Parks – national and local – need to be protected
Regardless of where you are, take care of nature’s spaces
Every so often, we see something in the news that we find to be completely infuriating.
Unfortunately, this week we didn’t have to go too far from home to find it.
Park rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area are now asking for the public’s help to identify two people who vandalized rock formations.
A video showed two men pushing the rocks off a cliff near the Redstone Dunes Trail, which was apparently recorded on April 7.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area Spokesperson John Haynes spoke with Fox5 Vegas, and called the situation “appalling.”
“That’s so beautiful, it’s one of my favorite places in the park and they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that,” Haynes said.
In a press release, the National Park Service said, “Lake Mead National Recreation Area, just minutes from Las Vegas, offers Joshua trees, slot canyons, and night skies illuminated by the Milky Way. The park’s rocks are as red as fire, and the mountains are purple majesties. Lake Mead is the country’s first and largest national recreation area and one of the most visited national parks in the United States.”
And readers, it is a spectacular experience.
It’s a historically and culturally significant landscape, but frankly, the region is just beautiful.
It’s hard to fathom why anyone would damage it in any way. What would possess someone to shove rocks that have existed for ages off a cliff? It’s such a mindless action.
The National Park Service noted, “National parks are some of the most special, treasured, and protected areas of our country. To protect these natural and cultural resources for this and future generations, all visitors to national parks are expected to follow park laws and regulations and practice leave no trace principles to minimize their impact on park lands.”
Frankly, isn’t that both common sense and common courtesy?
National parks are here for our enjoyment, for us to experience their beauty and history, and for others to do the same. And really, that applies to any outdoor space, be it a national park or a city park right here in Yuma.
If you know anything about the vandalism at Lake Mead, contact the National Park Service at 888-6530009, or visit www.nps.gov/submitatip.
And readers, if you visit a park, regardless of where you are, please show it some love and courtesy, and leave it as you found it.