It’s hard not to love this kid’s apology note for stealing a pine cone from a national park

Sometimes when we’re in the forest, we have the impulse to pick up a pine cone, or an acorn, or a flower, or any number of beautiful pieces of nature, to bring home with us. It probably doesn’t feel like a big deal to take something like that from the forest, but to one kid it did. Said kid returned a stolen pine cone with what is very easily the world’s sweetest apology note. Thanks to his note, we also learned a little something about nature and preservation.

The note reads: “To Whom it May Concern: I took a pine cone out of the forest and I wanted to return it. I hope it will be placed near the General Grant tree because that is where I took it. I am sorry for my decision. Thank you.”  

Feelings!

When the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park received this note, they put it up on their Facebook. Not only did it bring some much-needed adorableness into our lives, it also provided an important teaching moment about taking things from the forest floor.

The park explains that it’s “actually against park rules” to take things like pine cones (or sequoia cones, as it turns out this bad boy is) from the parks. Why’s that? For a very good reason! “The animals need their nibbles and the area needs the seeds and vegetation. Also, cones and other plants deteriorate and help to create soil in this rocky environment.” Makes total sense to us and we will definitely keep that in mind next time we head into the woods for a hike.

Facebook users are applauding this kid’s parents for raising a conscientious and respectful human.

We totally agree and are also very thankful to this mystery kid. By mystery-kid returning the sequoia cone, we learned an important lesson about respecting nature too.