Current:Home > MarketsVisitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site -Capitatum
Visitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-06 08:03:41
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! (7)
Related
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- New Jersey internet gambling sets new record at $198M in revenue, but land casinos lag
- Isiah Pacheco injury update: Chiefs RB leaves stadium on crutches after hurting ankle
- A Waffle House customer fatally shot a worker, police say
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Biggest moments at the 2024 Emmy Awards, from Candice Bergen to 'Shogun'
- How Connie Chung launched a generation of Asian American girls named ‘Connie’ — and had no idea
- A'ja Wilson makes more WNBA history as first player to score 1,000 points in a season
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Steve Gleason 'stable' after medical event during hurricane: What we know
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Arrests for illegal border crossings jump 3% in August, suggesting decline may be bottoming out
- Who plays on Monday Night Football? Breaking down Week 2 matchup
- TikTokers Matt Howard and Abby Howard Slammed For Leaving Toddlers Alone in Cruise Ship Cabin
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- After a mission of firsts, SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew returns safely to Earth
- Wisconsin’s voter-approved cash bail measures will stand under judge’s ruling
- Colleges in Springfield, Ohio, move to online instruction after threats targeting Haitians
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Tropical storm warning issued for Carolinas as potential cyclone swirls off the coast
DEA shutting down two offices in China even as agency struggles to stem flow of fentanyl chemicals
Arrests for illegal border crossings jump 3% in August, suggesting decline may be bottoming out
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
Bridgerton Season 4 Reveals First Look at Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha as Steamy Leads
TikTokers Matt Howard and Abby Howard Slammed For Leaving Toddlers Alone in Cruise Ship Cabin
The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White Shares “Beautiful” Reaction to Liza Colón-Zayas’ Historic Emmys Win