From the Hi-Desert Star Letters to the Editor:
Historic site deserves attention
Saturday, October 28, 2006 12:26 AM PDT
An historic site in Wonder Valley with old adobe ruins from the Post Homestead and protected sand dunes was vandalized by off-road vehicles. The ruins were run over and the adobe walls were used for target practice. New routes have been cut into sand dunes that are strictly off-limits to ORVs. The vandals ran over barriers and right past “no trespassing” signs.
Last spring, over 50 people participated in a cleanup and restoration sponsored Community ORV Watch, the Morongo Basin Conservation Association and the Twentynine Palms Historical Society with the assistance of the Bureau of Land Management which provided hand tools, bags, and a dump truck. The BLM crew of six staff included an archeologist and biologist studying the site.
The adobe ruins, perhaps as old as 100 years, are protected by the Archeological Resource Protection Act (ARPA).
Local residents are asking that both the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Land Management investigate the vandalism. The area needs and deserves more protection. COW will continue to monitor the site for trespass and vandalism. Contact us to volunteer to help protect our natural and cultural heritage at www.orvwatch.com.
Phil Klasky
Community ORV Watch
Wonder Valley