Hit with an onslaught of personally directed vulgar graffiti spray-painted on two of the signs stationed at the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s Eagle Creek Wildlife Area in Brown County, the agency is striking back with a power-washing machine.
The graffiti appeared sometime around September 5th at the 2,300-acre wildlife area. It includes several four-letter word expletives against law enforcement in general and the state wildlife officer assigned to Brown County, Eric Lamb, in particular.
Among the tamer spray-painted epitaphs was “OUTLAW 4 LIFE.”
Defaced as well was a sign’s notation of how the wildlife area was dedicated in honor of Charles Perin Sr. Perin was the principle force behind preserving the property in what became the wildlife area.
And a pair of the signage’s synthetic planking shows damage from what appears to be a blast from the striking of shotgun pellets, too.
Brian Banbury, the Wildlife Division’s executive administrator for information and education, said the attack has to be thought of as personal but that Lamb “is a good officer.”
“Eric is out there, enforcing the law, and like all of our officers he has to deal with some people who don’t like you; they don’t respect what you represent,” Banbury said. “We get that, but in some regard you can say this sort of thing is a badge of honor. It shows you are doing your job.”
Banbury said the major sign would cost about $2,500 to replace – a point that likely will not be necessary, in fact.
“The spray-painting often can actually by overcome,” Banbury says.
Indeed, several years ago the Wildlife Division began updating its wildlife area signage, the new material making the product “vandalism resistant,” said Banbury.
“I wouldn’t call it vandalism-proof but the synthetic material used today is intended not to allow paint to adhere to the surface,” Banbury said.
The signs are actually a sandwich of high-tech synthetic materials, laminated together with the front surface having the lettering and logos inscribed with a router, the cutouts then highlighting the green interior layer, Banbury says.
“The newer signs also absorb being shot better than the old wooden signs did, and they are much more durable in the long run,” Banbury said. “That they are also vandal-resistant is a bonus.”
Even so, says Banbury, the agency will have some maintenance and repair costs to deal with, and that is something the Wildlife Division would like to bill to whoever committed this unlawful act.
To that end, Banbury says the Wildlife Division would appreciate anyone with information about this criminal act to call the agency’s Turn-In-A-Poacher hotline at toll-free 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437).
“We’d love to catch this guy,” Banbury said. “These are sportsmen’s dollars he’s stolen.”
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com
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