Three German for firing paintball guns inside earlier this month. On August 4, a patrolling a campground inside the park saw , according to a . Rangers found at least eleven signs splattered with the yellow paint.
The citation, issued to each of the three tourists, carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The ranger caught the tourists after investigating the paint splatters and finding a slingshot inside a nearby vehicle “in plain view.” The tourists admitted to using a paintball gun and slingshots to fire paint the night before.
Park rangers recovered a paintball gun, paintballs and several slingshots, which are legally considered weapons and prohibited in National Parks, according to the release. “Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” Joshua Tree national park acting chief ranger, Jeff Filosa, said. “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.” 1936 and is made up of the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Across 792,623 acres, the diverse park is home to more than 800 plant species - including the iconic Joshua Tree - more than 250 bird species, and dozens of different kinds of reptiles.
Along with its biodiversity, its world-famous rock formations, attract more than 3 million visitors a year. Earlier this ye.