MOAB — Police are investigating who damaged ancient petroglyphs at a popular recreation area outside of Moab, but say a Baja off-road racing team might be behind the incident.
The damage was found in the Tusher Tunnel area, approximately 20 miles northwest of Moab and directly west of Utahraptor State Park, the Grand County Sheriff's Office reported Sunday.
Tusher Tunnel is located along a popular off-highway vehicle road, and the sheriff's office says it appears a Baja race team "may have defaced the site by advertising contact information directly on the rock wall."
"This type of damage to cultural and historical resources is taken seriously and is under investigation," the sheriff's office posted on social media.
Ancient rock art can be found throughout the Moab area from Indigenous people who lived in Utah thousands of years ago. Some of the region's petroglyphs date as far back as 3500 B.C., according to Alltrips.com.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the sheriff's office at 435-259-8115.
The incident comes as Utah leaders approved a new law to increase penalties for vandalizing public lands, which was crafted in response to a rising number of vandalism cases on public lands in the state. Among other things, it ensures that fines and restitutions from convictions are directed toward repairs to damaged lands and archaeological sites.
It will go into effect in May.
