SOUTH OF BELT — Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks crews hiked nearly a mile into Sluice Boxes State Park this week to begin removing graffiti from rock walls and structures vandalized earlier this month.
Tom Wylie reports - watch the video here:
The graffiti was discovered June 3 in a remote section of the park south of Belt. On Thursday, FWP staff packed buckets, brushes, and cleaning supplies into the canyon to begin restoring the area.
Game Warden Mike Tucker said cleaning up the vandalism is expected to cost about $1,000.
"Once we find it, we start to go through the process of getting it cleaned up," Tucker said. "And that can be kind of a costly deal."
The vandalism was found on rock walls and structures within the park, a popular destination for hiking, camping and fishing. Tucker said vandalism is not common at Sluice Boxes, but when it does occur, it impacts a place visited by thousands of people each year.
"We have about 38,000 people that travel through the park every year," Tucker said. "Families, anglers, hunters. Just keep it clean for everybody to enjoy."
Visitors expressed similar sentiments during Thursday's cleanup effort.
"This is a really nice place," said Great Falls resident Jerome Bearchild who was hiking in the park with his friends. "When people come out here, they should respect it."
Tucker said the vandalism could be investigated as criminal mischief. In addition to criminal penalties, anyone found responsible could be ordered to pay restitution for the cleanup costs.
FWP is asking anyone with information about the vandalism to contact Tucker at 406-594-4813 or submit a tip through the agency's Tip-Mont program. Information leading to enforcement action may be eligible for a cash reward.
The cleanup effort is expected to continue as crews work to remove the remaining graffiti and restore the affected areas of the park.
