Current:Home > ContactVisitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site -Momentum Wealth Path
Visitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site
View
Date:2025-04-20 22:58:40
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! (43)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Videos of long blue text messages show we don't know how to talk to each other
- Pentagon review calls for reforms to reverse spike in sexual misconduct at military academies
- Former Indiana Commerce Secretary Brad Chambers joins the crowded Republican race for governor
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Britney Spears’ Lawyer Previously Detailed Plan for Sam Asghari Prenup to Protect Her “Best Interests”
- Yankees' road trip ends in misery, as they limp home under .500
- After years of going all-in, Rams now need young, unproven players to 'figure stuff out'
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Foes of Biden’s Climate Plan Sought a ‘New Solyndra,’ but They Have yet to Dig Up Scandal
Ranking
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- NCAA conference realignment shook up Big 10, Big 12 and PAC-12. We mapped the impact
- Kendall Jenner Shares Her Secret to “Attract” What She Wants in Life
- More than 1.5 million dehumidifiers recalled after 23 fires, including brands GE and Kenmore
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- NCAA conference realignment shook up Big 10, Big 12 and PAC-12. We mapped the impact
- Jets assistant coach Tony Oden hospitalized after 'friendly fire' during practice skirmish
- Kendall Jenner Shares Her Secret to “Attract” What She Wants in Life
Recommendation
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Mississippi judge declares mistrial in case of 2 white men charged in attack on Black FedEx driver
Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan's ex, Shanna Gardner, is now charged in plot to murder him
North Carolina Republicans finalize legislation curbing appointment powers held by governor
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Pass or fail: Test your Social Security IQ using this quiz
Abbott is wrong to define unlawful immigration at Texas border as an 'invasion', Feds say
The Blind Side Author Weighs in on Michael Oher Claims About the Tuohy Family