Damage to the 113-year-old tram tower appears to have been caused by a motorist who became stuck in mud while driving illegally off-road.
Death Valley National Park is seeking information that could help authorities identify the person or individuals responsible for damaging a 113-year-old tram tower.
The toppling of the historic salt tower in Saline Valley appears to have been caused by a motorist who became stuck while driving illegally off-road.
“It appears the tower was pulled over while a person used a winch to extract their vehicle out of deep mud,” the park stated Wednesday in a news release. “The damage happened sometime between April 1 and April 24.”
Tram tower standing upright, before it was damaged. Photo: NPS
The uprooted structure was part of a tram system built by the Saline Valley Salt Company in 1911.
The Saline Valley Salt Tram, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was used to deliver salt from Saline Valley to the Owens Valley – covering a rise of more than 7,000 vertical feet.
“Tram tower No. 1 is the tower closest to Saline Valley lakebed,” the park continued. “Nearby tracks show that a vehicle drove a short distance off the legal roadway and got stuck in mud.
Tram tower after it was uprooted by a motorist driving off-road. Photo: NPS
“Park rangers believe that someone used the tower as an anchor to pull their vehicle out of the mud. The tower toppled over, pulling its concrete footings out of the ground.”
The incident occurred after the National Park Service had planned a salt tram stabilization project to be funded by the federal Inflation Reduction Act.
It’s not clear if extra funding can be provided to repair and re-anchor the damaged tower.
Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to call 888-653-0009 or visit the National Park Service’s online tip portal.
The Constellation Furyk & Friends was in crisis mode around 4 a.m. on Thursday.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Constellation Furyk & Friends was in crisis mode around 4 a.m. on Thursday.
The issue was solved before noon due to the efforts of the tournament and Timuquana Country Club staffs and outside help from the TPC Sawgrass agronomy staff and Maccurrach Golf Construction.
Four greens on the course and one practice green were damaged in the early morning hours on Thursday by vandals wielding tools believed to be shovels or hoes.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating and the PGA Tour Champions event, which will be played for the third year, will start as scheduled on Friday at 9:20 a.m.
“Obviously disappointing but the story of the day is the team effort and everyone being able to pivot,” said tournament host Jim Furyk.
Greens still have room for pins
The 10th, 12th, 16th and 17th greens had huge gouges taken out of them. The damage was discovered about 3 a.m. by a member of the Timuquana agronomy staff, who began arriving between that hour and 4 a.m. to begin preparing the course for the Thursday pro-am.
Timuquana superintendent Alan Brown, who had around 20 workers at his disposal, made a few phone calls. Within an hour, his counterpart at the TPC Sawgrass, Jeff Plots, and Maccurrach Golf owner Alan Maccurrach’s son Sonny arrived with another two dozen workers and by late morning the damage had been patched with sod.
The Thursday pro-am groups could not play the holes and played a 14-hole tournament. Additional work may be done overnight and before the first shots are struck at 9:20 a.m.
“The folks [pro-am players] come out to support us and they pay good money to come out to support us,” Furyk said. “That money goes to charity and at the end of the day, they were super, super-understanding. No one was feeling bad for themselves. They felt bad for the tournament and the club and what they went through but they went out and had a great day. They pivoted too and we’re very appreciative for that.”
I’m hearing that four greens were destroyed overnight at Timuquana CC in Jacksonville. Unclear as to how or why.
It didn’t take long for the crews from the TPC Sawgrass and MacCurracch Golf (located on the Northside) to get to Timuquana.
“MacCurrach, they’re just across the river so luckily you’ve got a great crew that’s been through a couple of renovations, and you’ve got a great crew from the TPC Sawgrass,” said Davis Love III. “So they’ll get it. The sponsors are going to have a great time, business as usual … it’s just going to look bad on a couple of holes.”
Another player in the field, Jeff Sluman, was surveying the damage on the greens and said the grounds crews and rules officials are fortunate that there are areas of the damaged green that still give them three pins for the three tournament rounds.
“It looks like they’re not going to interrupt anything,” Sluman said.
