Wyoming
‘Hurts my heart’: Wyoming archaeologist speaks out against petroglyph vandalism
CODY— A Wyoming archaeologist is speaking out against vandalism of petroglyphs in Bighorn Basin.
Bonnie Lawrence-Smith, president of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists, said she often sees signs of vandalism near the petroglyphs, such as bullet holes and new engravings.
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‘Hurts my heart’: Wyoming archaeologist speaks out against petroglyph vandalism
She estimates some the petroglyphs, left by Indigenous Peoples, date back to thousands of years old.
“People have been shooting at these panels for probably decades,” said Lawrence-Smith. “It’s just unfortunate that people think that it’s okay to erase someone else’s heritage.”
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Other petroglyphs have chalk drawn over them and man-made pecking marks.
“Prior to better education, people would… come out and they would take a piece of chalk, and they would outline the petroglyph because it makes it easier to see in photographs… not understanding the damage that they were doing,” said Lawrence-Smith. “So that’s unintentional vandalism.”
Lawrence-Smith showed MTN a site where many names and dates were scratched onto the surface of the rock panel.
“It hurts my heart,” she said.
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The site is one of six sites the Bureau of Land Management is investigating for vandalism.
According to a recent BLM press release, another site was damaged from a bonfire, “resulting in discoloration, cracking, and the loss of rock fragments”.
Lawrence-Smith said she wants more people to face criminal charges for vandalism.
“They need to understand that there are repercussions for your actions,” she said.
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She told MTN she would like to see more participation in the Wyoming Site Stewardship Program.
“You can volunteer, and you can monitor sites,” said Lawrence-Smith. “And then you also have a better timeline of when vandalism does occur.”
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Even though many sites contain vandalism, Lawrence-Smith has noticed it has decreased over the years.
“What I’ve seen in my 16 years, vandalism is on the downside,” she said. “I’m optimistic. I think they’re getting better.”
BLM encourages people who witness vandalism of rock art sites to leave tips at their Cody Field Office phone number, 307-578-5900.