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Oregon ‘Duckbill’ Rock Formation Deliberately Destroyed By Vandals, Act Caught On Tape [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 16:52 PST, Sep 5, 2016

A popular Oregon rock formation is no more; known as “pedestal rock” or “duckbill rock,” the naturally occurring sandstone formation formerly located at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area was recently destroyed by a group of vandals. And the entire disturbing, unnecessary and destructive incident was caught on cellphone video.

When the destruction of the iconic duckbill rock formation, an Oregon tourist destination in its own right, was discovered, Fox News reports that officials from the state’s parks department said that they thought that the rock had been fragile rock formation had been destroyed by natural causes. Indeed, employees of the Oregon State Parks Department told the media and the public that they didn’t believe that the popular duckbill rock formation had been destroyed by humans.

The newly-released cellphone video completely debunks the “natural causes” theory, though. The fate of the duckbill rock formation is clearly recorded for posterity in a disturbing incident that reportedly took place on August 29.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLHxE6Yd5co

According to the man who shot the damning video, David Kalas of Oregon, a group of eight people crossed into a fenced off area of the beach and deliberately destroyed the iconic piece of Oregon state geological history.

The Portland, Oregon resident told the national media on Monday that he had been visiting the popular Oregon beach on the day in question, trying out his new drone and just generally enjoying the vibe of the area. He said that he and his friends were making a video of their day at the beach when they decided to take a jaunt to Oregon’s duckbill rock formation.

It was then that Kalas reports seeing another large group of tourists headed toward the 7-foot by 10-foot duckbill rock. The group reportedly included a total of eight individuals, and they were allegedly visiting Oregon’s duckbill rock formation with something more nefarious (and illegal) than recording their summer memories in mind.

According to the witness of the destruction of the duckbill rock formation, the group of eight “came out of nowhere,” and they immediately started messing with the rock formation. Allegedly, they began pushing the rock in an attempt to knock it over, and it started to wobble almost right away.

“I didn’t think anything would happen. It’s a big rock.”

But something did happen. Something extreme and irreversible. Kalas said that after the wobbling began, at least five of the vandals involved in the destruction of duckbill rock in Oregon had had enough. They reportedly took their hands off of the teetering rock and backed away.

The other three, however, kept going. They apparently noticed a crack, and they kept rocking and working at the rock until it toppled and shattered.

David Kalas said that after the destruction of the duckbill rock formation, he and his companion at the Oregon beach decided to confront the vandals who senselessly destroyed an Oregon landmark. According to Kalas and his friend, who witnessed the entire event, the group of vandals defended their destruction of state property. According to them, the duckbill rock formation was “a safety hazard.”

“They said one of their friends had broken a leg on it. It’s like their weird revenge thing.”

Reportedly, the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (the very department who initially claimed that the duckbill destruction was natural) is going to be reviewing the video and investigating the vandalism, something that representatives for the department claim it takes “very seriously.”

There has been no word on what potential charges the group of vandals who destroyed duckbill rock formation in Oregon could face if they are caught, or what the punishment might be if they are convicted of deliberately and willfully erasing the tourist attraction from the beach.

If an incident in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park is any kind of precedent for what happened at the end of August in Oregon, it’s possible that the vandals in question may be slapped with nothing more than probation and a fine for destroying the delicate and protected duckbill rock formation.

In that incident, adult Boy Scout leaders, entrusted with the physical, emotional and mental well-being of their young scout charges, recorded themselves singing and dancing and destroying a 20-million-year-old sandstone formation in a matter of seconds.

In an equal example of poor decision making, the Boy Scout leaders followed their senseless act of vandalism by posting the video to social media for the world to see.

Despite destroying an irreplaceable ancient landmark, the pair was sentenced only to probation.

Another recent case of needless vandalism was a bit more high profile, but less permanent. As NBC News reports, this case involved High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens and her apparent desire to add her name to a historic Arizona red rock wall in Sedona, Arizona.

Vanessa got busted for the incident, which happened sometime in February, because she got braggy and posted her vandalism to social media. When the desecrated rock was discovered by Forest Service employees, they were quickly able to identify and track down the culprit.

In her case, Vanessa Hudgens didn’t even face criminal charges or probation. She cut a down-low agreement to pay a $1,000 fine to pay for the restoration of the rock (an impossible solution in the case of the destroyed Oregon duckbill rock formation) and the public didn’t gain widespread knowledge of her crime until AP uncovered court documents in April.

At this point, it is unknown what consequences the Oregon duckbill rock formation vandals will face or even who they are, but here’s to hoping they’re found and held accountable.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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