High on Life Defendant Agrees to Pay Fines for Bonneville Salt Flats Violations and is Banned from Public Lands
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SALT LAKE CITY – Members of the Canadian lifestyle company High on Life appeared before US Magistrate Judge Mark Carman on Nov. 1 at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo. Ryker Gamble, Alexey Andriyovych Lyakh, Justis Cooper Price Brown, Parker Heuser, and Hamish McNab Campbell Cross each received multiple citations for violations on National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands. Their charges included failures to obtain permits and creating a hazard. Cross and Heuser both pled guilty to charges. Heuser agreed to pay fines related to Bonneville Salt Flats violations as part of his plea agreement. Both individuals will be on probation for five years and will be banned from public lands managed by the US Department of the Interior, US Department of Agriculture, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The remaining three defendants pled not guilty and will be appointed court attorneys.
“This case serves as a good reminder that visitors should enjoy special places like the Bonneville Salt Flats and Corona Arch with respect for the natural resources, and other visitors, so that everyone can enjoy them, now and in the future,” said BLM Utah State Director Ed Roberson. The group posted videos and photographs to their social media channels depicting prohibited activities earlier this year. The BLM began investigations in May 2016 and submitted citations to the Wyoming US Attorney’s Office in September 2016.
Earlier this year, High on Life posted videos and photographs of three men water skiing and boarding behind a motorhome driving across standing water on the Bonneville Salt Flats. To protect the fragile salt crust and for visitor safety, the BLM prohibits people from driving on the salt flats in standing water. The group also posted GoPro footage of men swinging from Corona Arch while the BLM had a temporary two-year closure for roped activities in place at the arch. The group was also investigated for activities at Zion, Death Valley, Yellowstone, and Mesa Verde national parks.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.