Follow rules at national parks — save lives

Each year, more and more people visit national parks and wildlife refuges to see magnificent scenery and animals in the wild. Unfortunately, when visitors don’t take park and refuge rules at national parks seriously, there can be grave consequences.

Last week, in Yellowstone National Park, Colin Scott, 23, fell into a hot spring near Porkchop Geyser and died. In violation of park regulations, Scott left the boardwalk in the Norris Geyser Basin area, walked about 225 yards, slipped and fell into the near boiling water. Hot spring temperatures in the area are about 199°F. Other hot springs in Yellowstone have temperatures near 250°F.

Included in Yellowstone’s critical safety regulations is this rule:

Stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas: hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature. Keep your children close and make sure they understand the danger posed by boiling water.”

With hot spring temperatures so high, survival is impossible for those falling completely into them. Even a slip causing a leg to hit the hot springs’ water will result in a serious burn. Despite the regulations and warnings from park rangers there have been 22 known deaths related to the geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone.

Speaking about Scott’s death, Yellowstone spokesperson Charissa Reid explained that while rock and mineral deposits in some places can be fairly thick, in other places it’s just a thin sheet with hot water below. The hot springs conditions where Scott lost his life are dangerous enough that the National Park Service can’t safely recover his body.

Going to national parks or wildlife refuges isn’t like going to natural history museums or zoos, where the animals are stuffed, or behind bars, glass, or moats. Animals in the parks and refuges are free to move about wherever they want. Most will stay away from park and refuge visitors, but some will be in the open or even seek areas with visitors. Some of the animals can be dangerous, such as bears, wolves, bison, moose, and elk. Follow rules at national parks.

There is a concept that wildlife photographers, hikers, campers and some others know. It is the “circle of fear.” As you approach an animal it normally watches you get closer, gradually becoming more stressed and afraid. At some point as you get closer it will either run or fly away, or it may attack you. At that point you are within the animal’s “circle of fear.”

Follow rules at national parks and refuges. The specific regulations help visitors stay safe.

At Denali National Park in Alaska, one of the most outstanding national parks in the U.S., they have the following rules for viewing wildlife safely:

• Make noise in areas of low visibility
• Stay 300 yards away from any bear
• Stay at least 25 yards from a moose
• If a wild animal changes its behavior because of you, you’re too close.

The distance rules above are meant to keep you outside the “circle of fear.” To photograph animals in the wild, use a super-telephoto lens. To view them, use binoculars. Photograph safely and follow rules at national parks.

Across Denali visitors can see moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves and, of course, black and grizzly bears, in their favorite habitats.

There is a myth about bear safety I’d like to break and a fact I’d like to emphasize.

Myth: “Bear bells” will make enough noise while you’re hiking to warn bears of your approach, so they’ll steer clear.

According to the National Park Service (NPS), “Bear bells are not sufficient” to warn bears of your approach. NPS states, “Calling out (such as ‘Hey Bear’) and clapping your hands at regular intervals are the best ways to make your presence known.”

Fact: Bear spray is extremely effective to deter bear attacks.

NPS tells us bear spray, not personal defense pepper spray, can effectively ward off aggressive bears, but it must be immediately available for use. Stowing bear spray in one’s backpack while hiking will do no good. I carry mine in a holster on my belt while hiking in bear country.

Unfortunately, when people don’t follow these rules the result can be catastrophic. In 2012, a hiker in Denali National Park in Alaska was mauled and killed by a grizzly bear.

When investigators recovered the hiker’s camera, they discovered what happened. The hiker was backpacking alone, along the Toklat River, when he came within 50 yards of a grizzly bear, far less than the required 300 yard separation. The initial photographs show the bear was grazing and not acting aggressively.

For about eight minutes, rather than walk away, the hiker photographed the bear. At that point, the grizzly attacked and killed the hiker. Had the hiker immediately walked away to photograph the bear from a safe distance, he’d likely be alive today.

If you’re traveling to national parks or wildlife refuges this summer, such as the many U.S. national parks in the western states, learn the safety regulations and follow them. Millions happily visit U.S. national parks each year without incident. You don’t need to break regulations to have a great time, see the wildlife and photograph them, and bring home amazing memories of your visit.

(Image: Caribou in Denali National Park. Copyright © 2016 NSL Photography. All Rights Reserved.)

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