Today
Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 58F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Tonight
Rain early.then remaining cloudy with showers late. Low around 45F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Updated: May 17, 2021 @ 2:45 am
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
A hiker along the West Rim Trail takes in the view of the Colorado River 2,000-feet below Sunday, March 21, 2021, from the Dead Horse Point State Overlook in Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab, Utah. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
SALT LAKE CITY For organizations that deal with graffiti and vandalism outdoors, the vandalism found at the Birthing Scene Petroglyph in Moab late last month was just one in a growing list of cases reported in Utah in recent months and years.
The recent case at the Birthing Scene Petroglyph and another case also found in the Moab area in April capture the most attention, but there are many cases of cultural and landscape vandalism reported at lesser-known sites. In fact, specialists and preservationists say they have found themselves handling all sorts of reports of cases across the state on a weekly basis.
As the field manager of the Bureau of Land Management s Moab Field Office, Gaddis-Wyatt had worked to ensure that Birthing Rock, otherwise known as Birthing Scene Petroglyph, as well as thousands of other unique archeological sites were preserved for future generations.
Despite the signage and fencing surrounding the large boulder to discourage vandalism or graffiti, there wasn t enough to stop what happened to it.
Now, as the cleanup of the vandalism begins, Gaddis-Wyatt said she s mostly optimistic about the future of the defaced petroglyph; still, she said the archeological site will still never be the same, even though parts of the site weren t defaced and people will be able to view the ancient artwork in the future.
Robert Gehrke: We can’t monitor every ancient artifact in Utah, but we can instill an ethic that values and protects the past
State has a new volunteer effort to prevent destruction like the Birthing Rock travesty.
(Zak Podmore | The Salt Lake Tribune) A petroglyph panel outside of Moab known as Birthing Rock was defaced by vandals on Monday night.
| May 2, 2021, 12:00 p.m.
Thousands of years before the first white settlers even set foot in the region, the West’s original inhabitants left their mark on the Birthing Rock.
Generation after generation etched dozens of images on all four sides of the iconic stone, spanning hundreds of years, withstanding time and the elements.
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