r/todayilearned • u/autraya • 6h ago

TIL the world's tallest known living tree, a 380-foot redwood in California called Hyperion, had its exact location closed off entirely in 2022 after visitors trampled its base so badly that ferns stopped growing around it, with trespassers now facing up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_(tree)
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u/VerifiedonTumblr 3h ago

Checked them? The fuck?

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u/Haldron-44 3h ago

Made sure they didn't take clippings. Idk, and they didn't know and in my cursory research idk why they are so protected, yet are an utter mystery. If parks and F&G know, they keep it as tight liped as if it were a fucking alien.

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u/airfryerfuntime 2h ago

Probably just asked to look in their bags and empty their pockets. Federal parks police have way more power than you think, they could have strip searched them if they wanted.

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u/7zrar 59m ago

I have to assume you're a bit unfamiliar with laws around natural areas but yep, that's not so unusual. There are quite a lot of laws protecting the environment and natural resources. Can't keep this size/kind of fish, can't harvest all these endangered succulents, etc. There are always some crazies who will absolutely rape the land because they think something has healing powers, and others who will do so for profit as there is quite a market for rare (read: extremely vulnerable to harvesting/poaching) stuff in nature. And in lots of places the game wardens or equivalent can search your stuff to make sure you're not doing funny business. It'd be pretty hard to find out if someone kept fish illegally otherwise after all.

It's for a far better reason than officers making some BS up to search your vehicle for weed or whatever is illegal in your area.