1. He has given the location of petroglyph sites despite being told not to.
2. He shouldn’t be giving guide services because he hasn’t been doing this long enough.
3. He probably won’t get a permit for his expedition.

The reporter that I have been working with was kind enough to bring this to my attention, and give me the opportunity to provide a rebuttle to these claims. I felt that it was in my best interest to further make public my rebuttal via my website.

Claim #1 – He has given the location of petroglyph sites despite being told not to.

Yes I have given out locations of petroglyphs via my website, books, and facebook page. The locations that I have given publicly are locations that have been well publicized by books, maps, and websites long before anyone had ever heard of Death Valley Jim (in some cases long before I was even born). These locations could have easily been found with a quick Google search, or trip to a local library.

For more sensitive locations, I have kept exact locations private – only giving hints and generic directions, leaving the person with a scavenger hunt to find what they are looking for. In some cases I haven’t given any details.

As for being told not to give locations, no person of any authority has ever contacted me asking me to keep locations private. I have to wonder who would have such authority to begin with (with the exception of private land). Does the BLM have the power to stop someone from providing locations to places on our public lands? Does the National Park Service? Not that I am aware of.

Why do I give out such information? I provide people like you and me the opportunity to see things that we more than likely wouldn’t have the opportunity to see. I can still remember the first time I saw my first petroglyph. I was with my wife driving through Black Canyon near Barstow, CA. I had heard from an online resource that petroglyphs are located there, I just had to get out there to see one for myself. Both my wife and I where so excited to finally see a petroglyph in person. Since then, we have both been hooked and spend a majority of our time hunting down rock art sites. What is amazing is that we had already spent years exploring the desert, but had never seen any rock art. For us every rock art site that we find brings this same joy and excitement to us.

I do understand the fact that rock art sites have been vandalized, and I am familiar with the recent destruction that took place in the Bishop area. I was the person that contacted the Bishop BLM Office to request that they set up a donation fund to raise the reward to possibly help catch the vandals. I do believe that most people out visiting rock art sites are doing so because they enjoy them. Most people do not sit around researching their next rock art site to vandalize.

I am a firm believer that historic sites should be open to public visitation. Since I began doing Death Valley Jim’s Desert Adventures I have had a good amount of opposition to this way of thinking. Far too many people for far too long have tried to keep these places quiet. They’ve tried to keep you and me out. They don’t want us there, they only want the place for themselves and their select buddies. This, my friends will only make these places forgotten about as these people die off in the years to come. You would think that the older generation would be excited to have a younger person with a fiery passion come along and want to soak up everything possible to be able to carry it on to the next generation. Sadly this is not the case, and a number of places of historical significance will end up forgotten about and disappeared because the only people who knew about them are no longer here. This is our history, our heritage, our humanity – and it deserves to be preserved and taught to future generations.

Claim #2 – He shouldn’t be giving guide services because he hasn’t been doing this long enough.

So you complain when I give locations, and you complain that I take people places. If I take someone somewhere they are there with someone that isn’t going to allow anything to be vandalized, but if they go alone they can vandalize all they want. Makes a lot of sense, right?

As for how long I’ve been exploring the desert, it’s been about five years now. In five years I have spent more time in the desert than most people have spent in it for twenty years. I know my routes, my history, and safety precautions. I have the ability to show people things that they would have no other way of seeing or finding. The people that have hired me have enjoyed their time with me as much as I have enjoyed showing the things that I love to them.

I don’t believe anyone is too old or too young, or too experienced or too inexperienced, or too this or too that to enjoy the beauty and majesty of nature. Especially the nature that resides right outside of our back door. In fact, perhaps our world would be a very different place than it is today if more people were connected with nature.

Once again this claim just comes full circle to the first claim. These “keepers” of the desert just don’t want you or I there. They want it all for themselves.

Claim #3 – He probably won’t get a permit for his expedition.

The expedition is a solo backcountry hike. I need a backcountry hiking permit, total cost $20.00. I think I can afford that.

I know that not everyone will see things the way that I do, and I’m fine with that. The same way I’m fine with disagreeing with them. However, to go out of your way to try to tarnish my name is unforgivable. I love my desert, and I will continue to share it with anyone that has interest and takes the time to listen.