The National Parks vandal incident broke out this week after Modern Hiker reported cases of social media accounts owned by username "Creepytings" travelling through Western National Parks and leaving a trail of graffiti. "Creepytings" is owned by a woman named Casey Nocket, and the nefarious National Parks vandal she has done has since received backlash on the internet.
Nocket took vandalism to a whole new level with the National Parks vandal incident, especially as it appears most of her paintings appeared to be located in areas not too far on the historic sites' trails.
The National Parks vandal paintings have already appeared at Yosemite, Crater Lake, Sequoia, Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Rocky Mountain and Joshua Tree National Parks. The Grand Staircase-Escalante and Carrizo Plain National Monuments are also been included, according to The Wilderness Society.
Hiker Casey Nocket is also linked to other social media accounts, which uses the username "Creepytings as well." The name can be found in all of the National Parks vandal sites.
According to Fstoppers, Rebecca from Calipidder was the first to notice the National Parks vandal graffiti. She reportedly speculated that something was wrong when she saw a Reddit photo of a graffiti along a trail in Vernal falls. The "creepytings" signature was left in the National Parks vandal graffiti, causing Rebecca to become angry yet curious.
She quickly scoured through social media site Instagram and found an account which matched. One photo led to another and within a few minutes, Rebecca had seen several other National Parks vandal graffiti "art" made by "Creepytings," of which included Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park and Bryce and Joshua Tree.
Rebecca took to the National Parks' Facebook pages to report the
National Parks vandal incidents, and informed the pages of Nocket's Instagram and tumblr account , of which included photos of defaced rocks in Zion and Canyonlands. Later on, Rebecca was informed that a National Park Service investigator is already aware of the occurrence and the service is already holding an active investigation.
Nocket could reportedly face a few felony charges for the National Parks vandal crime.
According to Modern Hiker, the social media accounts provided evidence of illegal markings made by "Creepytings," but also a testament by Nocket herself that she had used acrylic paint in the process of creating the National Parks vandal graffiti, all while knowing what she had been doing was wrong.
Meanwhile, the incident has received much attention and frenzy from outraged individuals and various news sites. However, the National Parks vandal incident has also raised several questions about "art" on public lands in general.
While the gravity of the National Parks vandal situation may be hard for other people to grasp, it should be known that many locations protect natural wonders, as well as prehistoric art, petroglyphs and pictographs. Some of these are already aged millions of years, making them incredibly fragile.
Many of these markings, while recent, were made at a time before the historical places were protected. Many artists have been led by their inspiration from the beauty of the historic landscapes for hundreds of years.
The Wilderness Society even quoted Howard Zahniser as saying in the Wilderness Act that what makes the notable places remarkable are their being "untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
Many of the petroglyphs and pictographs are also reportedly some of the only sources of artistic expression for that culture.
Permanent markings such as the National Parks vandal graffiti not only violate leave no trace principles, but they can alter the aesthetic experience that millions seek during trips to the parks.
The defacing of the landmarks could possibly land Nocket in federal prison, especially as these "artworks" were done without permission on a land belonging to every American.
Experiencing the great outdoors leaves a sense of awe and wonder, making one instantly humbled by nature, described Modern Hiker.
However, Parks aren't just top in the priority list of any government, be it state, local, or federal. The lack in funding of the National Parks and Forests resulted from the budget going into things such as fire suppression, according to Modern Hiker.
Since the National Parks vandal story broke, the "Creepytings" Instagram account has since then been put down. The account is believed to have not been updated by Nocket anytime recently.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
