What a bunch of idiots.

http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/20110429765/news/articles/tour-group-fined-for-walking-right-up-to-old-faithful.php

Wonder if they would have sued if they got burnt when it erupted. Idiots. Oh well...the park rangers should have just let natural selection do its thing. :-)

I think idiots is an understatement. Wonder what country they were from? Not that they couldn't have been from the good ol' US of A.

I have been to Yellowstone maybe 5 or 6 times, there is no way you wouldn't see one of those signs. I don't understand why you would see wooden walkways everywhere crammed with people and then see the geyser area without people and then think it is ok to walk out there.

One of the last times I was there, my dad and I stopped some Japanese tourists from walking up and "petting" a bison. Sheeeesh!

correction - i just watched the full video. forgot that it winter there are no where near the crowds that are there in summer. So I guess the walkways weren't packed, but none-the-less - holy cow!

I laughed when the article later said someone peed into the cone a few years ago.

This is a fine line... Does anyone really own Yellowstone? Its a natural park... If animals can go anywhere they want, then why not humans? I really do not see why people should be fined for taking risks. It is their decision. Just another government way of making money.

Unless the land is declared protected.

Does anyone really own Yellowstone?

You, I and everyone else in this country "own" the park. Perhaps you should brush up on the park system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_park.

Animals interact with the park as part of an important ecological system, rarely disturbing anything that will cause catastrophic damages to the environment. Humans on the other hand........

Just visit Yellowstone or one of the other many National Parks and you will understand why these beautiful and magnificent places needed to be protected. I will never forget a Swiss couple telling me that Grand Teton National Park and all the other National Parks are America's Cathedrals. They are places that no other countries have because they didn't understand the importance of protecting them early on.

This is a fine line... Does anyone really own Yellowstone? Its a natural park... If animals can go anywhere they want, then why not humans? I really do not see why people should be fined for taking risks. It is their decision. Just another government way of making money.

The people aren't fined just because they are taking risks. They are fined because they are damaging the protected areas by going into those areas where they aren't allowed. The amount of money the government makes from those kinds of fines are miniscule and the fines are there as an incentive for people to obey the rules, not as a money maker.

The people aren't fined just because they are taking risks. They are fined because they are damaging the protected areas by going into those areas where they aren't allowed. The amount of money the government makes from those kinds of fines are miniscule and the fines are there as an incentive for people to obey the rules, not as a money maker.

This. There are many species of microbes (some in the domain of Archaea) that are indigenous, ie found nowhere else, to Yellowstone. Careless human infringement upon some of these delicate environments may wreck havoc on these species. Perhaps by vandalism by peeing (urine can contain human-derived antimicrobial compounds) into vents or deliberate destruction of such microenvironments.

But why should we care? One such species, Thermus aquaticus, was first found in Yellowstone park. It thrives in water temperatures up to 175 degrees F. This microbe has been exploited to produce many thermostable enzymes (chemicals that can resist high temperatures) that have useful applications in the medical, biotechnological, forensics, and other biological-related industries.

The most famous enzyme, Taq polymerase (standing for Thermus aquaticus polymerase), is used to rapidly amplify DNA. This is an enzyme you may find in forensics lab used to identify criminals based on minuscule DNA samples left at the crime scene or to rapidly identify Bin Laden's remains.

Obeying the rules CAN be very beneficial to the general public, even if the fines may seem hefty to the individual.

This. There are many species of microbes (some in the domain of Archaea) that are indigenous, ie found nowhere else, to Yellowstone. Careless human infringement upon some of these delicate environments may wreck havoc on these species. Perhaps by vandalism by peeing (urine can contain human-derived antimicrobial compounds) into vents or deliberate destruction of such microenvironments.

But why should we care? One such species, Thermus aquaticus, was first found in Yellowstone park. It thrives in water temperatures up to 175 degrees F. This microbe has been exploited to produce many thermostable enzymes (chemicals that can resist high temperatures) that have useful applications in the medical, biotechnological, forensics, and other biological-related industries.

The most famous enzyme, Taq polymerase (standing for Thermus aquaticus polymerase), is used to rapidly amplify DNA. This is an enzyme you may find in forensics lab used to identify criminals based on minuscule DNA samples left at the crime scene or to rapidly identify Bin Laden's remains.

Obeying the rules CAN be very beneficial to the general public, even if the fines may seem hefty to the individual.

Very interesting, thanks for the information.