After Vanessa Hudgens was caught defacing a federally-protected rock in February, the Grease Live! star paid a $1,000 fine. That might seem like a lot of money for etching “Austin & Vanessa” into a rock, but due to the aforementioned federal protections, Hudgens could have paid up to $5,000. Then again, at least she still gets to visit National Parks — unlike the graffiti artist who was banned from setting foot on federal land during her two-year probation. As for the unknown individuals who were filmed destroying the iconic “Duckbill” rock formation at Oregon’s Cape Kiwanda, they deserve any and all punishments Oregon State Police and Parks officials can legally throw at them.
According to The Oregonian, park officials initially suspected the sandstone formation had fallen of its own volition. However, after reviewing video captured by David Kalas — in which three individuals push on and eventually destroy the “Duckbill” — they’ve since determined the incident wasn’t due to natural causes, obviously.
“Rules prohibit visitors from destroying natural features intentionally,” state parks spokesman Chris Havel told The Oregonian. He also added that vandalism of this scale was “pretty rare,” as he couldn’t remember “the last time we had an incident like this.”
So what will happen to the three persons (and one inactive bystander) who destroyed the “Duckbill”? At the very least, they’ll be slapped with a $435 fine. Considering how angry the Internet is with these people, however, something more substantive — like a ban — might be in order.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ88exKhe7j/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ59wNvgn5P/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ9ISFIgPsc/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKAGkwADumm/
Check out the CBS News report on the matter below.
(Via Reddit, CBS News and The Oregonian)
