Authorities in Utah are searching for the person who drove a climbing anchor into the site of an ancient outdoor carving carved by Native Americans nearly 1,000 years ago.
The bolts used by climbers to secure ropes from falling off rock walls were discovered at the Pregnant Sheep Petroglyph Panel in northeastern Utah in early November. NBC News reported.
in a Facebook postthe Uintah County Sheriff's Office told the public they needed help identifying the vandal.
“On November 10, 2024, it was discovered that climbing bolts had been installed on petroglyph panels,” the post said, adding that law enforcement from the federal Bureau of Land Management was “notifying the public that they had identified possible climbing bolts.” We are asking people to report sexual information,” he added. The person responsible for this incident. ”
The petroglyph panels are located near Musketshot Springs Lookout on Highway 40, about 18 miles from Dinosaur National Monument near Colorado.
Although the exact date is unknown, similar carvings in other parts of Utah have been radiocarbon dated to 1100 AD. Utah Museum of Natural History.
And while it's unclear how much damage has been done to the site, the petroglyphs are protected by state and federal laws, including the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. This was announced by KSL, an NBC affiliate station in Salt Lake City.
“When you scratch a rock like that, you physically remove a portion of the rock,” Elizabeth Hora, state archaeologist with the Utah Historic Preservation Office, told the network.
“A lot of that visual effect is due to the actual dust being emitted, so you can remove the dust, you can modify it, but you can't put the rock back.”
Autumn Gillard, cultural resources manager for the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, said defacing the drawings with bolts is also disrespectful to the state's indigenous people, who consider the works sacred.
“For us as tribal people, these are our churches,” she said. KSL Early this month.
“When people come in and destroy panels and destroy cultural institutions, we think of it as someone going into a temple or a religious space and writing graffiti all over it, writing their name all over the place. I think it's the same thing as writing.
Anyone with information is asked to call BLM Law Enforcement at 800-722-3998 or 801-539-4099.
