[pct-l] bear can regulations

[Christine Kudija" <cmkudija@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Christine Kudija)]

Hey, did I hear my name?  Yep, Marion's right - I verified this last year
that an individual ranger has the discretion to impose a $5,000.00 fine on
the canister-less backpacker in the Inyo.  For what it's worth, I wrote a
short paper in a law school class a year ago about the canister &
regulations, and possible work-arounds.   There aren't any LEGAL ones
(work-arounds, I mean), if you're on the PCT and in either the Inyo NF or in
Sequoia or Yosemite NPs.  The $5,000 fine applies to the National Forest
jurisdiction - I don't recall the size of the maximum fine in the parks.

Also fwiw, I think that granting an individual field ranger the discretion
to impose this size of a fine - far more than the average speeding ticket -
(hey, that's a paper in itself) is a bit beyond the pale.   It's beyond
deterrence - I just wonder how the determination of the $5,000 was made.

If anybody wants a copy of the paper for a cure for insomnia - e-mail me and
I'll send a virus-free attachment.  If anybody wants the cite for the
regulation itself, I'll post it (right now I'm too lazy to look it up!)

Christine (now officially a social pariah but don't hold it against me - I
don't even LIKE chasing ambulances)

Christine "Ceanothus" Kudija

"Never measure the height of a mountain, until you have reached the top.
Then you will see how low it was."  Dag Hammarskjold