Furyk, Els praise repairs
Ernie Els, who played the morning pro-am after seeing videos of the damage, called the work by the combined crews, “amazing … they’ve done a hell of a job.”
“It was really bad,” Els said of the damage. “They really went in there. Someone was really, very angry, obviously. For them [the work crews] to do what they’ve done already is really amazing. The tournament will continue and it will be a success.”
Furyk said Brown’s agronomy staff at Timuquana has had to deal with a different issue every year. There was a deluge that interrupted the first round in 2021 and repairs were needed after Hurricane Ian brushed the area last year.
PGA Tour Champions player Jeff Sluman surveys the damage done to the 16th green of the Timuquana Country Club by vandals. Four greens on the course and one practice green were vandalized by what is believed to be a tool such as a shovel or hoe. (Photo: Garry Smits/Florida Times-Union)
“I’ve been singing the praises of Alan Brown and his staff for three years,” Furyk said. “They’ve done an amazing job. And this morning they made some phone calls and everyone came running.”
PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady said the joint effort will result in another successful tournament, in its third year.
“PGA Tour Champions Rules and Competitions have been working with the tournament team and the outstanding Timuquana Country Club staff to repair the damages to the course,” he said in a statement. “Thanks to their efforts, we will have the course ready for the first round of competition tomorrow morning. We encourage everyone in the Jacksonville community to come out and support this great event and the charitable work of Jim and Tabitha Furyk throughout Northeast Florida.”
Furyk & Friends first round will start as scheduled
Tournament director Adam Renfroe said the vandalism hasn’t deterred the staff’s preparation for the first round of competition.
“What took place is unfortunate, as we want to represent the best of Jacksonville with this tournament,” he said in a statement. “We won’t let the actions of a few individuals take away from a great week for our city and our ability to give back and create impact here in the community. We appreciate the swift action taken by the PGA Tour Champions team to make sure the course is ready for the start of the competition and look forward to fans joining us at Timuquana Country Club this weekend.”
Love was in agreement from a player’s perspective.
“The mission of this tournament isn’t going to slow down,” he said. “Tab and Jim do a great job with everything they’ve done. I just hate it for the guys with the shovels and the sod cutters because they’re going to have a long day and probably a long night.”[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=451196875]
SOUTH ROCKWOOD, Michigan – Owners of a South Rockwood golf course are offering a reward for information about vandalism that was committed overnight May 26.
During the overnight period of 9 p.m. May 26 through 6:30 a.m. May 27 there was significant damage caused to the No. 2 green at Wesburn Golf and Country Club, a news release from the South Rockwood Police Department said. The course sits about 30 minutes from downtown Detroit.
The culprits used a golf club and took numerous divots out of the green, which caused that hole to be out of play while it was repaired, the release said.
“The disgruntled person(s) then broke the club in half and stuck the broken club parts into the green as a symbol of their work,” police said in the release.
“This is just another senseless destructive crime committed on the property of Wesburn Golf Course within the last two months,” police said.
The owners of Wesburn Golf and Country Club have offered a $2,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this damage.
Anyone with information related to this crime is asked to call the South Rockwood Police Department at 734-379-3683. Anonymous tips can be called to Crime Stoppers at 800-SPEAKUP (800-773-2587) or can be submitted on their website, www.1800speakup.org.
The Donald Ross design’s North and South courses combine to form 18 holes for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which is scheduled to be held on June 29 through July 2.
Vandalism at the Detroit Golf Club in mid-April has temporarily shut down two holes on the North Course, where the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be played next month.
Detroit police are investigating an apparent chemical spill on the course’s 11th and 12th greens that occurred between April 16 and 17. Police officials did not offer any details, other than they are aware of the incident, and are actively investigating it.
When I called Wednesday, the Detroit Golf Club declined comment.
But a social media post shows that an enormous area of grass on the greens is brown, the damage in a figure-eight pattern.
According to Nichols’ reporting, Stephen “Sam” Moynihan, head golf superintendent, told members in an email that a lab examination of the grass found “the active ingredient of Round-Up, glyphosate” on both greens. Glyphosate, in simple terms, is a weed killer.
