Vandals have destroyed vital part of history

Michael Pravica, Henderson

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 | 2:02 a.m.

I was deeply saddened to read of the recent desecration by vandals of ancient pictographs in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (“Vandals hit ancient art at Red Rock Canyon,” Tuesday), which I have seen and appreciated often during my visits there.

Ancient artifacts are gifts from our ancestors that tell us much about their way of life during much more difficult times and represent continuity with the past. They also make us aware of the time-independent nature of the human condition, giving us hope for the future.

We need to impress upon our youth the need to preserve these ancestral treasures and the need for people to use their talents to create, not wantonly and senselessly destroy. This tragic incident represents an irreversible loss to not only Las Vegans but to all humanity.

We should spare no effort to find, punish and demand compensation from the perpetrators to send the message that we as a society will not tolerate this deviant, destructive and anti-social behavior.