Thanks to the quick thinking of a group of junior rangers, two vandals are being held accountable for their decision to deface a historical site within Dinosaur National Monument on Friday. According to monument staff, “a 23-year-old female and a 30-year-old male thought it would be fun to carve their initials on an area with 1,000 year old Fremont Petroglyphs at a site known as Swelter Shelter.” A group of young visitors were in the area working on their junior ranger booklets when they observed what the couple was up to. With the help of their mom, the junior rangers took pictures of the vandals as well as the license plate of their vehicle. The group “quickly returned to the visitor center and reported the incident. Law enforcement rangers were able to apprehend the culprits [and] they will soon be making mandatory appearances in federal court.” The staff of Dinosaur National Monument thanks Jaxon, Jade, Jordyn, Jewelie, and Hannah for keeping watch and reporting the vandalism that took place at this historic site. All are invited to do the same and report if you see someone defacing or destroying the Monument’s cultural or archeological resources.
