SPRINGDALE, Utah, Dec. 15, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Zion National Park officials said Tuesday they are finding graffiti in the park “nearly every day.”
“When visiting Zion National Park there are many beautiful sights to enjoy,” said a Facebook post from the park. “Recently there has been an uptick in some visitors wanting to leave their ‘mark’ during their visit. You can help protect Zion National Park by not creating graffiti. No one comes to the park expecting to see graffiti but nearly every day, staff find words and shapes carved, drawn, painted with mud, dirt, pigment, paint, or scratched on rocks and more recently even carved within moss.”
More than four million people visit Zion every year, the post said.
“Please allow other park visitors their opportunity for discovery by leaving rocks, plants, archaeological artifacts, and other objects as you found them,” the post added. “There are many ways that you can share your experience: take a photo, talk to family and friends about your visit, write a letter or postcards to someone who could not make the trip this time around, and share your experience on social media. These are all other ways to mark your experience instead of carving on the rocks. The goal is to leave spaces that you visit in the same or better condition than how you found them; Leave No Trace.”
Depending on the area damaged and what the surface is, it can take park staff hours to remove using a variety of equipment that has to be carried to the site, the post said. Repair of vandalized sites is costly and time consuming, and often, a damaged site can never be fully restored to its original condition.
If you have information that could help identify those responsible for damaging park resources or facilities, you are asked to contact officials via the Tip Line on 888-653-0009. Callers don’t have to identify who they are but are asked to share what they know so rangers can prevent this damage from happening in the future.
You can help protect the park during your visit by taking the Zion Pledge, a personal promise you can make to help become a steward of the park. Learn more about the pledge here.
