(Photo courtesy of the National Park Service) A ranger looks at a sandstone wall with blue spray paint graffiti at Zion National Park.
As Zion National Park sees a recent uptick in graffiti, park leaders made a plea on social media Tuesday for visitors to not leave their “mark” and to report any information about those who’ve damaged park resources and facilities.
“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,” a post Tuesday on the Zion National Park Facebook page states.
More than 4 million people visit the national park every year, and there are many ways people can share their experience, the post states, including by taking a photo, talking to family and friends about their visit, writing a letter or postcard or by sharing their visit on social media.
“The goal is to leave spaces that you visit in the same or better condition than how you found them,” according to the Facebook post.
The graffiti is “harmful and illegal,” and it requires time and money to remove. “Often, a damaged site can never be full restored to its original condition,” the post states.
“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,” according to the Facebook post.
People with information that could help identify those responsible for damaging park resources or facilities are asked to contact Zion National Park through its tip line at 888-653-0009. The information could help investigators, and callers don’t have to identify who they are.