Rock Art Defaced, Perhaps With Paintballs

News October 4, 2013

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(Makkonen)

NELSON, BRITISH COLUMBIA—Rock art depicting two First Nations hunters near Kootenay Lake has been damaged by what appear to be paintball pellets. Provincial archaeologist Al Mackie will wait to see if the rain will remove the paint, but if it is not water soluble, the problem of cleaning up the vandalism becomes much more difficult. “If it’s the kind of material that really adheres to rock, then to remove it becomes a pretty complicated process. You need a trained museum person who knows what kind of chemicals to apply,” he said. Defacing protected rock art in Canada is punishable by a fine and even jail time. 

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