Ancient Rock Art Near Moab Vandalised, Federal Agency Seeks Suspects

Someone has carved modern names into ancient rock art near Moab, Utah, and the US agency that looks after the land wants to find out who did it.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the federal agency that manages public land across the American West, says it is investigating two separate incidents involving prehistoric petroglyphs, which are images pecked or carved into rock. The BLM's Utah office announced the investigation on its Facebook page, and the agency is now seeking suspects.

One damaged site sits along Highway 279, a scenic road that runs beside the Colorado River. The other is near Hell's Revenge, an off-road trail that crosses slickrock, the smooth, bare sandstone that covers much of the area.

At one site, vandals carved large letters spelling "Craig W" over part of a panel showing animals. According to ArtNews, the carving sits across the original images. Reports from SFGate say multiple names were carved into the prehistoric rock art panels in the area.

The BLM calls the Moab petroglyphs "irreplaceable cultural resources." They are protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, a US federal law that covers ancient sites on public land. Damaging such sites can bring fines and prison time.

For anyone who has stood in front of these panels, the damage is hard to undo. A carved line cannot be scrubbed off the rock without leaving its own mark, and the original images cannot be restored. The BLM has not said when the suspects might be identified, and it has not announced any charges.

Anyone with information about the incidents is being asked to contact the BLM's Utah office.