We have previously discussed the increasing appearance of graffiti in our national and state parks. As is well known on his blog, hiking is my passion and there is nothing more crushing than to see juvenile carvings and writings on trees and rocks in parks. Indeed, today I am heading to New Mexico for a speech and hope to hike in the wonderful trails outside of the city. I have written that the scourge of graffiti is due to the low detection rate and even lower penalties for those committing these crimes. The most recent case demonstrates vividly how the government still treats the crime as a minor matter. Recently, Actress Vanessa Hudgens posted a picture of her carving of a heart into a red rock wall during a trip to Sedona, Arizona on federal park land. However, when nabbed by the federal government, they allowed her to walk with just $1000 donated to a charity. Now we have another egregious case of a San Diego woman, Casey Nocket, 23, who defaced a series of national parks with graffiti and bragged about on social media. Yet, Nocket was sentenced to only two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service. The laughable sentence vividly illustrates why the destruction of our parks continues without any meaningful deterrence.
Casey Nocket is a nightmare for environmentalists. A shallow, narcissistic individual who relished putting graffiti on pristine areas within seven national parts, including Yosemite in California and Zion in Utah. She used Instagram and Tumblr to brag about her dubious accomplishments.
Yet, here is a case of extensive and premeditated acts of vandalism — followed by bragging on social media. Yet, even in this case, Nocket will only face two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service. They are still trying to clean up the mess but Nocket will effectively walk.
Until we get seriously about sentencing these people to jail, there is little hope for deterrence in our national parks.
Paul, My point too. I’ve always thought it strange that a bird nest or even worse, a beaver dam that causes huge environmental impact is ok but if a human changes their surrounding environment, we are considered evil.
Jim22 – I am insulted to think that I am not part of the natural environment. That is just silly. I am also insulted that the National Parks are not made available to the differently abled.
In the US, pretty girls can do whatever they want, almost.
Jerry, are you implying the petroglyphs were the work of a dumb blue-collar borderline Amazonian bleach blond bent on attention?
Prof. Turley, we have a problem in California, let alone the entire US, with levels of incarceration. There’s no room here, and that’s why she got probation and community service. We’re too busy fighting the war on drugs, the war on terror, the war on illegal immigration, and the war on war, to waste needed room on billiards hall bimbos. Besides, she’ll look regal in her orange jumpsuit out there picking up trash along Interstates 5, 8, and 15.
It should have been 5,000 hours of community service.
JT, New Mexico is a beautiful state. A trip up to Taos is well worth the time. This is a great time of year to visit.
Clockwork Orange comes to mind.
Well, balance will come back to the force when her future employers google her name.
“People who create their own drama,
deserve their own Karma”
So many sign-posts in the culture, so many tells, so much writing on the wall, all indicating that the direction is down…
I have been to many of these parks and they have been graffitied by Indians. When are they finally going to fine them. And how about those dumb signs the NPS puts up. Those detract from the wilderness experience. And God knows, we should get rid of the roads, parking places, visitors center, etc. Each of those is a blight on the landscape.
The punishment should be the cost of repairing the damage and a little to boot. They don’t get to clean up the damage. A ‘specialist’ costing professional wages will be employed. Pay at the pump. These mutts would soon stop if they were given payment programs that lasted several years. Nothing like $500 a month coming out of your paycheck due to your stupidity to smarten you up. That’s for a first offense, second offense jail time.
Casey didn’t deface this area yet. And never will.
Take a hike. On the way to the lost city of gold. Paititi. Lots of petroglyphs.
Pusharo: mysterious ancient symbols of the Amazon
Isn’t there something ironic if not hypocritical to be outraged by this women and then turn around and be in awe looking at an ancient hand print on a cave wall?
“The laughable sentence vividly illustrates why the destruction of our parks continues without any meaningful deterrence.”
This is also a little over the top. I wonder how JT feels about the trails that run through these parks? I’m sure he likes them, since he uses them. Everyone has a line in the sand, what is yours?
Put the woman’s image on toilet paper and distribute it throughout the land– free of charge.
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty it is free at last!
Guillotine, please.
This idiot arrives at pristine scenes to enjoy; and by interfering in those scenes she undermines that same experience for every person who follows.
While not as bad as graffiti and carvings, even those rock-stacks that people build bother me. Leave it alone. National parks and nature generally should be observed equally by everyone. No one has the right to disturb a landscape or flora or fauna.
I visited Iceland last year and read about a dumb “artist” who poured red dye into a geyser, turning it pink — who then had the sack to say no one owns the environment, which completely contradicts his invasive “art.”
These actions are microcosms of what we collectively do to larger ecosystems. Sadly humanity really is the worst species.
300M+ people in America 7B+ in the world …….. put enough rats in a cage and they eat each other and everything else 99guspuppet
Show me one person in San Diego, hell Caliliberalfornia that has any respect for history. Especially history that doesn’t fit their narrative and even remove historical monuments because it’s offensive.
This is of no surprise. Respect doesn’t exist in certain circles and the children are the seeds they reap, and the rest of us has to suffer for it.
I think that we occupants of the US have lost their way when there is a question of Right and Wrong. Why anyone would think that it is OK (right) to deface something as beautiful as our public park lands. But more importantly, why does the arbiter of law enforcement and punishment feel that only probation and a small fine is punishment enough?
I feel sorry for America. It is not the America I grew up in. There is no more a greatest generation that understands good vs. evil.
America is filled, to overflowing capacity, with people who are mind numbing callous and ignorant people. They think not about the damage inflicted and the spoilage for the next person to see it, that they would be so utterly without any thought of right and wrong and selfish to then post those acts on social media.
And about Free Will – It is no excuse for moral attrition.
I’m sorry, I thought this was about defacing national parks with graffitti. The president of the United States, a twice-elected leader, has nothing to do with this article or conversation. Kindly stay on topic.
Has Obama, a near self-acclaimed, unilateral leader, not systematically attempted to deface & circumvent our Constitution? Then, does he not routinely attempt to publicly brag about his efforts on all media fronts with NO consequences? Are you not fatigued by such un-presidential behavior? Is he not a threat to our Constitution? In short, Obama’s behavior & actions are counter-productive to our nation.
Yet another example of how difficult it is to secure criminal convictions for women defendants!
Let the punishment fit the crime, let us tattoo (in Scarlet) the statute against defacing public property in the same size lettering she used, beginning at her hairline and continuing in a uniform manner down her face, neck, trunk & arms, torso – legs, until it is completed or there is no more room (if the font she used is too large it may be scaled down to fit it all).
That way she may remember it.
It is not quite as permanent, since her lifespan is finite, and it will be seen by and affect far fewer people – but I imagine the one person it is meant to impress will feel it deeply.
Proper pain relief should be given to prevent it from being “cruel”; but she choose public spectacle as her mode of crime – why should it not be her self selected mode of punishment?
Sigh…
Wishful thinking.
True justice is impossible here.