[Geysers] Important Document--Comment Period Closes in 2 Days

[Bruce Jensen]

Thanks, Jeff.

It is hard to argue with the overarching idea of those lines of text - resource protection and public health are both important considerations.

Being proactive about implementing those ideas is also necessarily not a bad idea, but here is where the problem arises - the language there suggests that park managers should err on the side of caution, or even overcaution, and thus make study and observation of natural features off-limits (even more than they are now).

Probably mostly to avoid lawsuits., since on a per capita visitor basis, actual problems are still really rare.

The only thing we have to push back against this type of thing is statistics, both for general public access and for "advocates'" access, for lack of a better term.  Not sure what those stats are - have self-described "geyser-enthusiasts" or "advocates" ever harmed themselves or natural features in the modern era?

For the last ten years or so, I have been a proponent of issuing permits for geyser gazers and other analogous users to be able to gain observational access to features that have been placed out-of-reach of traditional forms of observation by new rules; but that idea seems to have gone nowhere.  It seems to me that observers' permits (and whatever that entails) could be a neat compromise for those of us who understand and are essentially safe around off-trail features.

As far as front-country features go - I would hate to see interesting features become even less accessible than they are due to authoritarian bureaucracy or severe overcaution - but how can you fight this sort of thing?  I would really love to see boardwalk/trail access to the Purple Pools, parts of the Kaleidoscope Group, White Creek and Geyser Creek, among others - but how can even a well-known and respected group of advocates convince a stubborn bureaucracy to bend a bit?

Bruce Jensen, California, USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

    On Thursday, November 17, 2016 9:56 AM, JEFFREY CROSS <jeff.cross at utah.edu> wrote:
 
 

  Please read and take note of the following document, especially section 6 (lines 215-264).
The public comment period closes on **November 18th.**
There is little time.
Think about the implications of this policy, please.
Thanks.
Jeff Crossjeff.cross at utah.edu

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=75328
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