John Jacobs
Aug 28, 2018, 9:13:10 AMto Pine Crest Watch
Last week I encountered recent abuses to County Park- a collection of odd items alongside the trail just west of the large meadow:
This is the same type of random items that have appeared in the County Park trails during the increase in illegal encampments that were occurring about a year ago. Much of these types of items were found to have come from the Help Center.
Along the trail in the area of the creek just below campsite 63 (immediately adjacent to Idyllwild Pines), numerous trees have recently been tagged:
This tagging has occurred within the last 2-3 weeks- I walk this area regularly, and this only recently appeared.
This is only the most recent graffiti/tagging incident in County Park- there are several other sites that have occurred along the trails in the Park.
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
888.522.9001
Idyllwild, California 92549
Miller, Anthony
unread,Aug 28, 2018, 10:17:39 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com,
I appreciate the heads up on the report, John. I have copied Joe in and we will take note (and keep an eye out for “Juice” whoever that may be). We will take a quick hike and see if there is a new camp set up in the area and do our looking around.
Anthony Miller
PARK RANGER SUPERVISOR
RivCoParks (Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District)
56375 Highway 74 Mountain Center, CA 92561 | (951) 529-5620 | FAX: (951) 955-0261
anmi…@rivco.org | www.RivCoParks.org
Follow RivCoParks: Facebook | Twitter | Upcoming Events
John Jacobs
unread,Aug 28, 2018, 10:32:13 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Anthony & Joe-
Here’s a couple of other graffiti sites that are much more expansive- this is located on the backside of a boulder along the Summit Trail, about 100 yds above the trail junction where it crosses the creek.
I’d be happy to show someone the specific location if there is interest…I’d also be happy to assist in the removal process, as I’ve done a few such graffiti removal projects here in the San Jacintos over the years.
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
888.522.9001
Idyllwild, California 92549
August 28, 2018 at 10:17 AM
I appreciate the heads up on the report, John. I have copied Joe in and we will take note (and keep an eye out for “Juice” whoever that may be). We will take a quick hike and see if there is a new camp set up in the area and do our looking around.
Anthony Miller
PARK RANGER SUPERVISOR
RivCoParks (Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District)
56375 Highway 74 Mountain Center, CA 92561 | (951) 529-5620 | FAX: (951) 955-0261
anmi…@rivco.org | www.RivCoParks.org
Follow RivCoParks: Facebook | Twitter | Upcoming Events
Chiosso, Joe
unread,Aug 29, 2018, 8:01:40 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Thanks John Ill be around and if you can think of any supplies we would need please contact me. Thanks for your help. My county work phone is 951 212-0573
idypunky
unread,Aug 29, 2018, 10:19:43 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
John/Joe/Anthony,
I work in public lands management and have been developing graffiti removal protocols for our department, so have been doing a fair amount of research on this stuff. Purdue put out a good bulletin about removing graffiti from trees, if you haven’t seen this one. I can also send the guidelines that we are developing, if you are interested.
I would be happy to help with removal if you need any extra hands-
Larrynn
John Jacobs
Aug 29, 2018, 11:13:05 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Larryn-
That’s a helpful resource, and any guidance you could provide to this effort would be appreciated. Removal is a time sensitive issue, as the longer that the paint cures, the harder it is to remove, and the continued presence of graffiti seems to provide encouragement to future abuses.
I just ordered a product called ‘Vandlguard SuperClean Graffiti Remover’- it is citrus based, so this should be safe for the tree, and the plants around it. Hopefully it will have an effect- I’m sure you’ve experienced that removal projects are highly variable in success.
The larger graffiti on the boulder along the Summit Trail has been there for at least a year or two, and will be tougher to remove due to the time it’s been there, the nature of granite, and it’s more distant location- pressure washing isn’t an option since there’s no water source anywhere nearby. If you have suggestions for that kind of a situation, please pass them along.
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John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
888.522.9001
Idyllwild, California 92549
idypunky
unread,Aug 29, 2018, 1:21:48 PMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Unfortunately, it can be difficult without a pressure washer or blaster. This stuff is pretty effective, but needs to be washed off with a pressure washer. Not sure how well it would work without one. It might be worth trying the citrus stuff you bought first, if that works on the rocks it would be a relatively easy and low-impact solution.
We have a big graffiti problem at one of my parks (there is a high school nearby), but really are only getting started on dealing with removal, so most of this is still experimental for me too. Another thing to be considered is the surrounding habitat- power tools can impact bird nesting, chemicals and abrasives have to be kept out of riparian zones. It isn’t easy 🙁
Miller, Anthony
unread,Aug 30, 2018, 8:04:32 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Larryn and John-
I do appreciate the product suggestion. Graffiti removal is certainly an art form and identifying the best way to remove it from trees safely and conscious for the health of the tree and surrounding plants is certainly something we are keeping in mind.
Before our team removes the graffiti I am going to forward this stuff over to LT. Hall with Riverside Sheriffs. He is working hard in our community with the flooding concerns and has also been quite active in helping us out with the homeless. We will forward over our information and perhaps he may know who this “Juice” character is.
