Legislation to protect petroglyphs on state land passes

On March 12, Gov. Mark Gordon signed nine bills into law, including one bill which will take necessary steps to survey and protect petroglyphs on state lands in Wyoming.

Sponsored by the Select Committee on Tribal Relations, Senate File (SF) 0091, Petroglyph, pictograph and historic inscription protection – now Senate Enrolled Act 91 – allows the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources to begin documenting historical petroglyphs and pictographs on Wyoming state lands.

The new bill also makes damaging historic inscriptions a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a fine of up to $750, imprisonment for up to six months or both.

Behind the bill

Introduced to the Senate on Jan. 10, SF0091 passed through the Senate and House with minimal discussion.

During the initial reading of the bill on the Senate floor, Sen. Cale Case (R-S25) emphasized the importance of these paintings and carvings, which tell significant stories about Indigenous peoples and their deep connections to the area now known as Wyoming.

He noted the proactive measures also ensure preservation of historical inscriptions associated with westward expansion, recognizing their significant contribution to history. 

“The largest migrations in the history of the U.S. occurred in Wyoming, crossing on trails going to Oregon and Utah. They left visible reminders of the journey across the country,” Case stated.

In May 2024, Case was part of the Selection Committee on Tribal Relations meeting where it was disclosed by Wyoming State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton almost one-quarter of the thousands of documented rock art sites across the state have been vandalized.

Most recently, Pelton presented information at the Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources meeting in January, stating, “Rock art is one of Wyoming’s more phenomenal examples of cultural history, both Native American rock art, as well as historic inscriptions in Wyoming associated with the Emigrant Trail era.”

“Unfortunately, people still vandalize this stuff a lot,” he told the committee. “Once these things are damaged, there’s not a good way to restore them back to their previous state. So, I really feel pretty strongly there needs to be some disincentive from doing it.”

Funding issues

Originally, SF0091 included a $441,340 appropriation for the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources to provide surveying and documenting all known petroglyphs and pictographs on state, school and institutional land in Wyoming.

However, the appropriation was eliminated on Feb. 26, when the Senate decided not to pass the legislature’s supplemental budget bill.

On the following day, Rep. Andrew Byron (R-H22) introduced an amendment during the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee meeting to remove the appropriation, explaining, “Given what happened yesterday and the current climate, I believe including this appropriation could delay the bill for a long time. We need to save this bill and keep the ball rolling.”

Questioning the proposal to remove the appropriation when the amendment was debated on the House floor was Rep. Lloyd Larsen (R-H54), who asked how the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources could be expected to survey petroglyphs on state lands without any funding support.

Byron said representatives from the agency told him they were comfortable with removing the appropriation at this time as a way to continue moving the bill forward and getting in the framework to get the surveying started.

Rep. Robert Wharff (R-H49) mentioned the agency can come back to the legislature during next year’s budget session to request the funding needed to support the surveying process.

“I know the significance of these sites and how important they are,” Rep. Ivan Posey (D-H33) stated during the committee meeting. “We’re moving in the right direction here, and the appropriations could be dealt with in next year’s session.”

Subsequently, Larsen put forth an amendment aimed at requiring the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources to seek funding for the surveying process as part of its budget for 2026-27. 

The amendment did not pass, with the vote ending in a narrow 25 to 26.

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.