“The wild places are where we began. When they end, so do we.” -David Brower
Instagram has a downside. No, not the increase of narcissism. Geotagging!
The photo site’s popularity has caused a lot of fragile, rarely visited areas to become overcrowded, and in turn, at risk of degradation and destruction.
To mitigate this threat to precious land, the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board launched a campaign to help educate visitors about the issue and asks them to curtail the geotagging of Jackson Hole’s pristine natural environment. Called Tag Responsibly, the program reaches people where they experience the beauty of the area and encourages them to act to preserve it.
“With two national parks at our doorstep and acres of wild spaces, we see this problem firsthand, every day,” said Kate Sollitt, executive director of JHTTB. “We needed to offer a solution and help spread the spirit of conservation that is so important to us.”
The Tag Responsibly campaign provides Instagrammers about to geotag Jackson Hole’s pristine natural amenities with the alternative, generic location tag: Tag Responsibly, Keep Jackson Hole Wild. Instead of seeing the exact location of the photo, their followers will see this unexpected call to action.
“We want to share the beauty of Jackson Hole and inspire more people to experience it, but we also want them to join in our efforts to preserve it,” said Sollitt.
The campaign, developed by creative agency Colle McVoy, is part of Jackson Hole’s Stay Wild movement. Launched in 2017, the campaign uniquely showcases the wild and authentic spirit of Jackson Hole, and combines a message of preservation, conservation and culture into a simple but powerful call to action, urging locals and tourists to help keep Jackson Hole raw, rugged and wild.
You know what else will help keep Jackson Hole wild?
Learning how to hike in bear country.
