BLM Investigates Vandalism at Two Moab Petroglyph Sites

By Elena Vasquez

Under the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act, vandalizing protected archaeological sites can carry fines of up to $20,000 and two years in prison.

What did the vandals do near Moab?

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on November 6 that it was investigating two ancient rock-art sites near Moab, Utah. Someone had carved names into petroglyphs, leaving damage that may prove impossible to remove.

• Bear Panel: Along Highway 279 near the Colorado River, vandals scratched graffiti above ancient animal carvings. BLM Utah photographs show “Meru” beside carvings of a bear and a bighorn sheep.
• Near Hell’s Revenge: A popular four-wheel-drive trail in the Sand Flats Recreation Area, the second site contains “Craig W” carved across several petroglyph figures.

The BLM has not publicly identified suspects in the two latest incidents. An agency spokesperson told The Times-Independent that the agency planned treatment within days after November 6. Some damage, however, may be permanent.

“These images are a physical expression of the past, their connection to their ancestors and to that landscape,” Chris Merritt, Utah’s state historic preservation officer, told Outside. “They will now forever be scarred by someone’s thoughtlessness, and that hurts the continuation of culture.”

Merritt dates much of the artwork to roughly 1,500 years ago. It reflects Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont traditions, plus more recent Indigenous communities. The panels form part of a larger Moab cultural landscape where Indigenous peoples once lived, farmed and traveled.

For Merritt, the damage reaches beyond scratched stone into a continuing cultural record.

Why is repair so difficult?

Restoring the damaged petroglyphs presents different challenges at each site, Merritt said. At Hell’s Revenge, vandals scratched directly across ancient carvings. Scrubbing the stone or masking the marks with pigments could harm the original artwork.

Below the Bear Panel graffiti, a sandstone crack creates another repair problem. Scraping could open paths for rainwater. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles could then weaken the rock face.

“Five minutes of damage could take weeks of repair to do carefully to preserve the subsurface imagery and the rock face,” Merritt said. Any remediation must include consultation with descendant tribal communities.

A quick surface cleanup could destroy the very images conservation must protect.

Is rock-art vandalism increasing?

Merritt says Utah rock-art vandalism has grown more widespread in recent years. He partly attributes that increase to rising visitation on public lands.

“We’ve always had folks going back to the 19th century scraping their initials on the panels, but what we’re seeing within five or six years is a pretty significant increase in the scale and distribution, hitting archaeological panels that have never had graffiti before,” Merritt said.

In March 2026, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office investigated graffiti near Tusher Tunnel. The site lies along an off-highway vehicle route northwest of Moab.

Recent cases now reach panels that had never carried graffiti.

What is Utah doing about wider damage?

Utah is using the Protect Our Past education campaign, Merritt said. A statewide network of volunteer stewards monitors archaeological sites. Signage and fencing can also discourage vandalism, he said.

In November 2025, a Utah woman was sentenced to 12 months of probation for vandalizing petroglyphs on BLM land near Wire Pass. According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, she must also pay $14,853 in fines and restitution. The order bars her from entering BLM land during probation.

“These aren’t victimless crimes,” Merritt said. “We need to find ways to catch, prosecute, and convict these folks, so it sends a message to future visitors that this is not acceptable in Utah or anywhere you visit heritage sites.”

Anyone with information can contact Moab BLM Law Enforcement at 435-259-2131. The next step is careful treatment without further damage, with descendant tribal consultation guiding any repair.