A well-known actress apparently left her mark on Arizona recently — and provided a good reminder not to follow her lead.
Vanessa Hudgens, best known (we're told) for her part in Disney's High School Musical series, recently visited the Sedona area with her boyfriend, Austin Butler. She posted several photos of the trip to her Instagram account, including one, since deleted, of a red rock with a heart and "Austin + Vanessa" written on it.
Of course, defacing rocks in the Coconino National Forest, which surrounds Sedona, is illegal. And it's punishable by fines of $100 to $5,000 and three to six months in prison.
Brady Smith, a spokesman for the national forest, told The Arizona Republic that the incident is under investigation. And the backlash has been fierce on social media, with Instagrammers shaming Hudgens in comments on her other posts.
Smith also said such vandalism is a common occurrence, and that's a shame. With so many beautiful views in the Sedona area — along the Jim Thompson Trail, from poolside at Orchards Inn or from a booth at Red Rock Café, to name just a few — why ruin them with your own scribblings?
With vandalism rampant in Sedona and elsewhere in the Southwest, let this incident serve as a reminder: Leave nature the way it is, so everyone can enjoy it.