Woman accused of defacing national parks with acrylic paint
According to an article posted on modernhiker.com, a woman named Casey Nocket traveled to the West Coast from New York for a few weeks to tour national parks, but now she’s gaining a lot of attention after allegedly posting pictures of herself using acrylic paint on certain rock formations and trails.
The photos were uploaded to her Instagram account, which was made private after her story went viral. Nobody has been able to make contact with her regarding the allegations, but now her story is gaining national attention.
She’s accused of defacing land on several national parks, and possibly Joshua Tree National Park. A spokeswoman with the National Park Service tells KESQ/CBS it’s investigating the vandalism, but didn’t confirm whether they’re searching for the woman.
“The fact that she’s done it multiple times possibly is even more incredible,” said Joshua Tree National Park visitor, Keith Honegger.
Honegger from Illinois says artists should know better.
“It could be that people think that that’s art that do it, but to the average person who has to view it, it isn’t and it’s just defacing public property in most peoples minds,” he said.
Nathan Page, another park visitor called the art tasteful, but says there’s a place and a time.
“Yeah, if I was hiking around sort of expecting this experience and then seeing a very blatant bright piece of art, whether it’s art I don’t think it needs to be there,” he said.
The National Park Service is assessing the damage, but expects it to be an extensive clean-up.
What do you think about Nocket’s behavior? While her actions are illegal, some may still feel it is artwork. Answer our poll question and share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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