Last week, self-styled street artist Andre Saraiva (also known as Mr. A and Monsieur Andre), posted images online of a circle and X he apparently spray-painted onto a rock at Joshua Tree National Park, . Saraiva initially reported that the graffiti was painted on private property, but Modern Hiker blogger Casey Schreiner that it was actually painted at Joshua Tree鈥檚 Contact Mine trailhead.
Saraiva has denied this, writing, 鈥淪ome crazy person is misinforming you,鈥 according to 国产吃瓜黑料 Journal reporters with access to his private Instagram feed.
Saraiva is the latest in a string of photo sharers who have drawn the ire of commenters online for their use of mobile photo-sharing devices in national parks, as 国产吃瓜黑料 described earlier this February. Saraiva鈥檚 case is unique, however, in that his apparent violation of park rules and customs was driven by an explicit desire to leave a trace on the desert鈥攁lbeit on a surface, he insists, that was not part of the park. This sets him apart from almost every other visitor besides, perhaps, fellow Intagrammer Casey Nocket. As 国产吃瓜黑料 wrote in October, Nocket posted photos of permanent acrylic portraits that she鈥檇 painted on rock faces in national parks across the country, defiantly noting that she was 鈥渁 bad person.鈥
The problem of vandalism in national parks appears to be particularly pronounced in Joshua Tree. 鈥淲e are a graffiti-heavy park, unfortunately,鈥 Jay Theuer, Joshua Tree鈥檚 lead archaeologist, in October.