Unidentified miscreants have recently caused severe damage to the Racetrack playa in Death Valley National Park. The article at Peta Pixel was posted on 19 September with images taken the weekend before..
Preston, this is a serious ongoing issue these days. It would be impossible to reason as to why, one only needs to take in the global actions by many.
The most recent event I saw was with another eroded pedestal that was toppled by vandals in just the last couple weeks. The amount of disregard seen in destructive events such as these are only exceeded by those inflicted on wild & domestic animals and humankind itself.
Being "older" chronologically now these events seemed more of a once a year shocker in the past, now people seem to accept them as just normal daily events.
Posted by Igor Doncov on September 21, 2016 at 1:14 PM
That really bad 27 mile dirt road probably prevented this from occurring sooner or more often. This was probably done by off-roaders, people who resent that not all the land is available to drive on freely.
The same issue occurs on the Painted Hills, Oregon, except that the damage is done by walking feet on softer sediment. It's gotten to the point that only a distant landscape can be made. It's virtually impossible to come up with more creative compositions.
Sorry to hear this. It's a problem of perception. Not everyone feels these places should remain 'untouched'. This could have been a protest act.
Posted by Jim Zablotny on September 21, 2016 at 5:23 PM
That's unfortunate. Today, most people are so out of touch from nature--it is rare for anyone on the planet to experience a true wilderness in pristine condition. This is happening everywhere and it will only get worse.............................Jim
Posted by Harley Goldman on September 21, 2016 at 5:58 PM
I was out at the Saline Valley dunes last year. Same thing, tire tracks. They ran over the wooden "no motor vehicles" sign on their way onto the dunes. Some people don't deserve to share the planet with the rest of the population.
Posted by Mark Seaver on September 23, 2016 at 10:49 AM
Definitely disturbing and yes, it is everywhere. C&O canal national historic park (Great Falls on the Potomac from the MD side) now has a gated entrance that is closed dusk to dawn at least partly due to vandals spray painting some of the rocks above the river.
Yup, it makes me madder 'n heck......these idiots want to "leave their mark" on the land. It's even more irritating when you see all the land that CAN be driven on down there.
Did I hear that they may know who it was?? I hope so.
Discussion
6 repliesVandalism at the Iconic Racetrack in Death Valley National Park
How people can get it in their heads that these actions are OK is just beyond the ability of my feeble brain to comprehend.
--P
The most recent event I saw was with another eroded pedestal that was toppled by vandals in just the last couple weeks. The amount of disregard seen in destructive events such as these are only exceeded by those inflicted on wild & domestic animals and humankind itself.
Being "older" chronologically now these events seemed more of a once a year shocker in the past, now people seem to accept them as just normal daily events.
The same issue occurs on the Painted Hills, Oregon, except that the damage is done by walking feet on softer sediment. It's gotten to the point that only a distant landscape can be made. It's virtually impossible to come up with more creative compositions.
Sorry to hear this. It's a problem of perception. Not everyone feels these places should remain 'untouched'. This could have been a protest act.
Did I hear that they may know who it was?? I hope so.