Masks are flying off people’s faces and into Yellowstone geysers, officials say

People visiting Yellowstone National Park during the coronavirus pandemic are wearing masks — and they’re ending up in geysers.

Yellowstone National Park officials said wind gusts are causing masks to fly off faces and landing in the Midway Geyser Basin thermal area.

“On a single visit last week we came across 8 masks, 5 hats, 3 water bottles, and a pair of sunglasses,” the park said on a post on Facebook.

Because it’s often windy in the area there’s long been a problem with hats and trash blowing around, park officials said, but the face masks are new — courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2019, park officials found 16,406 pieces of trash and personal belongings in the thermal area. People cannot go retrieve their belongings from the thermal areas because it is too dangerous.

“It’s windy (and busy) at Midway Geyser Basin, so hold on to your hat/mask and stash your trash,” park officials said on Facebook. “Throw out your trash and secure your things before exploring the boardwalks to keep it clean!”

This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Masks are flying off people’s faces and into Yellowstone geysers, officials say."