A close to a stressful summer for National Parks

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (1) – 11/13/20

The season began with a person trespassing and falling into a thermal feature—while the park was still closed. As mostly Americans flocked to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, it seemed, from the observations of employees, including Superintendent Cam Sholly, as well as visitor data, that visitors just didn’t seem to care about the rules. In Yellowstone, despite a late opening date, record-breaking visitation was witnessed almost every month with record-breaking violations recorded as well. Yellowstone Magistrate Mark Carman recorded 122 thermal trespassers, an increase of the 40 documented a season ago, and 25 instances of jail time, up from one or two last year. Acting Teton Park Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail says he believes a lot of the visitors the parks saw this year were simply new and unfamiliar with the National Park system as a whole. Many employees expressed their relief that the season is over.