Moynihan wrote in the email that his assessment is that the greens have suffered “very severe tip damage,” not enough to kill the roots of the grass.
But the incident will cause both holes to remain closed indefinitely.
“The greens will need to remain closed to allow the fastest possible recovery time and to keep any undue stress off the plants,” Moynihan wrote in the email, obtained by the Detroit Free Press. “The length of time the greens will take to recover will continue to be weather dependent, the colder the weather, the slower the recovery. I will be working in conjunction with the PGA Tour Agronomy Department to develop an appropriate plan for optimal recovery.”
The vandalism at the course likely won’t disrupt the high-profile Rocket Mortgage Classic, to be held June 27 through July 2.
The tournament layout starts on No. 8 of the North Course, then plays No. 9 of the North. Players then tackle what is normally No. 1 of the South Course before teeing off on what is normally No. 2 of the North and playing the next five holes in order.
Tony Finau celebrates with his caddie Mark Urbanek after winning the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. (Photo: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)
The back nine is the same as usual for the North, playing in order from No. 10 through 18. The composite course has played to a par of 72 at 7,334 yards for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Both the North and the South were designed by legendary architect Donald Ross and opened in 1916.
“They say a winner is just a loser that just kept on trying, and that’s me to a T,” Finau said. “How many times do I lose? But one thing I won’t do is give up, and I’m only here as a winner because I chose not to give up and just keep going.”
Finau, 32, became the first player to win consecutive tournaments since Patrick Cantlay did so a year ago at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. It was Cantlay who produced the biggest threat to spoil Finau’s day. Cantlay birdied five of the first eight holes in his final round, but a bogey at No. 12 was costly. The reigning FedEx Cup champion shot 6-under 66, recording his Tour-best 10th top-10 finish of the season.
Someone drove a vehicle on the property late Friday or early Saturday and tore up the course.
The Auburn Hills Golf Club Facebook page was lit up over the weekend after it posted several photos of vandalism at the course.
Someone drove a vehicle on the property at the course, located in Riner, Virginia, late Friday or early Saturday and tore up the course. When golf course employees arrived at work to start the weekend, they found damage on the course’s practice putting green as well as the No. 9 green.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the damage to the greens,” Jeff Gandee, PGA, director of golf at the course, told Golfweek.
The Facebook post reached more than 100,000 users. The post said:
Damage done last night with a vehicle (not a golf cart) to the putting green and 9 green! Plus took the flagstick. If you have any information on who did this damage, please contact us so we can have a conversation with them!!
Turns out, due to heavy rain last Friday, a scheduled charity tournament had already been canceled.
“I have been at Auburn Hills for 15 years and a PGA professional for the past 22 years but never seen anything like this before,” Gandee said. “Yes, we had a trash can thrown down in the woods or a tee marker missing but no damage like this. I get upset when someone takes a divot out of the green but this hurts.”
The golf course at Auburn Hills Golf Club in Riner, Virginia, after vandals drove a vehicle on two of the greens. (Photo: Auburn Hills Golf Club)
Gandee said repair work is already underway.
“We have no idea on how much it will cost to fix this damage but guessing thousands of dollars. It will take a lot of time for the grass to heal and grow back from all the stress,” he said. “We had to take sod from the left side on No. 17, which is our largest green, and patch the damage as well as we could. We have smoothed it and rolled it so now it’s a matter of time for the damage to heal. The area on 17 green where we took the sod from will take months to heal.”
As noted in the post, someone even stole the flagstick from the No. 9 green.
The golf course at Auburn Hills Golf Club in Riner, Virginia, after vandals drove a vehicle on two of the greens. (Photo: Auburn Hills Golf Club)
The biggest question: Why would anyone do this?
“I would like to find the person responsible and just ask why they did it?,” Gandee said. “I am guessing they have no concept of the money involved, time, and effort it takes to maintain the greens. The greens are the heart of every course and important we make them the best we possibly can.”
Even non-golfers were moved by the photos of the golf course damage.
“This has upset the whole golfing community, not just here at Auburn Hills. Even people that don’t play golf have commented because they realize the greens are the most important part of any golf course.”
