How to be responsible around rock art
Grimes Point Petroglyph
- Do NOT touch the rock art. Touching rock art will leave oils from your fingers that may speed the painting’s and the rock’s natural deterioration process.
- Making paper rubbings or tracings may crumble rock art.
- Making latex molds of rock art should only be done by professionals.
- Building fires nearby can cause serious damage from smoke and high temperature.
- Do NOT take it home. Collecting is illegal and punishable by law.
- Drawing chalk outlines is harmful to the rock art, and makes it impossible to use new methods of dating the figures.
- Re-pecking or re-painting a difficult-to-see rock art image doesn’t restore it, but rather destroys the original.
- Defacement. People who don't know better often paint their names over rock art, or shoot bullets at it. Defacement is a sign of disrespect for other cultures. It’s also punishable by law.
- Tunnel vision. People often forget to watch where they are walking and may trample or damage important artifacts.
- Removal/rearrangement of artifacts often destroys archaeological data. Artifacts should be left where they are found.
- Ground Disturbance. Any digging at an archaeological site is not allowed and unauthorized digging is punishable by law.
If you see people vandalizing sites, please report it as soon as possible by calling 1-800-VANDALS.
