Fragile artifacts swiped from closed area of Utah national park, rangers say. ‘Sad’
A trail camera captured two people swiping historical artifacts from a closed archeological site at a national park in Utah, park service officials said.
National Park Service rangers are seeking help from the public to identify the suspects involved in the March 23 archeological theft at Canyonlands National Park in Moab, officials said in a May 15 news release.
They were spotted at the site in the Cave Spring Cowboy Camp area about 5:30 p.m., officials said in the release.
“In a video recorded at the archeological site, the individuals entered a signed-as-closed area, removed artifacts from a cabinet, and handled historic harnesses in a manner that had potential to damage them,” officials said.
Screenshots from the video show what appears to be a man and woman dressed in sweaters and shorts and wearing baseball caps and sunglasses standing in the closed area and haphazardly handling items. Several people pointed out the man’s distinct facial hair in the social media comments.
One screenshot shows one of them sitting down in a chair and smiling toward the camera.
“It’s really sad,” someone said in comments under the photos on the park’s post on Facebook. “Why do some people always want to destroy beautiful things?”
Law enforcement rangers are asking anyone who was in the area at the time or who might have information that could help identify the suspects to contact investigators using one of three ways: Call or text the National Park Service-wide Tip Line at 888-653-0009, submit a tip online at https://www.nps.gov/SubmitATip or email them at this link.
“National parks are some of the most special, treasured, and protected areas of our country,” officials said. “To protect their natural and cultural resources for this and future generations, all visitors to national parks are expected to follow park laws and regulations and practice Leave No Trace principles to minimize their impact on the park lands.”
This story was originally published May 16, 2024 at 2:01 PM with the headline "Fragile artifacts swiped from closed area of Utah national park, rangers say. ‘Sad’."
