This past October, you probably heard about the scout leaders in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park who thought it was a good idea to topple over a millennia-old hoodoo. Because they are geniuses, they then uploaded a video of the act to YouTube, including them singing, laughing, and exchanging high fives. Their reasoning, they said, was that the hoodoo was unstable and posed a danger to visitors. This wasn’t an adequate justification to law enforcement, and the two men are under criminal investigation. The deputy director of Utah State Parks said that in his 22 years on the job, he had never heard of any of the hoodoos rolling off their pedestals.
This incident reminded me of an article I had read in the New York Times back in June: “As Vandals Deface US Parks, Some Point to Online Show-Offs.” Park rangers from around the country, including the Grand Canyon, Arches, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, have been noticing a sharp increase in vandalism. Vandals deface natural geological formations, ancient petroglyphs and pictographs, and rare and threatened species of plants. While no one is exactly sure of the cause of this increase, some think it’s the popularity of social media: vandals will snap pictures of their work and share with their friends and followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Of course, hilariously, this photographic evidence can also aid in their eventual prosecution. But what can we do to prevent the destruction of our priceless natural and historical treasures? I’d hate to think that this criminal activity could force rangers to block off fragile areas. When my in-laws visited Stonehenge in the ’70s, you could walk right up to the monument and touch it. Now the ancient stone circle is surrounded by a fence, due to vandalism.
So what is the solution? I think we can start with vigilance and education. Vigilance in the sense that if you see someone committing an act of vandalism, report it immediately. And educating people about the irreplaceable nature of these treasures; whether it be a Paiute petroglyph or a fragile sandstone hoodoo: these are part of what makes our country so great. It took millions of years to create, and only seconds to destroy.
www.chipphillipsphotography.com
Location: Spokane, Washington
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Chip Phillips began his relationship with photography in 2006 when his father gave him his old Pentax Spotmatic film SLR camera. Chip was immediately hooked and soon made the transition to digital. Given his lifelong love of the outdoors, he naturally made the progression to focusing on landscape photography. A professionally trained classical musician, Chip also performs as Principal Clarinet with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, and is Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at Gonzaga University. Chip resides in Spokane Washington with his wife and son.
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