Graffiti on Beam Rocks in Forbes State Forest set to be cleaned up

Popular overlook Beam Rocks, which was defaced with graffiti in April, will return to its natural state later this summer.

Fifteen volunteers were tapped to help clean the sandstone outcroppings on the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties in Forbes State Forest. Bureau of Forestry environmental education specialist Rachael Mahony said the spray-painted graffiti is set to be washed away Aug. 1 with some water pressure and a special cleaner.

“It is environmentally friendly, so it is supposed to be easier to use in sensitive areas,” she said.

There has not been any more graffiti added since the vandalism was found in April. A half-mile hiking trail off Laurel Summit Road leads to the rocks — some 90 feet tall — that offer a panoramic view from atop Laurel Ridge.

The graffiti in one spot reads “Corona 2020.” On another ledge, someone painted a reference to the late Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller, and another says “Trump.” State parks and forests have seen an influx of visitors since mid-March, when restrictions were first put in place in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Efforts to locate suspects have been unsuccessful so far, but Mahony said officials are keeping a close eye on the spot and have been cracking down on illegal activity there.

For the first time, volunteers will have the ability in August to haul in 75 gallons of pressurized water to clean off the rocks after applying a graffiti remover. Mahony said volunteers previously had to carry water in on their backs and scrub graffiti to remove it with the cleaner.

“It will be a lot less elbow grease for us,” she said.

The Loyalhanna Watershed Association’s Youth Conservation Corps improved a trail that connects the overlook to the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail last year. The rocks were cleaned of graffiti in the fall.

After the most recent spate of vandalism, photographs were published on the Forbes State Forest’s Facebook page seeking information about the suspects. Mahony said she hopes potential vandals can learn to be respectful of the area’s natural landscape and not use it for illegal activities.

“It is a great spot. People love that area,” she said.

Anyone with information is asked to email the Forbes State Forest District office in Laughlintown at FD04@pa.gov.