People who vandalize petroglyphs, pictographs and historical inscriptions would be fined under a bill recently passed by the Wyoming Senate.
SF 91 also sets aside funding to survey, document and model all known pictographs and petroglyphs on state land.
During the first reading of the bill on the Senate floor, Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander) stressed that these paintings and carvings tell stories about Indigenous peoples with deep connections to what is now Wyoming.
“ It's communications by people that have way predated the state of Wyoming and way predated the Columbian expansion and so-called discovery of America. These people of different tribes, different cultures, have been here for thousands and thousands of years,” he said.
Case was part of the 2024 Select Committee on Tribal Relations, which took on the issue as one of their main focuses during the interim between legislative sessions.
In an interim meeting in May, Northern Arapaho Business Councilwoman Teresa His Chase agreed that the state could do more to enforce harsher punishments for vandalism. Northern Arapaho Business Council member Kimberly Harjo also testified that the tribe does not want their sacred sites put on any sort of public-facing map.
At that same meeting, state archaeologist Spencer Pelton testified that almost a quarter of the more than a thousand documented rock art sites across the state have been vandalized. They’re also vulnerable to natural erosion.
On the Senate floor, Case said the protections would also extend to historical inscriptions connected to westward expansion.
“The largest migrations in the history of the United States occurred in Wyoming, crossing on our trails going to Oregon and to Utah. They left visible reminders of their journey across [the country]. You can see Jim Bridger's carvings in rock on state land,” he said.
If the bill becomes law, anyone who vandalizes pictographs, petroglyphs or historic inscriptions could also be fined up to $750 or face up to 6 months in county jail, or both.
SF 91 would also give the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources about $440,000 to document and make digital 3-D models of all known pictographs and petroglyphs on state land through the summer of 2028.
According to Sen. Stacy Jones (R-Rock Springs), that funding would allow the department to catalogue 120 sites that they’ve already identified. It would cover the work and travel of a senior archaeologist, someone to make the 3-D models and two technicians.
Jones said it was “extremely important” to record and model the sites. Case echoed that sentiment, citing advances in imaging technology and artificial intelligence.
“ In a hundred years, people could re-look at that data and maybe find something new. It's irreplaceable. It's not a lot of money. I ask for your support,” he said.
Sen. Brian Boner (R-Douglas) raised concerns about balancing the goals of the surveying project with private property rights, especially in the case of state land that is completely surrounded by private land.
Boner introduced an amendment to the bill that stated that “no survey conducted pursuant to this section shall access private lands without the consent of the landowner."
Sen. Chris Rothfuss (D-Laramie) expressed concerns about adding in that language.
“ This is the first time I've heard of the premise that the state is not allowed to access state land without the permission of the landowner,” he said. “Am I reading that right? And is this something we've done before? Because honestly, that's a whole new approach to me, where we're denying access to the state to state lands.”
In the bill’s second reading, Boner’s amendment was deleted and replaced with the language that “no survey conducted pursuant to this section shall access private lands without first notifying and consulting with the landowner.”
The bill passed its third reading in the Senate on Feb. 3 and is now headed to the House.
