 Yellowstone National Park tourist fined $1,000 for walking off boardwalk 
 
 A man visiting Yellowstone National Park left with more than just memories Wednesday after he left the boardwalk at the Mammoth Hot Springs area. According to the park, a witness saw the man step off the boardwalk, walk on the terrace formation near Liberty Cap and collect thermal water. A witness reported seeing the man break through the fragile, rock crust surrounding the Mammoth Hot Springs area. RELATED: 16 cool things you probably didn't know about Big Bend National Park 
 
 When the man was interviewed by law officials, the Chinese national said he didn't read the safety information provided as he entered the park. Some got too close to wildlife and several others walked off boardwalks near hot springs. The man, whose name was not released, reportedly wanted the water for medicinal purposes, said park spokeswoman Charissa Reid. A federal violation notice requiring a mandatory appearance in the Yellowstone Justice Center Court was issued for off boardwalk travel in a thermal area. >> Click the gallery above to see some dumb things tourists have done 
 
 "Park employees call on all visitors to protect their park and protect themselves," Yellowstone Park officials said in a news release. "Regulations to stay on designated trails and boardwalks in thermal areas are for visitor safety and the safety of the exceptional park natural resources. Without visitor cooperation, park natural wonders will continue to be damaged and more individuals may be injured or killed. It is a violation of federal regulations to collect any park resources." Earlier this month, 23-year-old Colin Nathaniel Scott of Portland slipped on gravel and fell into scalding, acidic water after leaving a boardwalk in the Norris Geyser Basin. Park officials were unable to recover his body.
– If you've ever wondered, "What's the worst thing that could happen if I stray from the boardwalk at Yellowstone?", well, the worst thing that could happen is you could be killed in a thermal hot spring. But, among the lesser-but-still-unfortunate consequences, you could be fined $1,000 plus a $30 court processing fee. That's what happened to a Chinese man visiting the Mammoth Hot Springs area of the national park, who was seen leaving the boardwalk, collecting thermal water, and breaking through the fragile travertine crust near Liberty Cap on Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle reports. After a witness took photos and turned them in, officials interviewed the man, who admitted to taking water from the hot springs (he said he wanted it for "medicinal purposes," the AP reports) and said he hadn't read the safety information he was given at the entrance to the park. In addition to being fined, he was hit with a federal violation notice, meaning he must appear at the Yellowstone Justice Center Court. "Without visitor cooperation, park natural wonders will continue to be damaged and more individuals may be injured or killed," park officials say in a press release.