If you consider yourself an influencer, think twice about visiting Pomfret, Vermont, this fall. Residents are tired of influencers, their friends, and the problems they’re causing.
The community is taking action to protect its roads, private lands, and the epic views of fall foliage.
Today, we’ll see how some disrespectful influencers have pushed the buttons of this small town.
Vermont Town Closes Road Due to Influencers
You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of Pomfret, Vermont. It has approximately 4,000 residents and is only a few miles from the state’s border with New Hampshire. While it sits quietly most of the year, the landscape comes alive with color during the fall.
It was once a hidden gem for fall foliage lovers, but unfortunately, word quickly spread as influencers tagged the location on social media.
What started as innocent and respectful photographs documenting the landscape changed. Those desperate to get likes ignored private property markers, blocked roadways, and left trash behind.
Local officials received numerous complaints from those along Cloudland Road, one of the most popular photography spots. As a result, they voted to restrict access to residents only during the season’s peak. Sorry, influencers, you’ll need to find somewhere else to snap those selfies from September to October.
What Are Influencers?
Influencers are individuals who have garnered a large online following. The name comes from their ability to influence many people regarding behaviors, opinions, and purchases. Many consider them experts or authorities in a particular niche, such as fashion, fitness, technology, or travel.
You can find influencers on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. However, there are also many bloggers and podcasters. Their audience typically can range from the hundreds of thousands to millions.
Are Influencers Ruining It for the Rest of Us?
Unfortunately, some influencers will do almost anything “for the ‘gram.” This has led to the term “Instagram tourism,” where individuals venture into remote and fragile ecosystems. Sadly, these influencers and their followers typically show little concern for disturbing wildlife or landscapes.
Once an epic location gets tagged on social media, it’s only a matter of time before it gets overrun. Sadly, while some are more respectful and responsible than others, the land gets destroyed, and trash gets left behind. This can severely damage the area’s natural beauty and cause issues for the local community.
As you can imagine, residents and officials won’t likely tolerate these behaviors for long. They’ll often create rules and regulations that restrict access to particular areas. When individuals get caught violating the laws, they can receive fines and other penalties.
The rise of influencers is ruining it for those of us who respect the land and people’s property. As they say, a few bad apples can ruin the whole bunch.
How to Be a Respectful Influencer in Nature
If you’re an influencer or considering it, always be respectful, especially in nature. Here are several things you can do to make sure you don’t cause problems for others while in nature.
HOT TAKE
So where are the original RV influencers now? Let’s take a look.
Educate Yourself
Before heading out into nature as an influencer, it’s a good idea to educate yourself. If not, you could be in a dangerous or even deadly situation.
Be aware of the wildlife and vegetation that live in a particular area. If you’ll be adventuring in bear country, it’s a good idea to have bear spray readily accessible.
Some areas have poisonous plants and vegetation. Consuming or coming in contact with them can cause a negative experience for you or anyone with you. Being aware of the dangers can help you to know how to prepare.
Leave No Trace
Part of educating yourself includes getting familiar with Leave No Trace principles. These are guidelines designed for humans to minimize their impact on natural environments. You can preserve an area by following the seven Leave No Trace principles.
Some essential principles include disposing of waste properly, leaving what you find, and minimizing campfire impacts. Getting familiar with and following these ideas ensures trails and other outdoor spaces are available for future generations.
Stay Quiet
Part of being in nature is enjoying the birds chirping, the breeze blowing, and various other natural noises. The last thing anyone wants to hear while you’re searching for an epic shot for Instagram is your Spotify playlist blaring from a Bluetooth speaker.
Try to remain as quiet as possible when you’re out in nature. This allows others to appreciate the environment and increases your chances of spotting wildlife. Many wildlife take off when they hear loud noises like music, laughter, and conversations. So stay quiet, appreciate the views, and watch for wildlife.
Follow Marked Trails
Hiking a trail can be an incredible opportunity for influencers to capture pictures, videos, and other content. However, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is venturing off marked trails. Not only does this unnecessarily damage plants and vegetation, but it also puts the influencer in danger.
If someone wanders off the trail and gets lost or hurt, it will be hard for rescuers to find them. It may be impossible, depending on how far off the path they walked. Do yourself, park rangers, and the vegetation a favor, and always follow marked trails.
Keep Distance from Wildlife
We’ve seen plenty of tourists in national and state parks attempting to get too close to wildlife. It’s easy to forget that you’re not in a zoo, and the animals you view are wild and dangerous. If you’re not careful, they’ll have no problem reminding you.
While a selfie with a bison may ignite a fury of likes on your account, it can land you in the hospital. Bison are tough, quick, and powerful animals that often have no patience for humans.
They’ll toss you in the air, stomp on you, and continue eating grass as if nothing happened. Trust us; no selfie is worth a horn piercing your side.
Respect Private Property
One of the biggest reasons Pomfret locals were upset was because tourists weren’t respecting private property. What started as innocent individuals driving the road and taking pictures got out of control. Influencers were flying drones, blocking roads, and jumping fences to capture images.
Not only is this disrespectful and rude, but it’s illegal. The last thing you want in pursuing an epic Instagram picture is to find yourself face-to-face with an angry landowner. Many of these owners don’t take too kindly to trespassers and will press charges.
Lead By Example
If you want to continue to be able to take pictures in epic locations, lead by example. The golden rule applies here. Treat others how you want them to treat you.
While it may not be a big deal for one individual to engage in a behavior, imagine if 100 or even 10,000 others followed your example.
Set the example that you want others to follow. This may mean picking up trash left behind by others and following the rules. Don’t be the reason locals create regulations or restrictions.
Don’t Ruin Experiences for Others
As we mentioned, leading by example is incredibly important. You don’t want to be responsible for ruining the experience for others. The residents of Pomfret were patient at first, but things got out of hand.
Could your favorite photography location be next? If you’re one of the disrespectful influencers, it very well could be.
Have you had trouble with influencers trying to get the perfect photo?
