When it comes to visiting national parks, "leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs" is not just a worn-out saying. Disregarding the latter can get one into serious trouble as defacing, destroying and taking the things one finds in protected natural areas automatically brings one into the category of a federal crime.
While many associate being a bad nature guest with putting a rock in one's pocket or breaking a tree to take a branch home, many national parks are also home to artifacts from native cultures and early days of settlement. Archeological theft is defined by the National Park Service (NPS) as "digging into sites on public lands and removing artifacts" to steal "heritage which belongs to us all."
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This spring, a couple visiting Utah's Canyonlands National Park entered a closed-off part of an educational center, played with historic harnesses used during the early settlement era and removed several artifacts from a cabinet before taking them with them.
Couple caught on video playing with historic harnesses, taking artifacts home
While the incident was caught on video on March 23, park rangers and the local police were unable to locate the couple. The NPS is now asking for the public's help in doing so — the video shows a man in a red fleece jacket and baseball cap and a woman with blonde hair and wearing a white sweatshirt rifling through the cabinets of the Cave Spring Cowboy Camp in the Needles district of the park.
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"In a video recorded at the archeological site, the individuals entered a signed-as-closed area, removed artifacts from a cabinet, and handled historic harnesses in a manner that had potential to damage them," the NPS writes adding that any "information from visitors is very helpful to investigators."
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Seen this couple? Here is how you can contact the NPS
The NPS regularly puts out campaigns and PSAs reminding the public to respect historic areas due to their fragility and status as "some of the most special, treasured, and protected areas of our country." Originating in the 1950s, the "Leave No Trace" campaign is still promoted by the NPS and includes principles such as "observe cultural or historic structures and artifacts but do not touch them" and "burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes." This week, three Michigan men who illegally started a campfire at Isle Royale National Park in 2022 were charged with one count of lighting, tending, or using a fire and one count of violating conditions established by the park superintendent each.
Those who have been at Canyonlands in the early evening of March 23 can contact the NPS both anonymously and through the online tip line or by calling 1-888-653-0009.
"Information from visitors is very helpful to investigators," the NPS writes further of the incident. "Law enforcement park rangers are asking the public for help. If you were in the area of Cave Spring Cowboy Camp at approximately 5:30 p.m. on March 23, 2024, or if you have information that could help identify the suspects, please contact investigators."
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