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
And yet more proof that humanity is going down hill....
Well here we go again... Did they say why they thought it was okay to ignore park rules and go where they wanted? Are they related to the man who toppled a rock in Arches NP or teased a buffalo in Yellowstone NP? It makes me sad, but I'll bet they act the same at home. I can only guess these people are unhappy and take their anger out on something that can't fight back. I agree their fine should have been higher and banned from ALL national parks for life!
I agree with a steeper (meaningful much higher) fine and especially community service at the park after an intensive educational program about the ecosystem they so blatantly damaged.