Hawaii residents living here BTI (Before The Internet) will remember when some parts of our islands were still idyllic, remote and relatively isolated, where one could rediscover the paradise we imagine our islands to be.

No longer. The trashing of Makua Beach on the Fourth of July weekend, publicized by frustrated state parks officials, reminds us of today’s uncomfortable reality — that public demand, fueled by social media, has forever breached the divide between Hawaii’s natural treasures and our ability to ruin them.

At a news conference Tuesday, state Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell displayed the aftermath of thousands of people — some say upwards of 3,000 — abusing the sparkling beach park on the Waianae Coast.

Large piles of trash and other detrius littered the beach and the side of the road; human waste was left in makeshift latrines and a porcelain toilet wedged in the trees; and rusty nails from illegal bonfires fueled by wooden pallets were pulled from the sand.

“The wilderness ethic is decaying and human activity is seriously damaging both natural and cultural resources,” Cottrell said.

The public should take Cottrell’s comments as a righteous warning: Clean up your act, or we will do it for you.

Indeed, Makua Beach has been closed indefinitely so it can be cleaned and disinfected. And officials with the state Parks Division want to make it more difficult to camp at Makua and neighboring Keawaula (Yokohama) beaches.

After the busy summer season has passed, officials are expected to propose the establishment of restricted camping areas to limit public access.

While nothing has been finalized, Makua would have about 20 campsites accommodating about 200 people, according to Dan Dennison, spokesman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Plans for Keawaula haven’t been drawn up yet. Fees would be charged, and permit holders held responsible for any damage.

It’s unfortunate that such restrictions may be necessary. But it’s become increasingly difficult to argue otherwise. The basic rules of communing with nature, taught to countless Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts — you leave the place better than you found it — seems lost on most people today.

Makua Beach is but one recent example. Others include:

>> Vandals scratched crosses into Kaniakapupu, the ruins of the summer palace of King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama, in Nuuanu.

>> About 2,400 pounds of trash, left by people camping illegally, were hauled out of Kalalau on Kauai’s Na Pali Coast in January and February.

>> An illegal swing next to the closed Haiku Stairs trail had to be removed by the Board of Water Supply at a cost of $23,000.

Like Makua, these once-remote sites have come within easy reach of the public through social media, which not only promote them as attractions, but provide detailed descriptions on how to get there. And like Makua, many of the people drawn to these sites seem to lack a necessary understanding of and respect for nature — not to mention basic hygiene.

The DLNR’s response to such vandalism, while necessary, should be a wake-up call for the public. We need to treat our public spaces, especially our natural treasures, with care and respect, and to encourage — nay, demand — that our neighbors do so as well.

Otherwise, our informal, easy relationship with the natural beauty around us will continue to become more formalized, with rules, restricted access and other barriers to protect the environment from our own carelessness.