On Sunday, August 4th a park ranger patrolling the Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National park noticed bright yellow paintball splatters on structures and signage.
While at the campground, Law Enforcement Rangers found a slingshot in plain view inside a vehicle.
After being questioned, two visitors at the campground admitted to firing paintballs with a gun and slingshot the previous night. Rangers searched their vehicle and recovered three slingshots, a paintball gun, paintballs, and other related equipment as evidence.
Photo: National Park Service
Rangers also learned that at least 11 roadway signs along Park Boulevard from Jumbo Rocks campground to the Maze Trailhead, two miles from the west entrance of the park, had been shot with yellow paintballs.
The two visitors are from Germany and were cited for firing paintballs at signs, bathrooms and dumpsters throughout Joshua Tree National Park. The violation incurs a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and/or not more than six months in prison. Paintball markers and slingshots are legally considered weapons and are prohibited in National Park Service-administered lands.
Photo: National Park Service
“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” said Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa. “It diminishes the natural environment that millions of people travel the world to enjoy. The park is regularly tasked with removing graffiti of all types, using time and resources that could be better dedicated to other priorities.”
The park’s maintenance staff is undergoing cleanup at the park.
