More than one generation of national park visitors will remember signs of Smokey Bear reminding them that "only you can prevent forest fires." The character was mirrored after a real bear cub who was rescued by the National Forest Service after a forest fire swept through his New Mexico home in 1944.
Since then, Smokey Bear signs have graced parts of parks, forests and other high-risk fire areas. While the exact display can differ from place to place, the purpose is always to remind visitors to not throw cigarette butts, burn fires outside designated areas or otherwise do things that can cause a spreading fire.
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For those who do not heed the call, starting a fire in a national park also comes with steep penalties. This week, three Michigan men were slapped with federal charges over a fire they started at Michigan's Isle Royale National Park two years ago.
Illegal camping and night fire lead to federal charges
As the National Park Service (NPS) described in a press release, Dylan Kenneth Wagner, 29, Jason Arden Allard, 28, and Scott Warren Allard, 30, were illegally camping at the junction between Mount Franklin and Tobin Harbor Trail and started a fire outside of any grill or ring areas on the night of August 12, 2022.
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While the fire was put out in time and caused minimal damage to some of the surrounding areas, Wagner and the Allards were investigated by park authorities and eventually charged with one count of lighting, tending, or using a fire causing damage to real property and one count of violating conditions established by the park superintendent each.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000 and five years probation. Now that the three men have been charged, their guilt needs to be established in federal court.
Related: National Park visitor becomes first to get arrested for this in 2024
'Threatened the safety of park visitors, employees and the ecosystem'
"Some of America's most stunning places are right here in Michigan, including Isle Royale National Park," U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement on the charges. "These alleged crimes threatened the safety of park visitors, employees, and the ecosystem that sustains a rich diversity of life. We're committed to protecting Isle Royale National Park and Michigan's other national treasures for all to enjoy – today and for generations to come."
Disturbing wildlife and the natural fauna is a fast-track way to get into very serious trouble at the 63 national parks across the U.S. A month earlier, an Idaho Falls man named Clarence Yoder was arrested for harassing and kicking a bison at the entrance to Yellowstone's West Entrance Road. While there were similar incidents of humans getting in the way of wildlife in previous years, Yoder became the first to get arrested for this at Yellowstone in 2024 (the NPS requires visitors to stay at least 25 yards or 23 meters away from any large wildlife they encounter during the visit.)
"Rangers transported Yoder to a nearby medical facility where he was medically evaluated, treated and released from medical care," the NPS wrote of the incident. "He then was transported to the Gallatin County Detention Center."
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