ST. GEORGE — Officials at Utah’s Arches National Park are asking for the public’s help Thursday after the recent discovery of new graffiti deeply carved into a famous red rock arch in the Moab park.
The graffiti carvings were discovered by park staff members earlier this month on Frame Arch rock formation, just off the park’s popular hiking trail to Delicate Arch, according to a media statement issued by Arches National Park Thursday.
Park officials are asking for witnesses who may have seen anyone on the Delicate Arch trail carving or writing on the rock to come forward.
The graffiti carvings, measuring approximately 4 feet across and 3 feet high, were etched so deeply that it might have taken at least an hour for someone to carve, park Superintendent Kate Cannon told the Associated Press.
“Graffiti — marking, scratching, chalking, and carving on rocks — is unsightly and illegal,” Arches park officials said. “It damages the rocks and ruins other people’s experience in this natural place. Rangers and volunteer groups spend hundreds of hours every year removing graffiti from the park.”
Anyone caught defacing surfaces in a national park can face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Officials are asking the public to help protect the national park by reporting any discovery of graffiti in the park via email or by phone at 435-719-2100.
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what a jerk!
I bet it was some jerk from Arizona