Stolen Signs – More Than Just A Navigation Problem

Before somebody stole the sign

Have you ever noticed an empty signpost in Hyalite Canyon and thought to yourself “Huh...didn’t there used to be a sign here?” Or maybe you’re new to the area and trying to meet up with a friend at the Lick Creek trailhead, only to be left scratching your head as you drive up and down the road wondering where to turn. Or perhaps you’ve been on a hike, or bike ride, and wondered why the trail junctions aren’t marked. Unfortunately, Hyalite Canyon - like many public lands – faces an epidemic of sign stealing.

In the past year, vandals have stolen two History Rock trailhead signs, the Lick Creek trailhead sign, the “Entering Custer Gallatin National Forest” sign at the bottom of Hyalite Canyon (TWICE! a talented community member, Liz Johnson, made a new sign last spring and it was also stolen!), and approximately 10 oak trail signs throughout the canyon. Altogether, the loss equates to almost $2,000. That’s $2,000 that the Forest Service would much rather use for maintaining the toilets, trails, and other recreation infrastructure in Hyalite and across the Bozeman Ranger District. According to Wendi Urie, the Bozeman Ranger District Recreation Program Manager, the money it will take to replace the stolen signs could pump three toilets in Hyalite, or provide almost two weeks of a trail crew member’s time. 

According to a report recently published by national outdoor recreation groups, the Forest Service is facing significant capacity challenges due to decades of insufficient funding from Congress. There are more people visiting national forests than ever before (in Hyalite Canyon, visitation increased by 19% between 2019 and 2020) but the Forest Service’s budget has remained relatively stagnant and the percentage of that budget that has gone to wildland fire has increased dramatically, shrinking all other programs (in 2020, Wildland Fire Management program comprised 42.7% of the Forest Service’s entire appropriated budget, while the Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness program comprised just 4.76%). As a result, recreation programs –not to mention weed crews, biologists, and other essential Forest Service programs – have been dramatically reduced. Locally, the Bozeman and Hebgen Lake Ranger Districts share almost all of their employees and many positions are unfilled. For example, there’s one weeds specialist who’s responsible for both districts, and the entire Custer Gallatin National Forest – which stretches from West Yellowstone to South Dakota - only has two full-time fisheries biologists. 

Stolen signs may seem like small potatoes, but it leaves the Forest Service having to make a choice between replacing signs and keeping much-needed seasonal employees on the payroll. What would you rather have – a Forest Service sign decorating your garage, or the trail that sign belongs with maintained and accessible to use? 

Thanks to the interim target shooting ban, Hyalite’s signs fare better than most when it comes to damage from vandalism, but they also seem to be particularly prone to being stolen. People love Hyalite, and some people just can’t resist taking a piece of Hyalite home with them. While we usually talk about the Leave No Trace principle of “leave what you find” in terms of not taking natural objects away from the places you visit, the philosophy applies to signs too! Just as visitors should leave flowers, rocks, and other pieces of Hyalite for others to enjoy, they should please leave the signs – the ones that help us navigate or welcome us to our favorite canyon – in place .