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SALT LAKE CITY —Vandals spray-painted more than a dozen silhouette targets on rocks near Native American rock art at Utah County's Lake Mountain and then engaged in practice shooting with a large-caliber firearm.
The Bureau of Land Management's Salt Lake Field Office is offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of those involved in the incident, which happened in the Lake Mountains area west of Utah Lake, a popular target shooting area.
"I think there's a lack of understanding of the damaged incurred. You think ‘oh gosh, it's just a rock, I'm just painting and shooting at rocks.' but there's several factors that come in It becomes a safety issue because of ricochet," said Lisa Reid, Public Affairs Specialist with BLM. "And also, disfiguring, destroying and painting rocks that are in close proximity to the Native American rock art, definitely causes deformation and damage to the area. It could also start a fire."
Authorities believe the vandalism happened sometime between July 25-31 in an area popular for target shooting. The damage occurred near art sites estimated to be several thousands of years old.
"Even though the Native American rock art were not damaged, due to the painted targets, it does encourage shooting into the rocks which are in close proximity to the Native American art," Reid said.
The BLM said similar vandalism happened in 2011, prompting the federal agency to go to great lengths to remove the paint to prevent any more damage to the rock art.
Native American rock art sites are protected under federal law by the Archaeological Resource Protection Act of 1976. Violators causing damage to cultural resources on federal lands can face severe penalties including fines and jail time.
In May, a vandal etched initials and a date into the dark patina next to the prehistoric image known as the Pregnant Buffalo on a rock panel in Nine Mile Canyon.
An investigation subsequently revealed that two youths from the Salt Lake City area were responsible for the Memorial Day weekend incident. A payment from the vandals for $1,500 helped to mitigate the damage, according to the BLM.
Anyone with information on this latest incident should call BLM ranger Randy Griffin at 801-977-4314.
Contributing: Dave Cawley
