Re: downed tree - illegal
Posted by Harold Ericsson on June 08, 2003 at 10:06:48:
In Reply to: Re: downed tree - illegal posted by desertsled on June 07, 2003 at 23:59:11:
If you go to the west side of the Death Valley Inn you can see how this is playing out. Below the main building of the Inn is a large dense grove of palms, below this is an open grassy area edged by various palms and other trees. An old dirt road lined with palm trees heads from this area off towards the Furnace Creek area. Apparently just beyond the grassy area is the boundry between the private property of the Inn and the public land of Death Valley National Park. On the private side of the boundry the trees are thriving, on the public side the trees are dead or dying.
If you go up to the area of the Park Headquarters take a look at the palm trees. They are dead or dying. Whether this happens through neglect or other means I do not know. I asked a ranger in the Headquarters area if it was policy to have the palms die, the answer was yes. I believe it is stated policy of the Park to rid the Park of exotic flora. I can't imagine that this policy will be extended to the Inn and Furnace Creek. For the Park biologist this could present a problem, but the tourist centers attract large numbers of exotic fauna, and that is a horse of another color, green, to be specific.
Birdman