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As
soon as staff at the Spring Mountain Youth Camp found
out that Big Falls, a popular hiking spot at Mount
Charleston, had been tagged with graffiti they contacted
the United States Forestry Service to see how they could
help.
The
graffiti problem turned out to be a lot more labor
intensive than originally thought. An acid-wash could
not be used on the boulders because there was concern
that the chemicals might contaminate nearby water
sources. The only way to remove the graffiti was with
chisels.
Maurice
Hernandez, a juvenile probation officer with SMYC
gathered 12 young men at the camp to help with the task.
Most of the youths had prior graffiti or vandalism
charges, so their labor would count toward any
restitution they owed.
Joined
by a crew of three SMYC staffers, the group hiked one
hour to get to Big Falls. Armed with chisels and hammers
it took the group of 15 people 20 hours to remove
everything. SYMC staff estimates the cost for labor was
$3,400.
“It
was a mess,” Hernandez said. “There was a lot of
graffiti covering those rocks and it took a long time to
remove.”
The
work done by SMYC is part of a long-standing
relationship with the Forestry Service. The two agencies
have one of the longest running collaborations of its
kind. For more than 30 years, youths committed to the
camp have helped remove litter, graffiti and maintain 55
miles of hiking trails in the Spring Mountain National
Recreation Area.
Because
of this work, taxpayers have saved thousands of dollars.
The youths at SMYC are paid for work performed through a
variety of sources, including an allowance program
funded by Clark County, the Federally Funded Workforce
Investment Act and from Grants. When youths owe
restitution, their pay first goes to this debt.
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