Are Balloons A New Thing To Think Twice About In Wyoming?

It doesn't take much to get a kid excited.

A simple balloon tied to their wrist will bring them joy.

It will also crush them if something happens and the balloon gets away and floats off to who know where.

If you've seen any of the "IT" movies, you know that balloons can be sign for trouble.

Around Wyoming, that simple "Get Well Soon", "Happy Birthday" or "Carnival" balloon could actually be a problem causing bigger issues that just disappointment when it floats away.

In a recent Instagram post, Wyoming Wilderness Association posted a video of a rouge balloon catching their policy director, Sarah Walker, by surprise in Fitzpatrick Wilderness near Dubois.

Over the years I’ve found more balloon carcasses in the wilderness than I’d care to guess. We talk a lot about leaving no trace when visiting wilderness areas, but it’s important to remember that our everyday actions like what we choose to buy and consume directly impact our environment and wilderness areas.

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According to BalloonFacts.org, balloons have been spreading joy since the early 1820's and come in a couple different forms, latex and foil.

Always keep these tips from balloonfacts.org in mind when dealing with balloons

• Never release a balloon outdoors
• Helium-filled balloons always need to be weighted.
• Don’t tie helium-filled foil balloons together in a cluster before tying to a weight. Be sure they are all individually secured to the weight.
• Never tie a metallic ribbon to a helium-filled foil balloon
• Call the power company if you see balloons entangled in power lines.
• Properly dispose of balloons in a trash (or recycling!) bin after deflating.

Latex Balloons are biodegradable because they are made from organic material. Not saying it's ok to release them into the air, but you should properly dispose of them.

The procedure to get rid of a latex balloon, should go like this:

Pop the balloon with a pin or needle and place it into your trash receptacle. If you have a compost pile, they can be tossed in there too.

Foil balloons are a bit different.

Foil balloons are made from metalized neon and aren't biodegradable. These are your typical "Happy Birthday" "Get Well Soon" "Happy Anniversary" balloons you can purchase.

One way to take care of these balloons is to repurpose them. They can be pieced together and made into an emergency blanket for your survival kit, art work or crafts.

The best part of the foil balloons, they can be reused many times. If you carefully deflate the balloon, you can put new helium in the balloon and use it again.