Petroglyphs hacked from rock, stolen

Pictured: Petroglyph thieves were unable to chop this piece from the rock, but at least four of the ancient drawings were removed. (Photos: BLM)/

On Sunday, the LA Times reported that at least four petroglyphs had been taken from the Volcanic Tablelands in Mono County, while a fifth was defaced by deep saw cuts, and a sixth was removed, broken and left propped against a boulder near a visitor parking lot.

“Dozens of other petroglyphs were scarred by hammer strikes and saw cuts,” the article said.

On Monday, U.S. Bureau of Land Management archaeologist Greg Haverstock confirmed the theft and vandalism to The Sheet. While he could not divulge the exact location of the site, he did say it is 15 miles north of Bishop, in Mono County at the Volcanic Tablelands, on land managed by the BLM.

“We are keeping the site confidential because we don’t want to increase traffic to it,” Haverstock said.

He was quoted in the LA Times article as describing the incident as “the worst act of vandalism ever seen” on the 750,000 acres of public land managed by the BLM field office in Bishop.

Haverstock also told The Sheet that since the article came out over the weekend, the Bishop Paiute Tribe has matched the $1,000 reward being offered by BLM to those with information on what happened, so the reward is now $2,000.

Paiute tribal historic preservation officer Raymond Andrews stated in the article, “We still use this sacred place as a kind of church to educate tribal members and children about our historical and spiritual connections. So, our tribal elders are appalled by what happened here.”

In regard to one sentence in the LA Times article, “The theft required extraordinary effort: Ladders, electric generators and power saws had to be driven into the remote and arid high desert site near Bishop,” Haverstock clarified that the thieves could have used portable concrete saws that would not have required generators.

The question now being asked in the wake of this destruction is whether or not, with the tight budgets of federal land agencies, future vandalism can be prevented.

According to the article, “The easy answer is to police the site and others listed under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. But that’s not possible given the condition of cash-strapped federal lands agencies, authorities said.”

However, Eastern Sierra residents like Paul McFarland think patrolling can be done in more ways than one. “This story just shows the importance of having presence on public lands – paid or volunteer, inside or outside of the agency,” McFarland, who works for the Friends of the Inyo, said via email.

To read the entire LA Times article visit, click here.

Donation Fund Established in Petroglyph Vandalism Case

The Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association is accepting donations following destruction of petroglyph panels at a major rock art site north of Bishop.

Donations can be mailed to the association at 190 E. Yaney St., Bishop, CA 93514. Those interested in donating also can call the association at 760.873.2411 during normal business hours.

Donors should specify where they want to money to be used:

• Petroglyph vandalism reward fund;
• Interpretive opportunities (to show how the damage has affected the overall panel);
• Adopt a camera for continued site monitoring/surveillance;
• Fund archeological site stewardship training and volunteer opportunities