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BIG WATER, Kane County — Federal land managers are now offering a $1,000 reward as authorities investigate an incident that left ancient petroglyphs near the Utah-Arizona border defaced over the weekend.
The Kane County Sheriff's Office received a report on Saturday that two people had defaced some of the petroglyphs near the confluence of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch, a remote area about 25 miles southwest of Big Water that's just east of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The sheriff's office also received photos of two people who appear to be carving into a canyon wall. Deputies said Sunday they are looking to contact the two people for questioning as they investigate the case.
Buckskin Gulch features about 16 miles of "unique formations and undulating sandstone walls" within the northwest boundary of the scenic Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, as noted by the Bureau of Land Management.
Many centuries ago, Native Americans carved "bighorn sheep, snakes and other symbols" into the canyon walls there, as noted by Geotimes, which featured the area in 2004. These petroglyphs are why the area is a protected cultural site.
Bureau officials on Monday began offering a reward for information leading to a "successful prosecution" in the case.
Anyone with information about the incident or the two people photographed is encouraged to call the Kane County Sheriff's Office at 435-644-2668 or the BLM at either 435-644-1215 or 435-690-9573.
