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MOAB — The Bureau of Land Management is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to a conviction related to three wooden trailhead kiosks that were found cut down on public lands over the weekend, officials said Monday.
The destroyed signs were in the parking areas near Gemini Bridges and Horsethief Campground east of Moab. In addition to kiosks, a “Highway Crossing” sign along state Route 313 near the Chisholm Mountain Bike trail was toppled, BLM Color Country spokeswoman Lisa Bryant said.
The cost of the damage was still being tallied up Monday. Every large kiosk costs about $1,000 to build and install, but that doesn’t include creation and printing of individual metal signs, maps or signs that every kiosk contains, Bryant explained.
The agency was concerned about the vandalism because the kiosks and "Highway Crossing" sign contained safety and trail information, BLM Moab field manager Nicollee Gaddis-Wyatt said in a statement.
“The BLM appreciates the concerned citizen who reported the incident and provided photographs, allowing us to act promptly,” she said.
Vandalism on federal and state public lands has been an ongoing problem in the state in the state. There have been a few high-profile cases recently.
In June, Capitol Reef National Park officials stated they found vandalism at Temple of the Moon in the park. In May, BLM officials offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to a conviction after a vandal spray-painted graffiti on Shinob Kibe, a popular and important Utah archaeological mesa in southwestern Utah.
Last year, an Idaho man was fined and banned from public lands for defacing Corona Arch in southeastern Utah.
Anyone with information about the destroyed kiosks and sign near Moab is encouraged to call the BLM Moab law enforcement officers at 435-259-2109. Officials also recommended that visitors to public lands follow Leave No Trace principles while on public lands.
