Appalling vandalism

[boondockdad]

Power-saw wielding thieves steal ancient rock carvings in 'worst vandalism ever' - Telegraph

Unbelievable.

These perpetrators should be strung up by their entrails.

The ONLY thing that irks me about National Parks is the fences, and rails, and 'keep off' signs. I've always said, it's nature- it's been there forever, right? It's always changing. The YNP earthquake of '59 changed the landscape, in an instant, more than 10,000 years of human trampling ever could....

But then, you see something like this.... no words.

[AWCHIEF]

There are some sick people in this world. Very sad.

[n2916s]

You would not believe the things people do in Yellowstone. We had three folks arrested this summer for shooting at ducks on Yellowstone Lake. We have people routinely caught stealing obsidian and other rocks. You can hike 12 miles into the back country and find empty cans and cigarette butts. We catch lots of people throwing coins or stones into hydrothermal features.

Most of the interpretive signs and virtually all of the benches and tables have graffiti carved into them.

There are about 180 law enforcement staff at the peak of the summer which works out to about 40 available at any given moment. In 2.25 million acres. The rest of the staff has very little enforcement authority and is unarmed so we routinely are ignored and occasionally abused by the miscreants.

And that is in a National Park that is way out in the boonies. You have to make a real effort to get there and when you do, you trash the place?

I just don't get the mindset...

[Sneakinup]

They are probably related to the scum that are killing and mutilating dolphins along the Gulf Coast. Very sick individuals. There should be a minimum mandatory sentence of 40 years or more for these kinds of dirt bags.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by Sneakinup

They are probably related to the scum that are killing and mutilating dolphins along the Gulf Coast. Very sick individuals. There should be a minimum mandatory sentence of 40 years or more for these kinds of dirt bags.

I could only support a long sentence if it's at hard labor at least supporting themselves, if not contributing to society. You can guess what the alternative is (hint: it's NOT a pardon.)

[eubank]

It is bad out there. Don't even bother going to the petrified forest; it's gone, carted off, only remnants in place.

Of course, those sites that are part of the federal program (national parks and monuments, for example) are between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand is conservation. Save it! And, on the other, is the obligation to make this stuff accessible to us, the citizens. Make it available for enjoyment, where some (crazy) people's notion of enjoyment happens to be destruction.


Lynn

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I can truly empathize with the disgust. These two photos are from a spot just outside of Santa Fe on tribal lands. I would love to meet Ricki and thank he or she for their contribution.

This is part of a solstice glyph that broke off when who ever stole the rest of it. I can only hope legend is real and bad luck will fall on those who disrespect such places. We went to Petroglyphs National Monument this past Summer and saw numerous signs of rocks having been broken free and taken away.

[Gene]

Stealing rock art has been going on in the southwest for a long time. It is valuable and people cannot resist the profits or to have a bit of history of "their" own.

Even 20 years ago rangers at Canyonlands would mislead people about where the rock art was because of vandalism. Only because we had older maps were we able to find it and we were fortunate enough to have seen all of the amazing art there. All we took were photos. But after backpacking for more than a day to see the All American Man, I had to wonder when someone would try to remove it. It is in a very remote area not easy to get to. You have to climb up about 8' to a cave opening and look inside to see this. Now, battery powered tools are available that could cut through the stone. I fear the cave entrance will have to be blocked with bars.

There are traders in the southwest who have been prosecuted for stealing rock art, baskets and pottery from ancient settlements on federal land. I met one who has this history, had paid for his transgressions, and when he showed me potshards and baskets, I couldn't help but wonder if he had stolen them. Every other trader knew about him, but it was interesting to listen to his story. He was in southeast Utah. The looting goes on and the feds have very few agents to spare to find the thieves.

Gene

[robert claus]

This stuff has been going on a long time, and will continue, unfortunately, as long as there is money to be made from it. Teddy Roosevelt made Mesa Verde one of the first National Parks to try to stymie the massive removal of artifacts from the dwellings, many of which were sent to Scandinavia.