<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <STYLE></STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3199" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=MailContainerBody style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; TEXT-DECORATION: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none" leftMargin=0 topMargin=0 name="Compose message area" CanvasTabStop="true" acc_role="text"> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=092245414-04122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff>I agree this is unnecessary and damaging and especially dumb.   From what I've read the best this equipment can do is 10cm resolution (3.94 inches).  To stand on top of features is overkill.  I believe these folks were making a valiant effort to obtain the most accurate data, which was the goal of the GIS effort.  Did they overstep their authority and common sense?  Probably.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=092245414-04122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=092245414-04122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff>As far as damaging features goes, four legged critters can do substantially more without repercussions.  But does that justify what those two-legged critters were doing?  No.  They should know better.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=092245414-04122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=092245414-04122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff>As usual, much scientific research within the Park has little or no oversight despite regulations.  Can't wait to see pix of microbe hunters' methods of species collections in the name of science and the almighty dollar.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=092245414-04122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=092245414-04122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff>Regulation enforcement and ethics training may need to be embraced a tad more strongly by NPS and higher -ups in Washington.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <P><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Thanks,</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000 size=4>H</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000 size=4>a</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000 size=4>p</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000 size=4>p</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000 size=4>y</FONT> <FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000 size=4>H</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000 size=4>o</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000 size=4>l</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000 size=4>i</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000 size=4>d</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000 size=4>a</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000 size=4>y</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000 size=4>s</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000 size=4>!</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face="Script MT Bold" size=4>Udo Freund</FONT></SPAN> </P> <DIV> </DIV><BR> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> geysers-bounces@lists.wallawalla.edu [mailto:geysers-bounces@lists.wallawalla.edu] <B>On Behalf Of </B>SCOTT BRYAN<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, December 02, 2007 7:58 PM<BR><B>To:</B> geyser observation reports<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Geysers] People on Minute Man Geyser<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Well, as I think I personally made rather clear, permit or not they are (were) standing on a rare and delicate natural feature, and whether they were "trained" or not, they caused damage to the formation. Clearly, the NPS does not wish to admit to that. And, I might add, why did the person writing the data also have to be on the formation?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anyway, I note this evening that the subject photo of Minute Man is not longer on the website. My, my. But as Paul Strasser noted, check out the photo of Mortar Geyser. Ah well, why don't I just attach it before it, too, gets removed!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Those people were involved with the production of the Geothermal Inventory that has gotten recent attention in these missives. As I've noted, the NPS people seem to believe that their GPS positions are accurate to the 1/10,000,000th of a degree -- for example here, they cite Minute Man Geyser as being at latitude 44.3547549 [deg N] longitude 110.7984134 [deg W]. As pointed out previously, it is [my opinion again] rather dumb to presume that accuracy: 1 degree of latitude is a bit more than 69 miles (1 degree of longitude is, too, but only at the equator). So 1/10,000,000 of 69 miles (1 degree) = approximately 0.437 inch of latitude and considerably less than that of longitude. So what happens if the equipment jiggles just a little bit....?]</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>OK, so I'm a Curmudgeon. But this ----- (errr, ticks) me off.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Scott Bryan</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><BR>Subject: RE: [Geysers] People on Minute Man Geyser<BR><BR>Wild guess - they're most likely geologists, in the back country, they have<BR>a permit and are doing more accurate cartographic work?<BR><BR>Janet White<BR><BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BODY></HTML>