The golf course at Auburn Hills Golf Club in Riner, Virginia, after vandals drove a vehicle on two of the greens. (Photo: Auburn Hills Golf Club)
Detectives are investigating the incident as a criminal mischief case with the possibility of enhancing charges to a hate crime.
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — One or more vandals spray-painted an anti-Black racial slur, a swastika and a star of David with a line slashed through it in a golf course tunnel in Palm City, law enforcement records show.
Some sexually explicit etchings were found there, too, said Martin County sheriff’s Lt. Yesenia Carde. Palm City is less than an hour north of West Palm Beach, along the Atlantic coast.
Investigators responded to Martin Downs Golf Club after receiving reports Monday of vandalism at the golf course, according to a sheriff’s incident report.
An employee discovered the spray-painted symbols and words around 7 a.m. that day, the report shows.
They were etched on the ground with bright orange spray paint, investigators said, and the suspects left behind shoe prints after stepping on the wet paint.
Detectives are investigating the incident as a criminal mischief case with the possibility of enhancing charges to a hate crime.
“With a hate crime, you have to show that that is the primary motive of the incident,” Carde said. “So once we make contact with the suspect, if we determine that their motive was just to go there and cause damage, not to target any specific racial group … then at that point we determine it’s just criminal mischief.”
The lieutenant said if detectives find the suspects had motive to target a group based on their race, those arrested may face hate crime charges.
Investigators said children may have spray-painted the golf course tunnel based on the nature of the drawings, but they have not excluded the possibility of adult suspects.
School resource officers are on the lookout for students with orange paint on their shoes at elementary and middle schools in the area, which include Hidden Oaks Middle School, Palm City Elementary School and Citrus Grove Elementary School, according to the report.
In May 2022, six students were investigated in connection to the circulation of a racist photo at Hidden Oaks Middle School. Investigators have not linked the two cases, officials said Tuesday.
The golf course had an estimated $1,000 in damage and detectives are still investigating the case, officials said.
Mauricio La Plante is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm focusing on Martin County. Follow him on Twitter @mslaplantenews or email him at Mauricio.LaPlante@tcpalm.com.
Vandals gouged the course last weekend, doing what could wind up costing the course over $100,000 to repair.
A Michigan golf club may be forced to use a pair of temporary greens for all of 2023 after vandals gouged the course last weekend, doing what could wind up costing the course over $100,000 to repair.
Lake Doster Golf Club sits about 15 miles north of Kalamazoo, but within an easy drive of other cities like Battle Creek and Grand Rapids. The 18-hole course has seen minor damage in the past at the hand of vandals, but nothing like what happened Saturday evening, when multiple ruts were dug deep into the course.
“Disrespect does not even come close. We’ve spent hours and hours and hours prepping this golf course to make it great, and just to lose those two greens is going to be a detriment to the golf course,” Townsley told the TV station.
“I’m worried they’re going to have to completely tear the green apart and resod it. Possibly have to have temporary greens for almost probably that whole next year. We just don’t quite know how to fix it quite yet.”
The damage, as seen on social media, was significant.
If caught, any suspect could be facing a felony charge, according to Townsley, who added the course had filed a police report. The course is offering a reward to anyone who can help identify the vandals.
“I’ve had multiple, multiple people, call me, text me. The outreach from the community has been great but it’s all just disturbing. Everybody’s just so disgusted with what has happened,” Townsley told the station.
The enormous sofa set afforded a wonderful ocean view, but to the National Park Service the furniture placed prominently within a vast Southern California wilderness area represented a blight on the landscape.
The large sofa set afforded a wonderful ocean view, but to the National Park Service the furniture staged inside a vast Southern California wilderness area represented a blight on the landscape.
“To the folks who left the six-piece sectional sofa set up with a view overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Deer Creek: This land IS your land (but it’s not your living room)! It’s a living space for all wildlife and visiting people,” reads a statement by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
“It took some human muscle, hand carts, and two trucks for five federal employees to haul the furniture from National Park Service property. The cigarette butts, beer cans and bottles that were strewn around were enough to fill two garbage bags, too.”
