MALIBU, CA — Actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty Thursday to walking in a dangerous and environmentally sensitive area at a Yellowstone National Park hot spring, according to the National Park Service.
Brosnan, 70, of Malibu, was fined $500 and order to pay a $1,000 community service payment to the Yellowstone Forever Geological Fund, along with $40 in administrative fees, court records from the U.S. District Court of Wyoming show.
Brosnan in November posted photos to Instagram of himself standing on a thermal feature at Yellowstone’s Mammoth Hot Springs. The ground in that area is thin and fragile, making it environmentally sensitive and dangerous to walk on, park officials said.
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Thermal areas refer to a portion of ground that has one or more thermal features and is mostly made up of hydrothermally altered ground and/or hydrothermal mineral deposits, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
There are signs posted in the area warning visitors not to trespass and the dangers of doing so, officials said. But Brosnan said in a social media post Thursday that he didn’t see those signs — though he takes responsibility for what he did.
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“I made an impulsive mistake — one that I do not take lightly — when entering a thermal area covered in snow in Yellowstone National Park to take a photograph. I did not see a “No Trespassing” sign posted that warned of danger nor did I hike in the immediate area,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I deeply regret my transgression and offer my heartfelt apologists to all for trespassing in this sensitive area.”
He signed his message with a hashtag — #StayOnThePath — and said he has “utmost respect for and love of our natural world.
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