You have heard the stories of park visitors taking selfies with bears, walking off of the boardwalk, petting a bison, even putting a newborn bison in their car. You commit one of these crimes in Yellowstone National Park? You answer to one man: Judge Mark Carman.

However, recent visitor stories are not the most shocking things that have crossed Judge Carman's desk.

Judge Mark Carman says, "It wasn't as shocking as a lot of other things I see.”

And Judge Mark Carman has seen a lot. The former attorney was tapped four years ago to be the U.S. Magistrate Judge in Yellowstone National Park.

Judge Carman says, "I was excited.”

He has a spacious corner office overlooking the Gallatin and Absaroka Mountains. Like most federal judges, he wears a tie to work. But unlike most other judges, when it’s time for lunch he laces up his boots, grabs his bear spray and walks just a few short blocks to his house.

"You kind of just go to watch what you are doing,” says Judge Carman.

He doesn’t want to disclose exactly where he lives for safety reasons, but this federal judge’s biggest threat are bison, bears or wolves.

Judge Carman says, "Then I heard one that sounded like really close to my left and so we went home. It's just part of learning to live here. You have to be wildlife aware. They have signs up reminding people to do that.”

Many people don’t read those signs or the pamphlets they hand out at the front gate, and many visitors end up in front of Judge Carman.

"It's difficult to punish stupidity,” says Judge Carman.

Perhaps the most known case was about the Canadian man who put a bison in his car. Judge Carman made him pay up to $735 in fines, fees and compensation.

“His intentions were as pure as they could get,” Judge Carman says.

So what are some of the more unique cases he’s seen?

“She went over and started digging. The ranger came up and couldn't believe it. I mean, she's just digging right there in the terraces. That's irreparable. They were lying down on the terraces and getting their picture taken. Just blatantly, they didn't care"

In this day and age social media is helping catch people who are doing these things

“All the time, cases that would have never been known. Somebody would have taken a snapshot on their Kodak Instamatic and put it in their album,” says Judge Carman.

He could give them jail time or impose a fine, but more often than not, violators must write essays. He keeps his favorite ones in his top drawer tucked inside a journal.

"'It never occurred to me we were breaking the law when we picked it up in the park. I apologize, Molly Nelson.'" Judge Carman reads an essay he's saved. "I think she was probably, six or seven years old.”

Judge Carman doesn’t want to punish these people, he just wants to educate them. That can be extremely hard.

"I don't know what else to do. You can't educate four-million people,” says Judge Carman.

In the end, Judge Carman says it's all about protecting the beautiful natural resources in the park.