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The Bureau of Land Management along with its partners are offering up to a $2,500 reward for information leading to the conviction of the people who vandalized a historic site near Price.
Julie Howard, a BLM spokeswoman, said in late summer vandals built a campfire under the "First Canyon Site" rock art panel in Nine Mile Canyon, which stained the panel. She said the vandals then used charcoal from the campfire to scrawl graffiti on the site. She said the damage was discovered in early September.
"It's unfortunate," Howard said. "This is probably one of the most heavily visited sites in the canyon."
She said authorities have been able to clean up the campfire damage, but it will take a professional to clean up the graffiti so as not to damage the works of art. The site which was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its importance to prehistory.
Authorities hope someone will be encouraged by the reward to come forward and turn in the perpetrators.
"This is probably the most amount of money we've ever put out for an archeological vandalism," she said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the BLM at 1-800-722-3998. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
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