Driver Vandalizes Threatened Plants in Death Valley National Park
National Park Service officials haven’t identified the person or people who illegally drove more than two miles across Eureka Dunes, home to the federally protected Eureka dunegrass
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Federal officials are still looking for the person or people who illegally drove across a protected area within Death Valley National Park. The joyriding incident damaged several species of rare plants, including one that’s protected under the Endangered Species Act.
On December 26, a National Park Service (NPS) biologist noticed a set of tire tracks at Eureka Dunes, a remote area in the park’s northwest corner that protects the tallest sand dunes in California. The vehicle tracks covered more than two miles of the 680-foot-tall dunes.
Off-road driving is prohibited throughout Death Valley National Park, in large part because of the rare and fragile plants that grow there.
Whoever drove onto the Eureka Dunes damaged at least six species of delicate vegetation, including Eureka dunegrass (Swallenia alexandrae). Found growing only on the sand dunes of Eureka Valley, Eureka dunegrass is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The vehicle also damaged Eureka Dunes evening-primrose (Oenothera californica ssp. eurekensis), another plant that only lives on the dunes of Eureka Valley. It was previously protected under the Endangered Species Act but removed from the list in 2018.
Additionally, the driver harmed Shining milk vetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. micans), Gravel milk vetch (Astragalus sabulonum), Hillman’s silverscale (Atriplex argentea var. hillmanii) and Wheeler’s chaetadelpha (Chaetadelpha wheeleri), according to the NPS.
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“I urge the public to come forward with any information that could help identify those responsible for driving on Eureka Dunes,” says Mike Reynolds, the park’s superintendent, in a statement. “I’m saddened that someone would disregard the survival of a rare species for a few minutes of joyriding.”
The driver faces up to six months in prison and fines totalling up to $25,000. That punishment is much harsher than the $750 fine for illegally driving an off-road vehicle in other parts of the 3.4 million-acre national park, reports SFGate’s Sam Mauhay-Moore.
“The potential fines are much more severe because of the threatened species covered under the Endangered Species Act,” Abby Wines, a spokesperson for the park, tells SFGate.
As of early February, the NPS still did not have any leads or suspects in the case, per the New York Times’ Sara Ruberg.
In addition to damaging vegetation, off-road driving can pollute water sources, threaten sensitive cultural and historical sites, endanger wildlife, and disrupt and compact the soil. Tires also leave behind “long-lasting scars,” according to the NPS.
“In wetter environments, tire tracks and soil disturbance can fade away more quickly,” writes the agency. “But the arid nature of the desert means that those tracks will be present for a long time. Think about the wagon travelers of the mid-1800s—the tracks can still be found in the desert southwest over 150 years later.”
Activities like sandboarding—which involves riding a board similar to a snowboard down the dunes—are also prohibited at Eureka Dunes.
The Eureka Dunes were designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1983. Measuring roughly three miles long by one mile wide, the dune field spans about 4,270 acres. It sits within the Eureka Valley at an elevation of some 3,000 feet.
The towering dunes are popular among photographers, according to Michael Gordon, who leads guided photography hikes within Death Valley. The vandalism is “frustrating, maddening, angering,” he tells Outside magazine’s Frederick Dreier. Gordon adds that signage prohibiting off-road driving is clearly visible, so “there’s no way to claim ignorance.”
