Snooks Bottom suffers senseless vandalism.

One of these beautiful trees no longer stands thanks to idiot vandalism.

In Fall's colors, the cottonwood trees standing tall are reflected in the Snook's Bottom 

Sometime the evening of night of July 9, an individual or individuals,  ignorant and/
or selfish, or lack concern for the rest of the area's population, lit a fire which destroyed an old cotton wood tree located on the north side of the small lake in Snooks Bottom, now a Fruita City Park.This tree stood just to the right of the actual tree that is dead. The tree destroyed was alive and well until July 9, 2010. Although it was determined to be around 200 years old, it was still healthy and served the area well providing shade and habitat.
This tree was especially beautiful with its interlocking limbs, its golden color in the fall and its healthy green in the summer. The tree showed its age, yet, had at least another 50 years to give of its shade and beauty. Now, with stupidity, or was it alochol or drugs, thoughtlessness has destroyed a natural treasure.
I have photographed this tree in all seasons. I have photographed eagles, herons and other feathered creatures resting on its limbs. The trail running next to this tree was  littered and blocked last evening with huge limbs and branches which had to be cut to stop the fire which had spread to the interior.
No thanks to the idiot vandals as they managed to destroy nature, nature who does nothing to hurt them.
Is there an award for information leading to their arrest, to their having to pay for the damage done?
Sadly, I heard a remark by a bystander, "Oh, just probably some kids, oh, well."
Number one, any act of vandalism should never be excused as just a prank. Number two, I don't think "kids" did it but instead some stupid adults whose brains lack in the ability to make good decisions. Using booze or drugs is no excuse for such actions. I say this because of what I experienced last summer. The parking lot was a stopping spot for pushers and users. I photographed cars, I called police and on one occasion, I sat in our car so they would not vandalize it while my husband took our dog for a walk. The things the young adults shouted at me are not printable, very gross and very threatening, marks of a segment of society that is selfish, stupid and a deterement to mankind in general.