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MOAB — National Park Service rangers are asking for the public's help identifying two visitors to the Cave Springs site in Canyonlands National Park who are suspected of archeological theft.
The man and woman captured on trail cameras in a historical cowboy camp at Cave Springs are suspected of removing artifacts from a cabinet and handling historic harnesses, potentially damaging them. Their incident happened in an area marked closed by signs, authorities said.
Cave Springs is in the Needles District of Canyonlands, one of three areas cut into sections by the Green and Colorado rivers.
"In a video recorded at the archeological site, the individuals entered a signed-as-closed area, removed artifacts from a cabinet, and handled historic harnesses in a manner that had potential to damage them," the National Park Service said.
Law enforcement rangers in national parks complete training and are commissioned federal law enforcement officers.
"If you were in the area of Cave Spring Cowboy Camp about 5:30 p.m. on March 23, or if you have information that could help identify the suspects, please contact investigators. Tips can be anonymous," the National Park Service said.
The National Park Service said native people used the area from approximately 6,000 years ago until 700 years ago.
The spring and cave have much older architectural merit beyond their most recent use. According to the National Parks Service: "In the alcove beyond the cowboy camp, you may notice soot-blackened ceilings, handprints, and painted figures. These tell us that this precious resource also attracted earlier people."
Canyonlands was established as a national park in 1964, but cowboys used camps in the area from the late 1800s through 1975 while they raised cattle on the open range. The camps, like the one at Cave Spring, relied on consistent water sources, like springs, to remain in the open-range wilderness.
The park itself is more than 337,000 acres of land and water, with no roads crossing from one district to another. The areas are remote and have few services, making human monitoring of sensitive areas impractical. That can make locations, like Cave Springs vulnerable to archeological theft.
"Descendants of these people still live in the region and consider the spring a sacred place. Help protect our heritage by not entering the spring," the park service said. "Do not touch or mark the rock markings. It is a violation of federal law to deface pictographs."
People who may have information about the suspected theft should call the National Park Service tip line at 888-653-0009.
