In the wake of continuing vandalism, the Bureau of Land Management and Susanville Indian Rancheria have begun video monitoring at Tommy Tucker Cave, an important eastern Lassen County archaeological site. The cameras can transmit real-time video to federal law enforcement officers.
“Earlier this summer we completed a $9,000 project to delicately remove graffiti from pictographs on the cave walls,” said BLM Northern California District Manager Alan Bittner. “Unfortunately, the site has been vandalized again, and we are stepping up efforts to apprehend those responsible.”
The BLM and Rancheria are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Tommy Tucker Cave is unique because it contains rare pictographs, which are images painted onto the cave walls. Petroglyphs, or images pecked into rock surfaces, are the most common form of rock art in this region. Archaeologists and local tribal members estimate the cave paintings are more than 500 years old.
“In addition to their spiritual significance for Native American tribes, these drawings tell us of life in a time just prior to the arrival of European settlers,” said BLM Archaeologist Marilla Martin. “Vandalism impairs our ability to study the drawings and impacts a site considered by tribes to be sacred.”
State and federal laws protect cultural resources from vandalism and theft. Violators can face fines and jail time. 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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