General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Petroglyph thefts near Bishop stun federal authorities, Paiutes, "worse act of vadalism ever seen" [View all]catchnrelease
(1,945 posts)I have been to this area and seen/photographed these petroglyphs several times over the years. They are in a remote place, not where you would just stumble upon them by accident. The road to where they are is a dirt and gravel washboard kind of mess, FAR away from any civilization. I don't know how they could be protected really. Even if there were some kind of solar powered cameras or alarms, a vandal could just destroy them and it would be probably close to an hour before law enforcement could get there. Of all the times I've been up there, only once did I see any other people. And even if they closed off the dirt roads that lead to these sites, all it would take is an off-road vehicle to get someone determined into there.
At one of the sites, there is/was a chain link fence, probably 10-12 ft high around a huge boulder that had petroglyphs on it. Even with that, some moron felt the need to climb in and spray paint a phallus on it. When I saw that I thought, 'Well there's civilized man's contribution to history.'
I doubt they will catch the a-holes, but I hope I'm wrong. And the reward is a joke. I know the BLM is short on manpower and resources, but I wish they could get enough money to really make a reward enticing enough to rat out the thieves.