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ST. GEORGE — A form of vandalism took place in Snow Canyon State Park last week when an unknown person, or persons, violated park rules by taking glow sticks into one of the lava tubes along the Lava Flow Trail, leaving hundreds of glow sticks strewn about the cave floor. But more than just a mess to be cleaned up, the glow sticks can also cause problems for wildlife.
Park employees are unsure who vandalized the tube or exactly when the act took place.
The incident, while on a larger scale than most, is not an isolated incident. Groups of volunteers are needed to clean glow sticks and other trash from the tubes about once per month, park manager Kristen Comella said. The park has yet to have time to clean the cave from the most recent incident.
Those caught littering or vandalizing a state park can be charged a fine of varying amounts depending on the severity of the crime.
There are a number of park visitors who view bringing glow sticks into the cave as a tradition and see no problem with the mess they leave behind, Comella said.
“Unfortunately it’s sort of an ongoing issue, and I don’t think we can attribute it to any single group,” she said. “It’s not a one-time, rare event, but something that happens on a pretty regular basis by park visitors.”