Pregnant Buffalo Panel defaced in 9 Mi Canyon !

[Swimswithtrout]

"Someone etched their initials and the date next to the prehistoric image known as the "Pregnant Buffalo" on a rock panel in Nine Mile Canyon just minutes after it had been inspected by archaeologist Jerry D. Spangler.

The vandals etched into the dark patina next to prehistoric images the initials “JMN” and the date of “5/25/14.”

Spangler said the vandalism occurred about 12:20 p.m. on May 25 only moments after he'd visited the site and observed no evidence of recent vandalism. Twenty minutes later, two local property owners visited the panel, saw the vandalism and witnessed two people hurrying away. Ultimately, Spangler and the land owners got a license plate number and other information that has been forwarded to the Bureau of Land Management. "We're encouraging the BLM to investigate this matter fully. We can't let this slide," he said.

While a few other names and initials have been carved at the Pregnant Buffalo site over the years, the earliest in 1867, none have been added in recent decades until the Memorial Day weekend incident, Spangler said.

Spangler pointed to this recent rock art defacement, the toppling of a hoodoo at Goblin Valley State Park and the theft of a dinosaur track near Moab as examples of a segment of society that has yet to learn the value of cultural and geologic history. "It is not acceptable. These are treasures of the past that belong to all of us. A rock art panel is not someone's private pallet where people can create their own images." "

Source : http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...rt.html?pg=all