COLORADO CITY — An act of vandalism to a grazing allotment boundary fence near Colorado City has law enforcement officials from two different agencies working together to find the responsible party.
According to a press release issued by the Bureau of Land Management, BLM law enforcement and Mohave County Sheriff’s Office are seeking any information from the public regarding the act of vandalism.
A grazing allotment boundary fence, located within Short Creek Wash, was damaged and the corner bracing pushed over. The fence was built in five days, and it was vandalized the day after completion.
The fence allows for livestock management within the allotment and neighboring allotments. Damage to these types of fences results in the loss of livestock, monetary damages and countless hours invested in repair and searching for loose livestock, the press release stated.
Rachel Carnahan, public affairs specialist for the BLM-Arizona Strip District, said in an email to St. George News that this act of vandalism was just one of many on public lands in the Arizona Strip.
“Unfortunately, yes, we have seen other cases of fence damage, off road travel and archeological vandalism in this area in the past,” Carnahan wrote. “Damage to signs is especially common.”
The fence in question and corner bracing have since been repaired.
In these types of situations, the BLM seeks public participation.
“Our main goal is to have voluntary compliance,” Carnahan wrote. “We make great efforts to educate the public regarding how they can care for and be good stewards of public lands so that others may also enjoy them as well.”
Carnahan said even though the fence has been repaired, the agency is still seeking help from the public.
“We are always looking for the public’s help and engagement. Our cases are often solved with the help of the public.”
Visitors are asked to report any illegal activity that they see or encounter on public lands by calling the BLM hotline at 1-800-637-9152 or the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office at 928-753-0753.
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