Anthony Miller
PARK RANGER SUPERVISOR
RivCoParks (Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District)
56375 Highway 74 Mountain Center, CA 92561 | (951) 529-5620 | FAX: (951) 955-0261
anmi…@rivco.org | www.RivCoParks.org
Follow RivCoParks: Facebook | Twitter | Upcoming Events
John Jacobs
unread,Aug 31, 2018, 9:30:16 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
I had some good success yesterday with the removal of the graffiti tagging on the trees located below campsite 63 in County Park. A couple of citrus-based graffiti removal products (one provided by Jim Adams at Forest Lumber) did the job pretty well. (Dave Sandlin also called volunteering the use of some of his equipment, if it could be of use on these projects.) Here’s some ‘after’ pics:
A wire brush attachment on my drill took most of this paint off nicely.
The citrus-based solution was used on these live trees- the bark is still a bit wet:
There is a slight red haze on the trees, but with time that should fade- it’s not very noticeable at all if you didn’t know about the tagging. The dusky grey will return as well over time.
These are the tools that did the job:
The ‘VandlClean Super’ product in particular did a great job of loosening the paint. I found it on Amazon for about $23. It was sprayed on, left for a few minutes, then with some elbow grease, gently scrubbed away with plastic bristled brushes and scrubbers, and then thoroughly rinsed with water from the tank sprayer.
Let’s hope that the remainder of the VandlClean won’t be needed anytime soon.
The larger ‘mural’ located on the rock along the Summit Trail is going to be a more involved project, since it is well away from a water source. It has been there for a while, and will likely need some kind of solvent treatment, and ideally a pressure washing (if a means can be arranged to get a washer and water source to the site). I’d be happy to assist with that process, if there is interest from County Park in cleaning it up.
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
888.522.9001
Idyllwild, California 92549
Chiosso, Joe
unread,Aug 31, 2018, 9:47:28 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Thanks John that really looks great, if you can get me the product info and any supplies you need we can have these items on hand. As for the rocks if any one wants to help or have an idea on how to clean them Id love that. Thanks for all the help and feed back.
furpeople54
unread,Aug 31, 2018, 10:46:39 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Thank you John!
Reverence for all Life
August 30, 2018 at 8:04 AM
Larryn and John-
I do appreciate the product suggestion. Graffiti removal is certainly an art form and identifying the best way to remove it from trees safely and conscious for the health of the tree and surrounding plants is certainly something we are keeping in mind.
Before our team removes the graffiti I am going to forward this stuff over to LT. Hall with Riverside Sheriffs. He is working hard in our community with the flooding concerns and has also been quite active in helping us out with the homeless. We will forward over our information and perhaps he may know who this “Juice” character is.
Anthony Miller
PARK RANGER SUPERVISOR
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Miller, Anthony
unread,Sep 1, 2018, 1:58:45 PMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Thank you John for your recommendations and for your help! Once the Labor Day weekend is wrapped up if you or Larryn or anyone would like to assist with the removal of the rock graffiti on the Summit Trail I will be working with Joe to organize and get equipment. Please call or email me separately with contact information and availability so we can coordinate. I will work with Joe to get some of the citrus based cleaner- that did such a nice job out there we will definitely need to have that in our shop.
Anthony Miller
PARK RANGER SUPERVISOR
RivCoParks (Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District)
56375 Highway 74 Mountain Center, CA 92561 | (951) 529-5620 | FAX: (951) 955-0261
anmi…@rivco.org | www.RivCoParks.org
John Jacobs
unread,Jan 30, 2019, 6:19:07 PMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.comMore graffiti has occurred within Idyllwild County Park- this was found on a large rock that faces the Hillside Trail, above Campsite #73:
This is located on the tree at the base of this same rock:
Both of these graffiti vandalism have occurred sometime in the last six months.
Last fall, I also found this graffiti vandalism- it appears to be the work of the same person whose vandalism I reported here last August:
^^^This is located on backside of the boulder just off of the main road, around campsite #68. (This is in the middle of the popular bouldering/climbing area.)
^^^These are located on the trail on the far west end of County Park, where a use trail crosses the creek, and goes onto Idyllwild Pines Camp property.
I spent most of today working on cleaning these areas up- the large green ‘eye’ was especially difficult- it did not respond well to the same product (VandlClean Super) I used on the trees found last summer. The rock on this side of this boulder is soft, decomposing granite, and the paint had soaked fairly deeply into the rock over the last several months. Here is the ‘operation’ I used to try and remove this graffiti:
Over the course of two days, I treated this area with products and attempted to scrub them off using a nylon brush, then a wire brush, and rinsing. Neither procedure had good results. So today, after applying the product and allowing to soak for some time, I used a gasoline engine pressure washer. Since there is no water source here, I carried in the water in buckets, and created a system to run water into the pressure washer. This was much more successful, however it did scar the softer granite more than I would have liked.
After this area, I used the pressure washer on the boulder near the road (red ‘smiley face’)- that granite is much harder, and there was greater success to be had. After the sites have had some time to dry, I will take some pictures and post them here.
The increasing graffiti that is occurring throughout our local mountains is very disturbing.
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John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
888.522.9001
Idyllwild, California 92549
papaila
unread,Jan 31, 2019, 10:50:39 AMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Thank for your efforts John!
Dan Papaila
Chiosso, Joe
unread,Feb 3, 2019, 4:23:50 PMto pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com
Hey John wanted to thank you for all you help, we have a new Ranger at the Nature Center and if you get a chance it would be great if you could touch base with him so he can be in the loop. Thanks I can give you his contact info next time I see you.