Smokies rangers battle graffiti
With the fall season coming, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is gearing up to guard against graffiti — lasting marks that not only detract from the park’s natural beauty but can permanently damage irreplaceable resources.
In July, five men were arrested at the iconic stone tunnel at the end of the Road to Nowhere outside Bryson City for defacing park property.
“We appreciate the hard work of the park rangers for cracking down on people who mark or deface the peoples’ park,” said Swain County Commissioner David Monteith. “People who visit our national park should not have to put up with that.”
Tagging in the park can result in a penalty as severe as $5,000 in fines and six months in jail. Sometimes, graffiti can be removed — but when it comes to the historic log structures for which the park is famous, that’s impossible to do without destroying historic wood.
Report information about graffiti in the park to 865.436.1230.
