Authorities at Petroglyph National Monument said Friday that visitors committed extensive vandalism by collecting rocks and stacking them in the form of cairns, sometimes used as a hiking trail marker.

The federally protected park was created to preserve rock designs scratched by Ingenious people starting at least 700 years ago, and Spanish settlers as far back as 400 years ago.

Venturing off trails and rearranging rocks in modern times is a violation of federal regulations.

“Moving, stacking, or making shapes out of rocks is a form of vandalism and will impact every visitor who comes after,” said Park Superintendent Nancy Hendricks, asking visitors to “respect these sacred landscapes.”

National Park Service workers are dismantling the stacks of rocks, but can’t be sure they’ll return the rocks where they came from along the largely preserved desert landscape.

The agency is asking the public to share information about the person or people who may have moved the rocks. The vandalism was first reported to the agency on June 17, according to a statement.

Last year, a visitor was shocked with a Taser by a park ranger after he left a trail at the park, which lies northwest of Albuquerque. The actions of the ranger and the visitor were later investigated. The agency has not announced the findings.