Bureau of Land Management investigates vandalism at Native rock art sites in Bighorn Basin
Six protected sites were damaged
The Bureau of Land Management is investigating vandalism at six Native American rock art sites in Wyoming's Bighorn Basin, according to a June 4 statement from the bureau. Officials said people scratched names and phrases onto and around petroglyphs, fired bullets at multiple sites and lit a bonfire beneath one rock art panel, causing discoloration, cracking and the loss of rock fragments, according to reporting by Wyoming Public Media. The sites are protected under the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act.
The damage is considered irreversible, according to the Bureau of Land Management. “This intentional damage takes away future generations’ ability to view this part of our human history and to study these sites,” Karina Black, an archaeologist with the agency’s Cody Field Office, was quoted as saying. The Bureau of Land Management said the sites are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is asking anyone with information about the vandalism to contact its Cody Field Office.
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