The Bureau of Land Management is looking for individuals responsible for defacing an area containing Native American rock art on the west side of Utah Lake.
Lisa Reid with the Bureau of Land Management said people frequently venture into the Lake Mountain area to engage in target practice illegally. She said litter from shooting is a major problem for the area, but added that vandalism is a less-common issue.
“The good thing is that none of the rock art sites themselves were painted or vandalized, but due to the proximity of the targets to the rock art, it certainly encourages people to shoot into the rocks where the rock art is found,” Reid said.
The BLM found more than a dozen targets painted on rocks near the art site.
Because of the nature of the rock disfigurement, authorities believe it could be the same perpetrators from a previous case of vandalism.
“In 2011, we had a very similar incident in the same exact area, which leads us to believe that it could very well be the same group of people or persons that did it in 2011,” Reid said.
The BLM is offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of individuals responsible for the damage.
Authorities believe the vandalism occurred between July 25 and 31.