it, and the fad continues to perpetuate itself."

[rebelmouse-image 19346000 dam="1" original_size="924x568" caption="via Jessie Eastland / Wikimedia Commons" expand=1]via Jessie Eastland / Wikimedia Commons

From Your Site Articles
Badge
Prudential
Prudential
Sponsored

Meet the 18-year-old advocating for teen mental health, one inspiring podcast at a time

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
From Your Site Articles
heroes
Health

Artists got fed up with these 'anti-homeless spikes.' So they made them a bit more ... comfy.

"Our moral compass is skewed if we think things like this are acceptable."

Photo courtesy of CC BY-ND, Immo Klink and Marco Godoy

Spikes line the concrete to prevent sleeping.


These are called "anti-homeless spikes." They're about as friendly as they sound.

As you may have guessed, they're intended to deter people who are homeless from sitting or sleeping on that concrete step. And yeah, they're pretty awful.

The spikes are a prime example of how cities design spaces to keep homeless people away.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

A-ha's stripped-down, slowed-down performance of 'Take On Me' is a must-see

The slower tempo and simple instrumentation creates a sadder, more haunting version of the 80s monster hit.

a-ha/YouTube

A-ha performing live for MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice

According to NPR—and the ABBA blaring from my young adult daughter's headphones—we're in the midst of an 80s music revival. As a Gen Xer who came of age in the 80s, I think most of that decade should stay locked in a time capsule, but there are a few songs that have managed to remain timeless despite the synthesizers and bad hair.

A-ha's "Take On Me" is one of them. Despite its consummately-80s sound, the song with the famous sketch animated video is still enjoyable (if not a little earwormy—good luck once it gets stuck in your head).

But a lesser-known 2017 arrangement of the song is actually, miraculusly, even better. A-ha performed "Take On Me" for an MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice album, and it's significantly different than the original. The Norwegian band filmed the performance live on the island of Giske, dropping the electric piano as well as the tempo for a stripped-down version that has become a fan favorite. As of this writing, the video has 97 million views on YouTube.

Keep ReadingShow less
music
Pop Culture

Dad challenges his Gen Z daughter to figure out 3 things about a U-haul truck

The look on her face when she sees the manual window.

@davidcsmalley/TikTok

But can she start it?

David C. Smalley, a comedian and podcaster, regularly gives us some generational humor by exposing his 19-year-old daughter Talissa to relics of the past. You know, things like CDs, phonebooks, remote controllers…feeling old yet?

Recently, Smalley challenged Talissa with navigating a standard U-Haul storage truck. She had to 1) unlock the door 2) roll down a window and 3) start the engine.

For those of us who grew up before the 90s, this might sound like the easiest challenge ever. But apparently, for Gen Z, it’s like being asked to maneuver a horse and buggy.
Keep ReadingShow less
comedy
Family

A dad dressed as Darth Vader to wake up his son. The kid's reaction is pure 'Star Wars.'

"I am your father!"


Dads are ridiculous. But perhaps, in the world today, there is no dad quite so ridiculous as Rob Lopez:


Photo via Rob Lopez/YouTube.


On a morning not too long ago, Lopez apparently had the following thought: "I'm going to dress up as Darth Vader and wake up my 2-year-old."

Photo via Rob Lopez/YouTube.


Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Some people talk about changing the world. These young people are actually doing it.

From tackling maternal mortality in Cameroon to fighting food insecurity in the U.S., these "Goalkeepers" are making their mark on global development goals.

Photo by Chris Farber/Getty Images for Gates Archive

The 2023 Goalkeepers Awards honored activists from opposite sides of the globe.

The past two centuries have seen humanity transform into a truly interconnected global community. Like any community, we have our virtues and strengths as well as our challenges that require collective effort to overcome.

The United Nations created 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to help us focus our efforts on vital areas of concern, including poverty, gender equality, education, food security, health, climate and more. And every year since then, changemakers have arisen to meet those goals in various ways. Some of these changemakers are already leaders on the world stage, from heads of state to global celebrities. But others are grassroots activists doing incredible work on the ground to move us toward meeting our SDG targets by the 2030 deadline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Man who never had a pet before found the most adorable best friend in a rescue kitty

His cat even has a carrying pouch so she can go on errands.

The Dodo|Facebook

Man finds adorable best friend after never having a pet

Not everyone gets to grow up with pets so they don't get the first hand knowledge of how it feels to love an animal. Sure, they may have experience with friends' or family members' pets but that's not the same as caring for one under your own roof. The memories and mini serotonin boosts you get when pets snuggle up to you on a hard day are missed by those who never own a pet.

Up until recently, Caleb had been in the "never had a pet" camp, then one day he found a tiny little kitten. He knew when he saw how little and helpless she was that he just had to rescue the sweet baby.

"I was walking home and I looked down and there was this little kitten," Caleb told The Dodo. "I feel chosen, this is my first pet."

He named the itty bitty kitty, Nala Jaye and takes her everywhere he possibly can.

Keep ReadingShow less
cat videos
Trending Stories