280 hats recovered so far in 2026 from hydrothermal areas of Yellowstone National Park. (National Park Service photo by Margery Price, September 2026)
Yellowstone National Park’s geology team has pulled a record-setting amount of debris from the park’s fragile hydrothermal features so far in 2026, according to a report from the US Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. The team recovered six Invisalign retainers, 15 fake nails, numerous floss picks, and a lump of pink children’s slime that had fused to geyserite sinter pieces, as well as five AirPods, three Delta Airlines flight pins, an inhaler, a few golf tees and a single Uno card. She pointed to Upper Geyser Basin’s Morning Glory Pool as a cautionary example, noting it famously changed color in the twentieth century as a result of trash and items thrown in by visitors.
Among the hat haul, notable entries included a FIFA 2026 Men’s World Cup hat, a baseball cap reading “COWBOY HAT,” and a Roblox bucket hat from St. Margery Price, a physical science technician with the park’s Geology Program, said foreign material of any kind can damage or permanently alter a hydrothermal feature — by clogging its water supply, blocking or diverting its runoff channel, or polluting it with chemicals and sediment. Some finds were stranger. Kitts and Nevis. Collected hats are washed and donated to local organizations. Park officials say the cleanup is about more than aesthetics.
Park staff have previously gone as far as partially draining Morning Glory Pool to remove garbage and debris.
