A week after a young man died after he wandered far off a boardwalk in Yellowstone National Park's Norris Geyser Basin and fell into a hot spring, a Chinese visitor has been fined $1,000 for walking off a boardwalk in the park's Mammoth Hot Springs thermal area.
Park officials said the unnamed visitor was spotted walking on the terrace formantions near the Liberty Cap formation and collecting water from the thermal runoff. He also was seen breaking througth the fragile travertine crust, according to a park release.
A park ranger took the witness’ statement, photos, and location of the violation.
The subsequent law enforcement investigation identified the individual, who stated that he did not read the safety information given to him at the park entrance. He also admitted to collecting hot springs water. A federal violation notice requiring a mandatory appearance in the Yellowstone Justice Center Court was issued for off-boardwalk travel in a thermal area.
A week ago Colin Nathaniel Scott, 23, of Portland, Oregon, died when he and his sister wandered nearly 700 feet off a Norris Geyser Basin boardwalk and either slipped or fell into a hot spring near Porkchop Geyser. Rangers were unable to recover any of the man's remains from the hot spring, which was slightly acidic and had a temperature of around 199 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the most recent case, park rangers expressed their appreciation for the willingness of the witness to document and report the violation.
Park employees call on all visitors to protect their park and protect themselves. Regulations to stay on designated trails and boardwalks in thermal areas are for visitor safety and the safety of the exceptional park natural resources. Without visitor cooperation, park natural wonders will continue to be damaged and more individuals may be injured or killed. It is a violation of federal regulations to collect any park resources.
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Comments
YES!!! It's very ridiculous that it's come to that, but since so many people visit national parks and since too many these days think rules are just suggestions to be ignored, WHERE VERY IMPORTANT, like this case is, RULES NEED to be ENFORCED STRICTLY!!! It will be cost prohibitive to have enough park rangers to man this but retired people could be given room and board during busy seasons and trained to petrol areas where these types of crazy things keep happening. They could easily do the patrolling and passing out tickets, if necessary. Hopefully large signs and seeing people in a uniform present would deter, just as police present on highway do.
its about time! I repeated caution visitors, foreign and domestic about the safety issues they are breaking. I do report violators. If everyone looked out for the park's well being, we wouldn't have so many stupid tourist incidents.
Prople, please protect the parks and human beings who are too stupid to take care of themselves.
I did not think that some of these people need protecting. You are right, someone needs to look out for them, but not at the risk of the
rescuscer's saftey as someone else in need may truly need them.
He should be fined, he's describing the park, and putting himself as well as his potential rescuers in danger.
Kudos to the visitor that was able to get enough evidence for the park service to find the violator. With modern obsession of people using smart phones to take selfies, and photos of the wonders of the park, it's hopeful a few conscientious people would also take photos of those violating these critical rules and tattle on them. Maybe, if enough do so, word will get around that they may not get away with it, and have to pay a hefty fine, as well, and at least some visitors will let it be a deterrent. Of course, there are those who are going to break the rules, simply because, in their arrogance, they can break the rules.
I have spoken to Asian visitors who had food and drink on boardwalks clearly marked that they are prohibited. I think that if these people are on a tour, you also ought to fine the guide and/or tour company. Too many guides turn a blind eye to violations because they want a good tip at the end and don't care about what their tours do at each stop.
in my five years working at Yellowstone, I witnessed visitors doing may dangerous things. The biggest one is violating the rule of staying back away from the animals. Bears, Bison, Elk, Pronghorn,etc are wild animals. You are visiting their home. I think that if an employee says " Please stay back," guests need to listen because we know. We live there. We have been taught. I think fines need to be Enforced! Too many stupid thing this year and we are only in the second month of summer. I feel bad for the man who fell into the hot spring family, but if he was where he should have been and not where he and his sister were this accident would not have happened. A lot of things that happen in the park, many are avoided if people read the signs and newspaper. I hope that people start doing the things right instead of breaking the rules.
Is this the year of exceptional idiots visiting Yellowstone?
$1000 fine is not enough.
Damage from clowns like this take 10's to 100's of years to recover.
Make the fine $100,000 and 30-days community service.
Advertise the stupid and selfish people mug shots on social media.
PEOPLE NEED TO STOP BEHAVING LIKE THE RULES DON'T APPLY TO THEM.
A fine needs to be something the person can afford or it simply won't be paid. $1000? He can probably pay that. $100000? Almost certainly not.
I agree with the fine, but I don't see this as a solution. This is a fragile and precious area. And just like fine works of art in museums are closely monitored at all times, so should Yellowstone features. I feel it is time to end pedestrian free roaming on boardwalks and have strictly guided tours, where a given number of visitors are guided as a group by a NPS staff member/ranger and not allowed to tour these features unattended. Just my two cents.
Hit them where it hurts, and they are likely not to do it again. Flat fine of $1,000 for ANY/ALL visitors who violate National Park policies + $10,000.00 fine against tour company, if visitor is part of a tour. Repeat offenders (individuals/tour companies) permanently expelled from any/all National Parks. Two problems solved here: Drop in visitors who violate Park policies and increase in Park funding.
Laurie - no problem fining the individuals. Fining the tour company for an act committed by someone else that they have no (or at least limited) control over goes too far. It would be like fining a park ranger if someone broke a rule while he was on duty.
Last fall, while I was visiting West Thumb, I found myself picking up scads of trash --- mostly Kleenex type stuff --- that was being freely deposited by a horde of Chinese off a tour bus. I spoke to the tour leader, a Chinese gentleman. He said, "Yes. I am so embarrassed. I tell them and I tell them, but that is just not the way in China."
Even when I returned some tissues to their owners, I was met with uncomprehending looks. In China, there are apparently plenty of people with little brooms who keep the place clean. Gotta provide jobs somehow.
Which is why we shouldn't fine the tour operator.
Just returned from a six week tour of seven national parks in Utah and Arizona. Noticed that the Asian tourists ignored most all posted regulations. This included camping in picnic areas with no camping signs in plain view, as well as car camping overnight in parking lots posted the same. They appear to believe the rules don't apply to them. And, if fined, do they pay before they return home? Probably not.
I agree that the fine is not stiff enough. The tour company should be held responsible as well for the stupid acts that a few tourists do. Maybe if they would be aware of the stiff penalties that they would and should pay before going back to their homeland, they would be more respectful and obey the rules. If we were visiting their country, we would be expected to obey their rules and most likely if we did not, we would be jailed for not doing so.
It's time for Yellowstone to ban boardwalk closures; guests do NOT appreciate the natural beauty. Their stupidity will close natural settings for all.