Public lands vandalism seems to be on the rise. Here’s another case where law enforcement hopes you can help identify the low-lifes involved.
Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel vandalism latest in public lands desecration
A pictograph panel at Utah’s Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel, believed to be around 3,000 years old, has been vandalized with “Silvia P.” scrawled across four petroglyphs of bighorn sheep.
The Bureau of Land Management has called the act “a tragic destruction of a significant site,” noting that vandalizing archaeological sites erases our history and denies future generations the opportunity to experience it.
“Public lands belong to all of us—let’s protect them.”
Anyone with information regarding the Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel vandalism is urged to contact the BLM Price Field Office Law Enforcement at 435-636-3600 or email MLMorningstar@blm.gov.
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##RVT1195b
This is not going to stop until the vandals are caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
One problem is most people who have seen or know who did it are not going to help for fear of retaliation or that they may be called on to testify in court.
I would think that a photo of the vandal in action and license plate would be enough without disclosing the person taking the picture. Hopefully they wouldn’t need to testify in court.
Those acts are usually done when no one else is around. Plus following them to their car could present more problems. There are not enough park rangers now and it’s going to get worse with all the upcoming budget cuts.
A smart attorney would get them off with a slap on their hand.
These idiots should go to prison.
So sad!
Thank you, Russ and Tina, for the report. In natural resource economics this is known as “the tragedy of the commons.” That is, because “everyone” owns something, e.g., these petroglyphs, they get overused or abused. I don’t condone the behavior. It is abhorrent and should be severely punished. Sadly, it also is not surprising that someone would act as though it is their personal property. Have a great day and safe travels! 🙂
What happened to just plain old Joey + Sally carved in a tree? Trees heal.
Probably took a selfie after the vandalism. I bet there is evidence of it somewhere on Fakebook or TikTok. Social media has created a generation of narcissists.
The disrespect of all parks is growing. The biggest problem is a slap on the hand is about all that is done to these people IF caught. A $20-30k fine and or a 5 yr hard bed at the local iron bar hotel would be a great start. We the people need to use our phones for more than pretty pictures and use them to catch the ones abusing rules and laws.
The problem with photographing them is that they do it when no one is around.
As Grumpyvet said, it will probably show up on social media.
I noticed a 2019 to the left of the name Sylvia. I wonder if that was an earlier vandalism, or is this just old news?
Hi, Chris. This was recent, as the first reports I can find on it were from 4 days ago. One report states it was discovered on Jan. 17. It looks to me like the “2019” is smaller than the name, and maybe it goes with what was scratched above that date? It’s horrible that people destroy irreplaceable prehistoric things like that. Makes me angry and sick. Take care. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
idiots