A National Park Service official said Tuesday a reward will be offered for information leading to prosecution for vandalism of a major rock art panel in the Maze District of Canyonlands.
Larry Thomas, chief of resource management for the Southeast Utah Group of Park Service units, said plans are being made to restore several large pictographs damaged over the holidays in Horseshoe Canyon, a detached unit in the northwest corner of Canyonlands.Thomas said extensive vandalism at "The Living Light" mural was discovered Jan. 1 by Maze District maintenance worker Paul Hays during an off-duty hike with his wife, Corky.
"It sounds like people stood back and threw rocks at the figures. Big chunks are gouged out of the two big figures behind the fence, and two smaller figures are damaged. It looks like one of the smaller ones, they tried to pry off," Thomas said.
Based on reports from Hays and Maze District rangers, Thomas said someone apparently used rocks to scratch outlines around several figures on the panel and to inscribe names and dates.
"It sounds malicious. Even ignorant people don't write over paintings and art."
As of Tuesday, investigation had yet to yield any leads in the case. Thomas said he is arranging for authorization of a $500 reward for information leading to prosecution, as provided under the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act.
Estimated damage to the prehistoric rock paintings exceeds $500, classifying the vandalism as a felony under federal law.
Thomas said Hays reported encountering no one during his hike, and the names scratched on the rock have provided no solid leads. He said someone had scratched two names with dates on the rock wall: "Jake 90," and "John MS 89."
"There's really nothing we can do. We just need to get the graffiti off there. Graffiti begets graffiti," Thomas said.
The vandalism was the first serious damage to prehistoric rock art reported in a long time in the national parks of southeastern Utah, he said.
Horseshoe Canyon, about 40 miles south of Green River in eastern Wayne County, is accessible by dirt road and by trails that drop into the canyon. During winter, the area is patrolled weekly, Thomas said.
He said the area is isolated and receives little visitation compared to the rest of Canyonlands, especially during winter. The canyon had yet to receive snowfall when the vandalism is believed to have occurred.
Since it is off-season, Thomas suspects the vandalism was the work of someone local.
"On New Year's Day, we just don't have that many out-of-state tourists. I have to think it's local."
Originally named Barrier Canyon, Horseshoe Canyon was designated a unit of Canyonlands in 1971 as part of a park expansion. In 1972 and 1976, the significance of pictograph panels in the area earned Horseshoe Canyon listings on the National Register of Historic Places.
"It was the first place that the Barrier Canyon-style (pictographs) were found and named," Thomas said.
Barrier Canyon-style rock art can be found throughout this portion of the Colorado Plateau, but author-researcher Kenneth B. Castleton notes in his book, "Petroglyphs and Pictographs of Utah," that Horseshoe Canyon contains figures with unique features.
Castleton's book describes the pictographs as heroic size mummylike figures with elaborate torso decoration, bucket-shaped heads and no extremities, painted mostly in red and white in a manner demonstrating sophisticated skill and talent.