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VERNAL — Authorities are trying to figure out who left scores of graffiti on a popular arch in northeastern Utah over the past few weeks.
Graffiti was first discovered on the rock faces around Moonshine Arch on Friday, according to Lesha Coltharp, travel and tourism director for Uintah County. The graffiti has apparently been left in recent weeks. One vandal wrote the date "4/8/20" on the rocks walls in the area and an individual on AllTrails left a review on April 3 complaining about graffiti in the area.
The arch, which is located on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management, is located about eight miles northeast of Vernal and it’s among the attractions the county’s tourism office touts.
"This massive arch is about 85 feet in length and about 40 feet above the ground. You can access the Arch by Jeep, ATV, or hiking," the agency wrote in a brochure.
The tourism bureau posted images of the graffiti in a Facebook post over the weekend.
"It is tough to swallow how disrespectful people can be," one person responded. "We live in a beautiful area. We should all have pride in it and take care of it for everyone to enjoy."
BLM officials said the incident remains under investigation and vandalizing public lands is a class A misdemeanor that could result in a fine as much as $1,000 and up to six months in jail. Anyone with information about the graffiti or outdoor vandalism is encouraged to call the Bureau of Land Management Green River District Office at 435-781-4400.
The graffiti reported at Moonshine Arch adds to a growing number of vandalism cases reported across Utah's public lands in recent years. In 2019, a vandal broke into Danger Cave in Tooele County and caused at least $10,000 in damage and someone used spray paint vandalize Shinob Kibe, a sacred site to Paiute Indians local to the area in Washington County.
Those and other cases in Utah prompted state archeologists to ramp up anti-vandalism education efforts, including a public education campaign expected to roll out this year.
"These are our shared resources that all Utahns love. We need to learn how to love them," Elizabeth Hora, a public archeologist for the Utah Division of State History, told KSL.com in February. "We need to be more gentle, more loving, so that these sites can last into the future."
