{"id":18913,"date":"2026-11-09T23:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T23:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=18913"},"modified":"2026-11-09T23:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T23:26:19","slug":"moab-petroglyph-vandalism-may-leave-permanent-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=18913","title":{"rendered":"Moab Petroglyph Vandalism May Leave Permanent Damage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>The BLM is investigating vandalism at two ancient rock-art sites near Moab, Utah, where names were carved into 2,000-year-old petroglyphs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$?--><template id=\"B:1\"\/><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Vandals scratched graffiti above ancient animal petroglyphs at the Bear Panel along Highway 279 near Moab, Utah.<!-- --> (Photo: BLM Utah)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Updated November 9, 2026 04:01PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BLMUtah\/posts\/1438435445128624\">announced<\/a> on November 6 that it was investigating vandalism at two ancient rock-art sites near Moab, Utah, where someone carved names into petroglyphs, leaving damage that may be impossible to remove.<\/p>\n<p>The incidents occurred at the Bear Panel, a rock-art site <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/cnha.org\/visit\/moab-area\/things-to-do\/\">along Highway 279<\/a> near the Colorado River, and another panel near <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blm.gov\/visit\/hells-revenge-trailhead\">Hell\u2019s Revenge<\/a>, a popular four-wheel-drive trail in the Sand Flats Recreation Area.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese images are a physical expression of the past, their connection to their ancestors and to that landscape,\u201d Chris Merritt, Utah\u2019s state historic preservation officer, told <em>Outside<\/em>. \u201cThey will now forever be scarred by someone\u2019s thoughtlessness, and that hurts the continuation of culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The BLM has not publicly identified any suspects in the two latest incidents. An agency spokesperson told the Moab newspaper <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moabtimes.com\/articles\/vandals-damage-two-ancient-petroglyph-sites-near-moab\/\">The Times-Independent<\/a><\/em> that the agency planned to treat the graffiti in the days following its November 6 announcement, although some damage may be permanent.<\/p>\n<p>Under the federal <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/subjects\/archeology\/archaeological-resources-protection-act.htm\">Archaeological Resources Protection Act<\/a>, vandalizing protected archaeological sites can carry fines of up to $20,000 and two years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Photos show the name \u201cMeru\u201d scratched beside ancient carvings depicting a bear and a bighorn sheep at the Bear Panel. At the second site, near Hell\u2019s Revenge, someone carved \u201cCraig W\u201d across several petroglyph figures.<\/p>\n<p>Merritt said much of the artwork at the two sites dates back roughly 1,500 years and reflects Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont traditions, along with those of more recent Indigenous communities. The panels are part of a larger cultural landscape around Moab, where Indigenous peoples once lived, farmed, and traveled, he said.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBLMUtah%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0wzNEvtLsn243Ss4whmhDqwEELyAEGBvh4EbEbX3i8WKkGw3j4osXEnT3FoABFkyNl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"536\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Can the Damage Be Repaired?<\/h2>\n<p>Restoring the damaged petroglyphs presents different challenges at each site, Merritt said.<\/p>\n<p>At the site near Hell\u2019s Revenge, vandals scratched graffiti directly across ancient carvings. Merritt noted that typical fixes, such as scrubbing the stone or trying to conceal the marks with pigments, risk damaging the original artwork underneath.<\/p>\n<p>The Bear Panel presents a different problem. A crack in the sandstone just below the graffiti means that scraping the rock could create openings for rainwater, weakening the structure through freeze-thaw cycles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive minutes of damage could take weeks of repair to do carefully to preserve the subsurface imagery and the rock face,\u201d Merritt said, emphasizing that any remediation must involve consultation with descendant tribal communities.<\/p>\n<h2>Protecting Rock Art in Popular Recreation Areas<\/h2>\n<p>Merritt said rock-art vandalism has become more widespread in Utah in recent years, a problem he believes is partly connected to growing visitation on public lands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve always had folks going back to the 19th century scraping their initials on the panels, but what we\u2019re seeing within five or six years is a pretty significant increase in the scale and distribution, hitting archaeological panels that have never had graffiti before,\u201d Merritt said.<\/p>\n<p>The latest incidents follow another case in March 2026, when the Grand County Sheriff\u2019s Office investigated graffiti carved into petroglyphs near Tusher Tunnel, along an off-highway vehicle route northwest of Moab.<\/p>\n<p>To combat the problem, Merritt said Utah is using its <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/protectourpast.org\">Protect Our Past<\/a> education campaign and a statewide network of volunteer site stewards who monitor archaeological sites. Signage and fencing can also help discourage vandalism, he said.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2025, a Utah woman who vandalized petroglyphs on BLM land near Wire Pass was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $14,853 in fines and restitution, according to a U.S. Department of Justice <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ut\/pr\/utah-woman-sentenced-after-defacing-petroglyphs-blm-land\">news release<\/a>. She was also prohibited from entering BLM land during her probation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese aren\u2019t victimless crimes,\u201d Merritt said. \u201cWe need to find ways to catch, prosecute, and convict these folks, so it sends a message to future visitors that this is not acceptable in Utah or anywhere you visit heritage sites.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anyone with information is asked to contact Moab BLM Law Enforcement at 435-259-2131.<\/p>\n<p><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/moab-petroglyph-vandalism\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The BLM is investigating vandalism at two ancient rock-art sites near Moab, Utah, where names were carved into 2,000-year-old petroglyphs. Vandals scratched graffiti above ancient animal petroglyphs at the Bear Panel along Highway 279 near Moab, Utah. (Photo: BLM Utah) Updated November 9, 2026 04:01PM The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on November 6<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}