Restoration specialists have completed a project for the Bureau of Land Management Eagle Lake Field Office to remove graffiti from panels of Native American cave paintings at a site in Lassen County. The effort took five days and cost nearly $9,000 to complete.
“We hired a restoration professional to undertake this delicate task of removing as much graffiti as possible, while leaving the slightest impact possible on the pictographs,” said Eagle Lake Field Manager Brian Novosak. “The restoration specialist had to remove chalk, charcoal and spray paint. Sadly, in some cases the graffiti was extensive and could not be completely removed.”
The vandalism occurred in the summer of 2016 at a site known as Tommy Tucker Cave, a location considered sacred by Native American tribes. The BLM and Susanville Indian Rancheria are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. No one has claimed the reward as of today.
Archaeologists estimate the pictographs were created more than 500 years ago, when people used mineral-derived pigments to paint the images, explained BLM Archaeologist Marilla Martin.
They are the only known pictographs in this region. Petroglyphs, or images pecked into rock surfaces, are more common.
“In addition to their spiritual significance for native people, these drawings are important because they tell us of life in a time just prior to the arrival of European settlers,” Martin said. “We respect these cultural ties to public lands, and will continue to work closely with our tribal partners to steward these irreplaceable cultural resources.”
To report any information to the BLM regarding the vandalized pictographs, please call the Eagle Lake Field Office at 530-257-0456.
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