Arizona resident Andrew R. Varni, 52, of Phoenix was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Longenbaugh on Sept. 15 in Juneau for destruction of natural resources.
Varni was sentenced to pay a fine of $1,685 for his conviction on one count of destruction of natural resources on National Park Service land.
According to information presented to the court by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, Varni is permitted by the National Park Service to operate a seasonal fish camp in Dry Bay within the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
On Aug. 24, 2010, a National Park Service Ranger observed that Varni had cut down 21 large trees and an additional 100 smaller trees on park land near his fish camp. Varni did not have a permit and was not authorized to cut these trees on park lands.
Comments (5)
Add commentIs this one of those situations where paying a fine
is easier and cheaper than getting permits? I have no idea about the particulars but would be curious to know.
Mike
Permits?
Hey, wait a sec, He had a permit for a "fish camp" in the park? What the heck is a fish camp and why would one need a permit for it?
If he could get one I guess I might want one as well. I wonder why I had never heard of permit's for fish camps in Glacier Bay?
Better get one now before they go limited entry...
Glacier Bay
Roll back the boundaries of the Park to just Glacier Bay; the Park is too large and should not include Dry Bay.
Thats logical that some dude
Thats logical that some dude from Arizona has a fish camp permit, yet the locals dont even know its available. Yup, thats Alaska for you!
get rid of the feds they do a disservice
really, 21 trees and probably 100 alders (weeds). heck a logging company should go in and clearcut three hundred acres. At least they would just have to pay a fine instead of fight permitting the feds and lawsuits from environmentalist. It could be a new business model. The feds take all our land away and shut down logging so what incentive is there to do it the right way? The USFS has failed to keep their legal obligations and are actually in violation of the law. The feds have not give the native corporations all their land. The Park Service has so much land that traditional and commercial uses are nearly non-existent. We should all move to Arizona.