Vandals, Y U No Respect Things?
I was saddened to read in the news today that part of Joshua Tree National Park in California has been closed due to vandalism.
Vandals have been tagging rocks in Rattlesnake Canyon. This disappoints me because that has always been one of my favorite areas of the park. Rugged boulders stacked seemingly at random outline the course of natural drainage through the desert. It's a fun place to go scrambling around. Except, for now, no one can go because the Park Service has closed the area for restoration and to try to quell the social media fueled tagging frenzy.
Yes, social media. Both the Park Service announcement and journalists cite social media as playing a part in the problem. Apparently the vandals are going online to brag about their crimes and one-up each other. One can only hope that their narcissistic need to post "selfies" makes it easier to catch these clowns.
Alas, it has been a while since I've visited Joshua Tree NP. Merhawk and I went a number of times back in 2003-2004 when we lived in Los Angeles. Here's a photo from deep in my archives:
