Re: Visitor Issued Hefty Fine for Off Boardwalk Travel in Thermal Area

Don't people read the news? How many people need to be hurt or die before people stop being stupid. From the Yellowstone Insider.

http://yellowstoneinsider.com/2016/06/09/six-people-seen-walking-off-the-boardwalk-in-midway-geyser-basin/

A Chinese national was fined $1,000 and a $30 court processing fee for walking off the boardwalk in the Mammoth Hot Springs thermal area Tuesday, June 14, 2016. A visitor observed and reported that the individual walked on the terrace formations near Liberty Cap and collected thermal water. The visitor also reported seeing the individual break through the fragile travertine crust.

A park ranger took the witness’s 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.

Park rangers appreciate 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.

For information on safety around thermal features, visit http://go.nps.gov/yellsafety.

I wonder if he was collecting the water to get the bacteria. Hot springs bacteria have been instrumental in many scientific advancements such as the development of new DNA replication methods.

A good scientist would not have polluted the source with his own DNA. They would have used a small bottle on the end of a REALLY long stick.

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Dave
A good scientist would not have polluted the source with his own DNA. They would have used a small bottle on the end of a REALLY long stick.

You are now touching into a area that I worked in so I am very familiar with how to prevent contaminating a sample with your own DNA. The amount of human DNA that would pollute the source in a huge hot spring just by touching the water would be negligible and most likely would be destroyed by the heat and the acidic nature of many of the hot springs there. If he did touch the inside of the container without gloves then there would be contamination. However, Human DNA is not like bacterial DNA so if the sample was theoretically contaminated, it would be seen and eliminated during the analysis. Also, there is no mention how he collected the sample in the article so he could have worn gloves and collected a sample in a way that it would not be contaminated.

He did not touch the water, he fell in and dissolved. It was also a joke.

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Dave
He did not touch the water, he fell in and dissolved. It was also a joke.

Ahh, the beauty of chats, it is sometimes hard to tell when something is a joke. However this was a different stupid person that I just read in an article which said he was collecting the water for "medicinal purposes". I am racking my brain to think what medicinal purposes water that acidic would have. I do have a wart that my dermatologist tried to burn off and it didn't completely so maybe that water would have worked better.

By "medical processes" I can only assume he was into some kind of quack medicine. They believe the craziest things. Actually, the crazier it is the more they believe it. I'm sure they'd believe that dead cats in spunk water would cure warts.

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Dave
By "medical processes" I can only assume he was into some kind of quack medicine. They believe the craziest things. Actually, the crazier it is the more they believe it. I'm sure they'd believe that dead cats in spunk water would cure warts.

There are a lot of strange people and thoughts out in the world. As for my wart, I wasted $150 having the Dermatologist try to burn it off. I would just leave it but it is right where my watch sits on my wrist and it gets irritated. Too bad I retired or I would just burn it off myself using the liquid nitrogen that I had in my lab since those kits you can buy in the drugstore don't work well either. Next checkup, I am going to demand he does it for free.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2016 08:25AM by parklover.

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parklover

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Dave
He did not touch the water, he fell in and dissolved. It was also a joke.

Ahh, the beauty of chats, it is sometimes hard to tell when something is a joke. However this was a different stupid person that I just read in an article which said he was collecting the water for "medicinal purposes". I am racking my brain to think what medicinal purposes water that acidic would have. I do have a wart that my dermatologist tried to burn off and it didn't completely so maybe that water would have worked better.

A lot of traditional Chinese medicine claims are dubious. Granted that there have been some proven drugs that were derived from herbal remedies. That being said, the medicinal properties of stuff like rhino horn, shark fin, and bird's nest is dubious at best.

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y_p_w

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parklover

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Dave
He did not touch the water, he fell in and dissolved. It was also a joke.

Ahh, the beauty of chats, it is sometimes hard to tell when something is a joke. However this was a different stupid person that I just read in an article which said he was collecting the water for "medicinal purposes". I am racking my brain to think what medicinal purposes water that acidic would have. I do have a wart that my dermatologist tried to burn off and it didn't completely so maybe that water would have worked better.

A lot of traditional Chinese medicine claims are dubious. Granted that there have been some proven drugs that were derived from herbal remedies. That being said, the medicinal properties of stuff like rhino horn, shark fin, and bird's nest is dubious at best.

After decades of having severe migraines 5-6 times a week where I could barely get out of bed and trying all kinds of conventional drugs both to prevent them and to make them go away without much success, I can say that there is some worth in traditional Chinese medicine like acupuncture, acupressure, meditation and some herbs. I have been going to a East West doctor for two years now and I am down to only a mild one every so many weeks. But I have to agree with you that some claims are just not proven. Out of curiosity sake, I will have to ask my doctor if he has heard anything about hot spring water. He will probably have a good laugh because he is also a conventional doctor.