Page 3 - Summer2011 magazine

Mark Beauchamp

Be proud! The graffiti at Lost Creek has been removed. Below are acknowledgments from Jannie Loubser PhD, RPA,
recognizing those who assisted with the project. I would like to add my thanks and gratitude to all of our volunteers and
contributors for helping with this huge undertaking.

Dr. Loubser’s Acknowledgments

Without the permission, administrative guidance, infra-structural and financial support, and hands-on assistance of the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association (RRCIA), the Friends of Red Rock Canyon (FORRC),
and various volunteers, the graffiti removal project at the upper Lost Creek pictograph site, conducted during May of 2011, would
not have been possible.

Mark Boatwright, BLM Archaeologist, is thanked not only for initially contacting me, but also for his friendly hands-on
assistance, help, and encouragement from the beginning to the end of the project. Blaine Benedict, Executive Director of the
RRCIA, is thanked for using his substantial managerial and organizational skills to make this project happen. The President of the
FORRC, Mark Beauchamp, is thanked for his role in making funds available to do the graffiti removal project. Pat Williams,
Community Outreach Chairperson with the FORRC, helped in a variety of ways, including making a YouTube video of the
project.
Klaus Cobb and Wyatt Mulvey, both from the FORRC, are “graffiti removal machines,” almost certain to win gold medals in
various categories if ever graffiti removal becomes an Olympic event. James Cribbs, ranger at the BLM, is thanked for initially
coaching champions like Cobb and Mulvey to remove graffiti. Ranger Cribbs also unselfishly shared his substantial supply of
graffiti-removal materials with us during the current project. These materials included anything from steel brushes through
specialized chemicals to compressors. Tod Price from the FORRC single-handedly carried the bulk of the equipment down to the
car park on the second last day of the project.

Other individuals who gave up their time and resources to help remove graffiti at Lost Creek include the highly effective mother
and son team, Laura and Mike Jacques. A husband and wife team, Roger and Susan Kolar, also helped out. Dana Harper and
RRCIA board member Allen Freer are thanked for helping to remove some particularly challenging graffiti. Bill James, the
‘Human Gecko,” is thanked for removing graffiti from the shelter’s ceiling. Niccole Cerveny drove out from Mesa Community
College in Arizona to lend her expertise during the final week of the project.
Lynn Zepeda, teacher at the Grant Sawyer Middle School, is thanked for rallying her pupils against graffiti at the site. The
following students are thanked for collecting money to fund the graffiti removal project: Erica Barios; Lesley Barajas-Luque;
Garrett Johnson; Marissa Villarosa; Katelynn Tuuao; Alexis Martin Del Campo; Mikkena Parry; Elizah Dominguez; Kayla
Cormier; and Emily Esposito.
BLM staff members at the Red Rock Canyon field office who provided friendly, practical assistance and moral support are Tim
Wakefield (BLM Assistant Field Manager), Robbie McAboy (Assistant Field Manager Red Rock Canyon), Kirsten Cannon
(Media Officer), and Chelise Simmons (Receptionist).
Vicki Sudduth, General Manager of FORRC, helped me with obtaining names and Anne McConnell, afforded me the opportunity
to share the results of the graffiti removal with members of the Nevada Rock Art Foundation.

Sincerely,

Johannes (Jannie) Loubser PhD, RPA
Archaeologist/Rock Art Specialist

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