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is one of the world’s largest urban national parks, encompassing five area codes and 26 zip codes. The mountains extend east-to-west 40 miles from the Los Angeles community of Hollywood Hills to Pt. Mugu in Ventura County.
Littering and graffiti are problematic issues, but for the most part visitors are respectful of the natural wonders within a wilderness that’s representative of what Southern California looked like before urban development.
A Facebook post about the sofa set inspired more than 250 comments, including expressions of gratitude toward the Park Service.
“Thank you for taking that eyesore out,” one comment reads. “The cleanup you had to do was unfortunate… and cigarette butts… with the devastating fires we’ve had: WHY people, WHY?”
Another comment: “Thanks for cleaning this up, it is a constant problem at Tahoe. Trash, graffiti, using masks for TP and leaving for someone else to clean up. Very inconsiderate, very irresponsible. Sad it is happening in the Santa Monica mountains, too.”
The Facebook post, signed by the “The park rangers of the Santa Monica Mountains,” concludes with a plea aimed at future visitors: “Please consider your actions and don’t litter! This was a waste of resources and time.”
–Images courtesy of NPS/Denise Foerster and Preston DeCorte
A man who was found digging in Fort Yellowstone Cemetery inside Yellowstone National Park has been indicted on charges of excavating archeological resources and depredation of U.S. property
A man who was found digging in Fort Yellowstone Cemetery inside Yellowstone National Park has been indicted on charges of excavating archeological resources and depredation of U.S. property.
Rodrick Dow Craythorn, who claimed he was searching for the Forrest Fenn treasure, was indicted Sept. 20, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release issued Thursday.
The indictment alleges that Craythorn, 52, knowingly excavated portions of the cemetery, removed artifacts, and damaged, altered, or defaced archeological resources.
A second count alleges that Craythorn willfully damaged U.S. property.
In a self-published book, “The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir,” he described the contents of the treasure and provided hints of its whereabouts “in the mountains somewhere north of Santa Fe.”
The Fenn Treasure was discovered in Wyoming this past June. Fenn, who was battling cancer, passed away on Sept. 7 at the age of 90.
Fort Yellowstone buildings that once served as officers’ quarters. Photo: NPS/Neal Herbert
Fort Yellowstone, in the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District, is park headquarters and still contains 35 structures from the 1890s and early 1900s, when the park was administrated by the U.S. Army.
The Fort Yellowstone Cemetery was the site of dozens of burials beginning as early as 1888.
Claythorn, who is from Syracuse, Utah, appeared in Federal Court Thursday, where he entered not-guilty pleas to both counts. He’s scheduled to face trial Dec. 14 in U.S. District Court in Casper, Wyoming.
–Top image showing Fort Yellowstone Cemetery is courtesy of the National Park Service
Joshua Tree National Park is requesting the public’s help in finding the person or persons responsible for recent acts of vandalism.
Joshua Tree National Park is requesting the public’s help in finding the person or persons responsible for recent acts of vandalism.
Since January, spray-painted graffiti has appeared on rock features in several areas within the vast Southern California park. They include Rattlesnake Canyon, the Geo Tour Road, and Skull Rock Natural Trail.
Additionally, Joshua trees have been toppled or damaged.
“Joshua Tree National Park belongs to all of us,” David Smith, park superintendent, stated in a news release issued Tuesday. “Using paint or chisels on rocks and trees destroys the beauty we are trying to protect in our parks.
“It is our hope that anyone with knowledge of these incidents will come forward so that we can eliminate future problems. It is illegal deface any of the resources in the park.”
The park requests that anyone with information about the recent vandalism report their observations via email at jotr_graffiti@nps.org. The park also is seeking volunteers for various tasks, including graffiti cleanup and patrols.
Vandalism is an ongoing problem for the sprawling desert park. During the partial government shutdown that began in late December 2018, several of the park’s signature Joshua trees were destroyed or removed by vandals.
–Images courtesy of NPS/Kelsey Graczyk (top) and NPS/Ben Theisen
The park requests that anyone with information about the recent vandalism report their observations via email at jotr_graffiti@nps.org. The park also is seeking volunteers for various tasks, including graffiti cleanup and patrols.