Current:Home > reviewsVisitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site -MoneyTrend
Visitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site
View
Date:2025-04-17 10:03:56
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal authorities are asking for the public’s help in tracking down two men seen damaging rock formations at a national recreation site in Nevada.
Officials at Lake Mead National Recreation Area said the damage happened during a recent weekend near the Redstone Dune Trail on the north side of the lake. The petrified red dunes found there make it one of the most popular hiking spots in the park.
A video shows two men shoving chunks of sandstone off the edge of an outcropping as a girl screams. Park officials called the behavior appalling, saying the damage can’t be fixed.
“It’s one of my favorite places in the park and they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that,” John Haynes, public information officer at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, told television station KVVU.
Destruction like this at federally protected sites can result in felony charges that come along with potential fines and jail time, Haynes said.
Spanning 2,344 square miles (6,071 square kilometers) of mountains and desert canyons, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area just outside of Las Vegas draws around 6 million visitors every year. Officials said staffing levels mean park officials often rely on the public to also keep watch over resources within park boundaries.
Authorities said visitors can use their cellphones to capture any video or photos of suspicious activity if it’s safe to do so and to collect any information, such as a license plate, that might help to identify offenders. The National Park Service operates a tipline that receives thousands of submissions each year.
“It’s really important to let us know,” Haynes said.
There also have been others cases of vandalism on federal land across the West over the past decade, with visitors defacing petroglyphs, toppling rock features and pounding climbing bolts into centuries-old rock art.
veryGood! (42634)
Related
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Snakes almost on a plane: TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger’s pants
- Book excerpt: The Year of Living Constitutionally by A.J. Jacobs
- What to know about the 2024 Kentucky Derby
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese make pro debuts as WNBA preseason begins
- Biden and Trump offer worlds-apart contrasts on issues in 2024’s rare contest between 2 presidents
- 10,000 people applied to be The Smashing Pumpkins' next guitarist. Meet the woman who got the job.
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- NHL playoffs bracket 2024: What are the second round series in Stanley Cup playoffs?
Ranking
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Spoilers! How Jerry Seinfeld pulled off that 'fantastic' TV reunion for his Pop-Tart movie
- If Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves didn't have your attention before, they do now
- Sierra Nevada records snowiest day of the season from brief but potent California storm
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Jackson scores twice as Chelsea routs West Ham 5-0
- Real Madrid wins its record-extending 36th Spanish league title after Barcelona loses at Girona
- Berkshire Hathaway event gives good view of Warren Buffett’s successor but also raises new questions
Recommendation
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
2 women found dead and 5-year-old girl critically injured in New Mexico park, police say
Mexican authorities recover 3 bodies near where US, Australian tourists went missing
CDC says bird flu viruses pose pandemic potential, cites major knowledge gaps
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Mike Trout's GOAT path halted by injuries. Ken Griffey Jr. feels the Angels star's pain.
Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands Is the Biggest Conservation Opportunity Left in the West. If Congress Won’t Protect it, Should Biden Step in?
Shohei Ohtani gifts manager Dave Roberts toy Porsche before breaking his home run record