LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – “Why would you even do something like this, like why on Earth would you do this?,” questioned John Haynes, Public Information Officer Lake Mead National Recreation Area after seeing video of two men destroying in minutes what took nature millions of years to create.
“This almost feels like a personal attack in a way,” Haynes contended. The damage done at the National Park Service (NPS) site cannot be fixed. Lake Mead National Recreation Area officials are seeking information on two men seen damaging protected rock formations.
“Daddy don’t fall,” screams a girl in the video as two men push chunks of red stone off the edge of a formation at the federally protected site. “It pretty appalling, it is kind of disgusting,” Haynes asserted. It happened Sunday evening at 5:45pm at Redstone Dunes Trail one of the most popular hiking spots in the park.
“That’s so beautiful, it’s one of my favorite places in the park and they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that,” Haynes stated. Lake Mead National Recreation Area is massive, it is a lot of park to patrol.
“It is 1.5 million acres. We have two big lakes, a chunk of the Colorado River…It gets pretty difficult based on our staff levels to be everywhere all at once,” Haynes explained. With six million visitors each year, they rely on the public to also keep watch over what is owned by all, especially in remote areas of the park.
“If you are out of cell phone range or you don’t know the number at least try to capture, if you can, if it is safe, some kind of photo or video of the activity taking place…You don’t have to engage people. Many people don’t feel safe engaging others out there…and that’s okay. It’s really important to let us know,” Haynes said.
Since the men have not been charged, FOX5 is not showing their faces but if caught for this federal offense, they could face prison time.
“It can range from six months in jail and a $5,000 fine…all the way up to a felony offense,” Haynes reported.
Charges for toppling natural rock formations are not unprecedented. In Utah, two boy scout leaders caught toppling boulders in Goblin Valley State Park were charged and had to pay thousands in restitution. FOX5 showed the video to people at the park visitor center.
“I believe in Darwin. They should have gone down with the rock,” one woman reacted.
What you should do if you see someone damaging a NPS site especially in an area with no cell service? Rangers says record it if you can and grab any information that would help identifying someone like a license plate.
The National Park Service has a nationwide hotline: (888) 653-0009
You can also submit a tip online or email them. National Park Service REPORT A TIP or email: [email protected]
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