Campers fined $220 for cutting Rock Island tree
Two Rock Island State Park visitors who were caught cutting a tree will be donating their time and money to the park.
‘It is against the law to cut or deface trees and foliage within a state park,’ said park ranger Jodie Stinson, who cited the two suspects after witnesses saw them cutting a tulip poplar with a machete. ‘It is also against the law to take anything from a state park, rocks, foliage, anything. Everything that’s here must stay here when you leave.’
The campers, Leslie Emmett Gainous of Nashville and Andrew Craig Denton of Hendersonville, entered no contest pleas Tuesday to charges of carving a tree at a state park, a misdemeanor violation. Both will be required to pay $220 and perform 15 hours public service work at the state park.
The men, who often camp at the park, were seen chopping a tree at the edge of a campsite by other campers. Stinson said she came to the campsite to investigate and saw the machete still stuck in the tree. The men admitted to the incident, noting they had no idea it was illegal to chop a park tree. The tulip poplar is also the official state tree of Tennessee.
‘You are also not allowed to chop limbs off trees for campfires although limbs found on the ground can be used,’ Stinson said. ‘I know many people don’t realize it’s against the law, but it is in fact a misdemeanor which people can be prosecuted for, such as this case.’
Stinson said there was a case in neighboring White County on TVA property where a father was prosecuted federally for defacing a tree by carving his daughter’s name into the trunk.
‘We just want to preserve our parks and keep them nice for our visitors,’ Stinson noted.
Was the punishment for cutting a tree too harsh? See Opposing Viewpoints, page 4-A