Vehicle tracks left on the Eureka Dunes.
Vehicle tracks left on the Eureka Dunes.

The National Park Service is looking for information that might help identify those responsible for illegally driving on Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park, causing significant damage to rare plants listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park

According to a press release from the service, more than two miles of vehicle tracks were left on the dunes in late December or early January, likely causing damage to seeds and several rare plants. Damage to Eureka dunegrass was documented by an NPS biologist, a plant that’s listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One Eureka dunegrass plant was damaged by vehicle tracks, while eight others likely saw root damage to the their location near the vehicle tracks.

“I urge the public to come forward with any information that could help identify those responsible for driving on Eureka Dune. I’m saddened that someone would disregard the survival of a rare species for a few minutes of joyriding. There are multiple areas on BLM land nearby, such as Dumont Dunes, which are set aside for this type of recreation but the sensitive dune systems in the National Park are set aside to be protected.” – Superintendent Mike Reynolds

Five other rare plant species may have been harmed in addition to the Eureka dunegrass, including Eureka Dunes evening-primrose, Shining milk vetch, Gravel milk vetch, Hillman’s silverscal, and Wheeler’s chaetadelpha.

The Eureka Dunes are the tallest dunes in California, reaching 680 feet tall. The entire field is designated as a National Natural Landmark, and stretches about three miles long by one mile wide.

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