This 'promposal' went too far. A Colorado national park was vandalized with graffiti

The trend of over-the-top and dramatic "promposals" just hit a new high — or low.

Last month someone spray painted a prom invitation and a couple of love messages onto rocks at Colorado National Monument outside of Grand Junction. And that went too far, say National Park Service rangers.

"National Parks are romantic places, but these types of promposals are completely unacceptable and they are something that we take very seriously and that we will always investigate and prosecute," National Park Service Ranger Frank Hayde, a representative for the monument, told CNN.

He told Fox 31 in Denver that the vandalism was reported on May 23 by someone who lives near the site. Hayde took pictures of the destruction and posted them on the monument's Facebook page over the weekend.

One photo shows that someone spray painted "Prom ...ise?" on a rock. Another photo shows the phrase "you are perfect to me" spray painted on the side of a boulder.

"I promise to love you forever & always" was painted on a third rock.

"It is incredibly frustrating," Geoff Jasper, ranger operations supervisor for the city of Boulder, told Fox 31.

"We know that most people come here and visit the parks because of their natural beauty, or habitat or the natural qualities that the park has, and then seeing something like graffiti or vandalism, it really detracts away from the beauty of the park."

“The story’s gone viral after we posted it on our Facebook page," Hayde told National Parks Traveler on Monday. "CNN has run the story, the local news of course, Denver. It’s spread far and wide. We were hoping that some of that media attention could lead to either a tip or confession."

He thinks the person who spray painted the rocks might have had their prospective date with them at the time. The area where the vandalism was found is well-known to rangers because it has a reputation as a party spot for local teens, and fireworks in the area have been a problem, too, he told National Parks Traveler.

"My first instinct was that they brought the person there," Hayde said.. "It's in a rock formation called White Rocks. And White Rocks is a popular place for young people to go. You can climb up into the White Rocks and be hidden from view.

"There’s a series of narrow corridors within this formation that are almost like secret passageways in a way. You could go up to White Rocks, spend an hour there, and not even see this graffiti because it’s kind of tucked away."

He told Fox 31 that the graffiti is still there because preservationists need to analyze the damage and figure out the best way to remove the paint without causing further damage to the monument. There are petroglyphs and pictographs in the area.

"We have staff that is trained in graffiti removal," he told National Parks Traveler. "The park service is very meticulous about that."

The guilty party faces three to six months in prison and a fine up to $500 for the crime, Hayde told media outlets.

"We've actually had some pretty decent success in solving these cases," the ranger told CNN.. "Obviously, not all these cases can be solved, but sometimes through tips and other means we're able to do so."

It happened last month when photographer and hiker Joe Braun found vandalism at Angels Landing in Zion National Park. Someone had inscribed a heart and an Instagram account name on a rock with permanent marker. After Braun posted a photo of the vandalism on Facebook, where it sparked outrage, the vandal contacted parks officials and confessed.

Hayde said rangers hope the Colorado perpetrator does the right thing and steps forward.

"If this person, who might very well be a young person, were to come forward, we might be much more lenient," Hayde told CNN "What better way to impress your date than to show that you're the type of person who will take responsibility for their actions?"

This story was originally published June 12, 2018 at 11:10 AM with the headline "This 'promposal' went too far. A Colorado national park was vandalized with graffiti."