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Vandals with cans of spray paint strike at multiple spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway

National Park Service photo

The “unprecedented levels of graffiti” reported at some national parks around the country have found their way to the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina.

National Park Service officials posted multiple photos Dec. 3 on Facebook showing vandals had taken spray paint to large boulders along the 469-mile scenic road.

Investigators did not say if there are suspects in the incidents.

“In recent months, graffiti and vandalism have become more common as a way to deface the park and cause damage to our natural and cultural resources,” parkway officials wrote.

“While it may seem like just a rock, these natural surfaces provide an important ecosystem for lichen, moss, insects and other important flora and fauna — some that takes decades to grow.”

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The graffiti comes as anecdotal evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred overcrowding and vandalism in national parks.

“In some cases, parks and monuments have seen increases in vandalism, illegal dumping and graffiti,” McClatchy News reported in 2020.

Experts say the problems have resulted from more Americans looking to the openness of national and state parks as a safe option for leaving home during the pandemic.

Overcrowded parks such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park have resorted to requiring reservations for the public to access parking lots at the most popular attractions, such as waterfalls.

The Blue Ridge Parkway topped 14 million visitors in 2020, making it “one of only three NPS sites that received more than 10 million recreational visits in 2020,” the National Park Service says.

“Graffiti is extremely difficult to remove and the repair of vandalized sites, if even possible, is costly and time consuming. At times, staff may even have to close down the road to provide access to water needed for cleaning and ensure worker safety,” parkway officials said.

“Defacing any part of our parkway hurts and degrades the experience of other park visitors. Not only is it a distraction from the beauty of the natural landscape, but it disturbs plant and wildlife habitats in ways that lead to their demise.”

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