*Which is to say, exactly the right amount of fun
Anyone who’s done a significant amount of outdoorsy stuff knows that outdoorsy people are generally both really weird and really fun. (Real outdoorsy people, not the Guy Who’s Been Camping Three Times And Wants To Tell You How Awesome He Is While Leaving Jelly Packets In The Fire Pit But Not Burning Them. That guy’s just a dick.) They tend to be hard to ruffle and easy to get along with, and they generally have good stories and good… snacks.
(A note about the Guy mentioned above, though: If he hadn’t left those jelly packets there, I might not have gotten to see black bears on the Appalachian Trail, so it’s not like he was totally worthless.)
With all that in mind, it’s only to be expected that some of the government’s funnest social media accounts would be personned by some of its outdoorsiest people. And that’s why those outdoorsy people get their own special follow-up to our previous post about government social media teams having, realistically, exactly as much fun as they should be having.
National Park Service
The National Park Service is one of the most consistently funny Twitter accounts the government has to offer, and informative to boot. You get historical tales, nature photos, and very important lessons about friendship. And fun facts about cuddly animals:
Or maybe not so cuddly. Also don’t sleep on the NPS’s Facebook if you’re looking for some all-pro Dad Puns about gourds.
Yellowstone Jobs
The Yellowstone National Park Jobs TikTok account is a winner for its artful blend of comedy, gorgeous vistas, and video of a 700-pound, testosterone-addled bull elk going head to head with a Hyundai Tucson and trotting away all, “That’s right, bitch, you’d better run.” Not to mention this handsome gent.
(And no, the bison are not animatronic.)
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is another great source of information to stay safe and happy in the outdoors. For instance, taunting volcanoes — don’t do it. And why not? Because it’s tacky. Glaciers? Probably safe to lick, but it’s better to not. Cougars?
(Also behold some A+, high-quality Photoshop work.)
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Regardless of your feelings about hunting, I think we can all appreciate the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s appreciation of hunting dogs all dressed up and ready to get to work:
MUNCHKIN.
The OKDWC is also a good source of all-caps wildlife facts. Oh, and apparently if the account’s currently pinned tweet gets a million likes, someone’s boss is going to have to name her baby “Armadillo,” so CGC Blog Readers, do y’all’s thing.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division
A note on the above story wherein I got to observe black bears on the Appalachian Trail thanks to Jelly Packet Asshat: When I observed them, they and we were on opposite sides of the chainlink fence surrounding the nice little shelters available at points along the AT. This is important because although black bears aren’t fans of starting shit if you don’t start shit first, it’s always better to keep your distance anyway, especially since the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division Twitter team taught me something about bear collarbones that has made me appreciate chain link fences:
And with video, too. (Of course, they’ve also posted video of a… different nature, so if you have young kids who are also peregrine falcons, this account might be a little bit on the adult side for them.) That said, GADNRWRD does appear to disagree with the National Park Service on certain pertinent topics.
Welcome to the great outdoors
Twitter being the increasingly virulent hellscape that it is, I encourage you to add any or all of these accounts to your social media rotation for a little breath of wholesome-yet-snarky fresh air from time to time, and occasionally a horned-up woodland creature or two but nobody’s perfect.
And as the weather warms and the outdoors beckon, should we ever encounter each other in the woods, say hi! I’d love to meet you. Just know that should it come to it, I will totally shove you in front of a bear. The NPS seems to be against it, but Georgia appears to be fine with it, and I’m too cute to die.