Stupidity In Our National Parks

Above, Old Faithful Geyser in eruption. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

What is wrong with people?

Our national parks have been designated as such so that they are protected and for people to enjoy them for generations to come.

Unfortunately, there are idiots who are compelled for some odd reason to do stupid things.

Two news reports within the past 48 hours illustrate the idiocy of some.

The first comes from KULR in Montana:

KULR (Billings)- We have been seeing it more times than not unfortunately this summer but a man was caught on video walking closely to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. 

Devin Bartolotta, who recorded the video mentioned on her Twitter page that hundreds of people waited for Old Faithful to go off, (while) some guy shamelessly walked within feet of the geyser to take a picture.

To read more and see the video, go here.

According to the article, people in a crowd nearby booed the man and he responded by "flipping them the bird".

Next comes a story about Crater Lake National by the Stateman Journal:

Officials at Crater Lake National Park said they've responded to a rash of vehicles driving off-road this summer and threatening a fragile ecosystem at Oregon's only national park.  

The park posted pictures of deep rutted tire tracks marring an area known as the Pumice Desert within the park's boundary on Friday.  

"The sub-alpine environment at Crater Lake is under snow for most of the year, leaving just a few months during the summer for plants to grow," the post said. "Vehicles driving over this fragile soil can leave scars for years to come."

Driving off-road — unless it's specifically allowed — is a criminal offense with a penalty of up to $2,000 or six months in federal prison. Violators can also be charged civilly for damage to natural resources and the costs of rehabilitation, officials said. 

To read more, go here.