Let this be an alerting to all who question if the guidelines do not apply to them. Yesterday, Yellowstone National Park announced that a Washington male went off path and now he’s paying the cost (actually). A judge gave him 7 days in prison, fines, and more after trespassing at Steamboat Geyser.
21-year-old Viktor Pyshniuk of Lynwood, Washington crossed over the fence and strolled up the hillside within 15-20 feet of Steamboat Geyser’s steam vent, according to a National forest Service (NPS) press release. A park worker took a photo of Pyshniuk beyond the fence and reported him to Yellowstone law enforcement.
“When contacted, Pyshniuk informed the officer he left the boardwalk to take images,” NPS says. “While speaking with Pyshniuk, the officer revealed him the signs published throughout the location stating it is unlawful to leave the boardwalk and described that walking in a thermal area is really unsafe due to possible weak ground layer, the geothermal functions of mud pots, heated steam and water, and all other risks related to walking in a heated, unforeseeable geothermal area.”
The Price for Trespassing at Yellowstone
Last week, a judge sentenced Pyshniuk to seven days in prison for thermal trespass, along with two years of without supervision release, a two-year ban from Yellowstone National Park, a $1,500 fine, a $30 obligatory court processing charge, and a $20 special evaluation cost.
NPS reports that the judge hopes the sentence will not just hinder the accused but likewise the general public from leaving the boardwalk. “If every visitor to [Yellowstone] disobeyed the guidelines, the park would be destroyed, and no-one would be able to enjoy it,” NPS says, estimating the judge.
Steamboat Geyser is the world’s tallest active geyser, however NPS states it is likewise the most harmful. “It has erratic and unpredictable eruptions that can increase anywhere from 6 to 300 feet high,” NPS says. “In the last 4 years, the intervals between eruptions varied anywhere from three to 89 days.”
To hinder guests from getting too close, there is a three-foot fence around the boardwalk.
A Washington man received seven days in jail, fines, and more after trespassing at Steamboat Geyser within Yellowstone National Park.