Two women were fined and jailed for walking on the colorful bacterial mat surrounding Opal Pool in Yellowstone's Midway Geyser Basin/NPS, Diane Renkin file
Two Philadelphia women who ventured off a boardwalk in Yellowstone National Park's Midway Geyser Basin earlier this month and trampled the colorful bacterial mat that rings Opal Pool are each $457 lighter and spending two nights in jail after appearing before the federal magistrate in the park.
The women, Tara L. Davoli, 31, and Sarah A. Piotrowski, 30, also are banned from the park for two years, a period during which they'll be on unsupervised probation, U.S. Attorney Mark A. Klaassen said Thursday.
The mats that ring many of the hot springs and line geyser runoff channels in Yellowstone are formed by a bacterium called Thermocrinis, which is descended from ancient bacteria that metabolized hydrogen and oxygen, notes the park's website. "Its filaments entwine, forming mats. Flowing water carries other microbes, organic matter, and minerals that become caught in the streamers and add to the mat," the site adds.
According to the U.S. Attorney's office, the women were charged with being off trail on the orange bacterial mats surrounding Opal Pool on June 11. "Multiple witnesses observed the two walking on the feature and confronted them in an effort to get them to stop," the office said.
Along with being ordered to spend two nights in jail, Davoli and Piotrowski each were ordered to pay a $350 fine and restitution in the amount of $106.92 for damages to the thermal feature. The amount of restitution was based on a damage assessment conducted by the Yellowstone geologist and a thermal research crew.
“The rules in our National Parks are there for a reason - to protect visitors and the natural beauty we all want to experience and enjoy. Just taking a few steps off the boardwalk in a thermal area may seem harmless, but it can really damage the ecosystem and potentially put visitors in danger,” said Klaassen. “We support the National Park Service and park rangers who work to enforce these rules so we can all continue to enjoy amazing places like Yellowstone and preserve the park for future generations.”
Comments
Signs posted throughout the park should read: $5'000.00 fine and jail time for damaging anything in the park and/ or posted at entrance to National Parks
Too bad they weren't burned! So stupid and disrespectful.
Picking up trash along the road in Yellowstone is no punishmnet. Make them clean cabins, scoop ice cream all day, work in the old faithful gift shop, carry a bus load of 50 lb bags up to rooms, explain to people why the wifi/cell signal is lousy, explain why everything is so exspensive. In fact they should have to answer all complaints while trying to get their back breaking job done in 90 degree heat. They will never disrespect Yellowstone again or any other park for that matter.
I agree, Robert MacGrath; I agree! As someone who has had a little taste of that, I agree. There are too many spoiled, selfish, waste of skin people out there who want their park experience, want it all, want it now, and want it for as close to free as they can get it. Oh, they emphatically proclaim their interest in our national parks. They'll even get mad if you're too busy to stop and listen to their embellished stories of their "pioneer" ancestry; but, all they really want is their better-than-Disney vacation at no significant cost to them. And, make sure you don't jostle their precious pet poodle, Fifi, when you cart her pink, lace decorated, travel kennel up stairs along with the rest of their baggage. Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, maam. I meant to say luggage. I didn't mean you.
I agree with the rest of y'all. Not about "they should be burned", but all the rest about more fitting punishment.
I agree, the punishment should have been more comprehensive and graded as a felony. These entitled people who KNOW they shouldnt be doing these things yet do anyhow should get a permanent ban from the whole national park system. Plus, remember the guy a couple years ago who actually dissolved becayse he fell into one of these thermal features? Entitled AND stupid - their stupidcwill be their own punishment but, the national parks should make SURE others wont follow suit by making retribution much more severe.
Comes down to "No Respect". They probably never had respect for their parents.
Should of been fined $1000.00. They got off too easy. Shameful.
How about $5000 fine, a week in jail, AND a ban from the National Park system for 10 years. It has to be enough for people to take notice or it will continue.