Raider service break organized by Transformative Experiences for Undergraduate Education took us to Caprock Canyon, Quitaque, Texas from August 16th to August 18th 2019. The best thing about the break was that it was organized at the crux of end of summer and the beginning of Fall 2019. It gave me the perfect opportunity to spend my energy into something meaningful, at the same time it helped me relax from the long exhilarating lab work-ridden summer. We worked with the caprock canyon state park staff, especially Park interpretor- Le Ann and James. The main job of park interpretors is to look after the park and respond to emergencies inside the park complex. The state park is about 14000 acres in area, and I think it is a daunting task for the staff of state park to manage it. I would say this because over the past couple of years the number of visitors visiting the park has tremendously increased from 50000 visitors annually 10 years back to 100000 visitors annually in the last 2-3 years.
The main objective of the service break was the removal of graffiti etchings on the rock walls of various different trails of the state park. These graffiti etching are made because visitors are unaware of the laws pertaining to graffiti etching in state parks. The laws against graffiti etching in state parks can result in a fine of 500$ on the minimum to being categorized as a “misdemour” resulting in jail time. The people involved in graffiti etching incriminate themselves by posting their moments on social media- Facebook and Instagram and tagging the state park with necessary hashtags.
We carried out 2 major graffiti removals on 2 different trails of the state park. One graffiti removal program was carried out at Clarity tunnel railroad trail, which is a hiking/biking/horse-riding trail in the state park. The other trail is the Upper North Prong Trail- hiking trail.
The clarity tunnel railroad trail used to be railroad operating trains from Denver, Colorado to Fortworth, Texas. It was abandoned, and now it is a 65 mile hiking and biking trail. There are different rock groups seen on the trail, based on their time of formation. Majority of the rocks lining the trail were Dockum group rock, which are 210 million years old. On this trail, graffiti removal program was carried out on 2 particular spots- one near the mouth of clarity tunnel, and other spot which was further ahead from the clarity tunnel. The rocks near the clarity tunnel had different graffitis. These graffitis ranged from the year 1996 to 2019. The oldest one was from the year 1996, while the newest one was from the year 2019. The wide range of time periods on the graffitis highlight one singular fact that was illustrated by state park interpretor- Le Ann- “Graffitis breeds more graffitis”. The graffitis were removed by using sturdy hammers and blunt metal brushes. The use of either sturdy hammers and metal brushes depended on how deep the graffitis were. If the etchings on the walls were deeper, hammers were used to remove the graffiti completely , while metal brushes were used when the etchings were shallow. Le Ann, the park interpretor took us to the graffiti sites with a hopeful face. And I’m sure we didn’t disappoint. She is a determined and dedicated park interpretor, who has being working in the state park for the last 10 years. She exhibited extreme care and concern for the well being of state park, and was disheartened at the graffiti etchings on the state park. We worked on this part of the state park for 2-4 hours. It was hot sunny day, but we worked hard and tirelessly towards removing the graffitis and we didn’t disappoint. When Le Ann came back to pick us up, she was extremely grateful and happy to look at the surface which was once staggered and uneven because of the graffitis, but now appeared clear and glistening. She highlighted to us the importance of the work we are undertaking as it was one of its kind graffiti removal project carried out in any state park in the United States. In addition to graffiti removal, a supplementary goal of the project was to run a social media campaign against graffiti etching and awareness about the laws germane to graffiti etching and its underlying penalties- jail time and a fine of 500$. Besides that I think graffiti removal and cleansing of the walls of the state park would also preserve the state parks for future generations. This would help kindle the adventurous spirit of future hiking/biking generation of visitors of the park.
The very next day, we carried out the graffiti removal program on the Upper North Prong trail of the state park. It is one of the most popular yet challenging trails present in the state park. It is a 4.8 miles long trail for hiking. It is earmarked by a beautiful Fern cave, which is at 1/4th portion of the trail. A majority of the graffitis were found of the river beds of the trail. These graffitis were present on the Permian red rock beds. These rocks were much softer and more recent in the formation history. As these rock beds were softer, this accounted for a conducive and faster graffiti removal from them. We were taken to this graffiti sites by James, an equally dedicated park interpreter like Le Ann. He was appreciative of the work we had undertaken, and was thrilled by our determination and dedication to our work as well as our enthusiasm towards it. One of the most interesting aspect of this day’s graffiti removal was that we got to ride a HTVs. It was an adventurous ride nevertheless. Although like the previous day, the work of graffiti removal was tiring, each team member exhibited great deal of cooperation, enthusiasm and happiness towards the work. But today’s removal process was marked by a particular incidence. As we were in the middle of the removal process on the river beds, we were passed by a biker on the trail. The biker stopped by us and asked us what we were exactly doing. We told them about the graffiti removal program we were running. He nodded to that. In the middle of that, one of the group members told him to be vigilant towards other visitors and stop them if he found them making graffitis. Although this particular message seems to be disruptive to him, I think it was absolutely necessary. Only when the message is disruptive and invasive, can it be received forthrightly and clearly by other visitors. The positive energy of the entire group was excellently channelled by Jacy Proctor, the trip in-charge of the service break. She ensured that the energy of the group remain high and stable, and at the same time everybody fit with everybody perfectly.
Although the graffiti removal program was carried out successfully, I think there should a certain follow-ups that need to be carried out. Laws against graffiti etching should be stated explicitly near bare rock patches on the trail. Moreover, the necessary penalty should also be stated clearly and lucidly. Some of the graffitis should be deliberately left behind with the message- “Graffitis breed more graffitis”, especially the graffitis with time period should be left behind to highlight the message. These time period graffitis can serve as an example for the concept of “Graffitis breed more graffitis”. A specific designated rock surface can be assigned for making the graffitis, so as to limit the graffitis to one particular surface and to prevent it from spreading. I think a designated etching surface can be a long term solution against the practice of graffiti etching. In addition, this would also help people comply to the rules better and they could still make their “impact” on the park.
As a biology graduate student, I think I can start a conversation with other graduate students who are hiking euthanist about graffiti removal. This would make them more aware about themselves as well as other visitors of the park. This would help them enforce the law much better if they find other visitors do the same. In addition, making them aware of the social media campaign against graffiti etching carried out by Caprock Canyon state park. Another thing that I can accomplish as a Teaching Assistant is that I can make my undergraduate students more mindful about the laws against graffiti etching and its associated penalty. As the number of undergraduates exceeds the number of graduate students, I can get the word spread more prominently. As a TA, I deal with 40-50 students each semester, if I get a conversation started with them about the laws against graffiti etching, and each of the student talks to 50 different friends of theirs, the message can almost be spread “exponentially”.
- Chaitanya Haram