Current:Home > FinanceVisitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site -FundPrime
Visitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site
View
Date:2025-04-23 10:32:42
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! (83)
prev:Intellectuals vs. The Internet
next:Small twin
Related
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Channing Tatum Accuses Ex Jenna Dewan of Delay Tactic in Divorce Proceedings
- The Paralympic Games are starting. Here’s what to expect as 4,400 athletes compete in Paris
- 'Lord of the Rings' series 'The Rings of Power' is beautiful but empty in Season 2
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- The Daily Money: Pricing the American Dream
- Michigan football's once spotless reputation in tatters after decisions to win at all cost
- SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn again, this time for 'unfavorable weather' for splashdown
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Jury returns to deliberations in trial of former politician accused of killing Las Vegas reporter
Ranking
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Family of Grand Canyon flash flood victim raises funds for search team: 'Profoundly grateful'
- What is a returnship and how can it help me reenter the workforce? Ask HR
- Suspect in fatal shooting arrested after he falls through ceiling of Memphis home
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- What’s hot in theaters? Old movies — and some that aren’t so old
- Brandon Jenner's Wife Cayley Jenner Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3
- 'Heinous, atrocious and cruel': Man gets death penalty in random killings of Florida woman
Recommendation
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
2 Arizona women found dead in overturned vehicle on Mexico highway, police say
Reports: Veteran pitcher Rich Hill to rejoin Red Sox at age 44
Hard Knocks recap: Velus Jones Jr., Ian Wheeler, Austin Reed get one last chance to impress Bears
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
K-pop singer Taeil leaves boyband NCT over accusation of an unspecified sexual crime, his label says
Militia group member sentenced to 5 years in prison for Capitol riot plot
In the First Community Meeting Since a Fatal Home Explosion, Residents Grill Alabama Regulators, Politicians Over Coal Mining Destruction