Officials at Yosemite National Park have asked campers and hikers to help them find the people responsible for a recent surge in graffiti vandalism.
As CNN reports, calls about graffiti on some of the best hikes at Yosemite National Park surged on May 20, and now officials are reaching out to the public for any hints about who might be responsible. After investigating, rangers found roughly 30 areas where rock had been tagged with blue and white spraypaint.
f you were on the trail to the top of Yosemite Falls from 6-11 pm on May 20 and saw people tagging or with cans of spray paint, or have video/photo evidence, please go to https://t.co/Hlskmsz51B, then click on “Submit a Tip.” Or email nps_isb@nps.gov or call/text 888-653-0009. pic.twitter.com/8QimslwNpaJune 12, 2022
If you were at the park around May 20 and saw anything suspicious, or have any photos or video, officials ask you to submit a ticket on the National Park Service website, email nps_isb@nps.gov, or call or text 888-653-0009.
According to the NPS, graffiti is a growing problem, and it takes a great deal of time and work to remove. Getting rid of it can require scrubbing with hard brushes, or even using grinders and sledgehammers to remove the surface rock if the damage is severe enough.
Yosemite isn't the only park to suffer vandalism, and the NPS says that Zion has also been hit particularly hard in recent years. Ranger and volunteers have spent hours cleaning up damage left by stickers, permanent markers, spray paint, and tree carvings. In one recent operation, rangers spent 35 hours removing 150 square feet of spray paint, and a few weeks ago they used the temporary closure of Angels Landing as an opportunity to clean up litter and graffiti from Zion's most popular trail.
If you see any damage or defacement when you're exploring a National Park, take a photo, make a note of its location, and report it to the nearest NPS staff member.
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