LETTER: The challenges of keeping Red Rock graffiti-free

Thank you for making the graffiti damage at Red Rock Canyon front-page news (Saturday Review-Journal). While the coverage heightens public awareness, sadly it often also provides exactly the attention the taggers are seeking. Our public lands have increasingly become a challenge target for taggers, with special attention paid to difficult-to-access and high-value cultural resources and artifacts.

The Back Country Horsemen of Nevada and Cowboy Trail Rides provide the mules and horses to transport the water and graffiti removal chemicals to the defaced sites. Friends of Red Rock Canyon provides the committed volunteers who work in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management to do the difficult and sometimes dangerous work of removing the paint without damaging the precious cultural sites and artifacts beneath the paint. Since 2010, Friends has contributed more than $65,000 (labor and materials) toward graffiti removal.

Our mission is the preservation and conservation of Red Rock Canyon. At 37 years old, it is the nation’s oldest volunteer organization in partnership with the BLM. If anyone has information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of parties responsible for graffiti, please contact Red Rock BLM law enforcement immediately.