Crater Lake
Crater Lake National Park seen on July 19, 2015. (Mike Zacchino/Staff)
President Donald Trump's first full week in office included a rare moment in the social media limelight for the National Park Service.
Not only did multiple news outlets report that Trump called the director of the park service to help him find evidence that his inauguration was better attended than Barack Obama's, but a parks Twitter account briefly made national news.
Tweets from Badlands National Park's account went viral after the account posted climate change facts, then the tweets were promptly deleted.
In the wake, alternative National Park accounts sprouted up like the jagged rock formations that define the South Dakota landmark.
Chas Hundley, a journalist who edits two hyperlocal news sites in rural Washington County, was curious who was behind the alternative accounts that were quickly landing huge followings on Twitter.
So, as Hundley explained in a Medium piece, he set up the @AltCraterLakeNP handle on Twitter. He reached out to one of the "Alt-Government" lists compiling the fake accounts, and set up a brief bio making clear he was not a government employee.
He was in.
"In moments of being added to the list, people started following the account. Dozens, then hundreds," Hundley wrote on Medium.
The Society of Environmental Journalists drew attention to the site, and the list of followers grew and grew to more than 7,700.
He tweeted, "Joining the #Resistance with @AltYosemiteNPS, @AltVolcanoes_NP, @AltNatParkSer, and more! #ClimateChangeIsReal"
The experiment was a success, but he doesn't want to lead people astray.
It was evidence of the polarizing world we live in today. "People will follow anything as long as it fits their narrative," he said.
Hundley was quickly a part of an internet craze, and no one seemed to care who was behind it.
"Not a single person has sent the account a message questioning who is behind the account," he said on Medium.
Hundley said he doesn't know what to do with the account next.
The dozens of fake National Park accounts have tens of thousands of followers and a huge megaphone to publish whatever they'd like.
What does Hundley have in mind? "Perhaps I'll continue tweeting climate science tweets. Perhaps I'll transfer the account to a Russian propagandist. Perhaps some of the other accounts will, too."
Check out the full piece on Medium.
-- Andrew Theen
atheen@oregonian.com
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@andrewtheen