Dude, where’s our rock?
American forestry officials recently asked that question after a treasured one-tonne boulder went missing last month.
To the delight of officials at Prescott National Forest in Arizona, the Wizard Rock reappeared on Friday.
“We are thrilled the Wizard Rock was returned, and are grateful that whoever took it was conscientious enough to give it back to the public,” said district ranger Sarah Clawson in a news release.
A forest employee on patrol stumbled upon the now-returned boulder, said the release.
Striped with white quartz, the boulder would have required heavy equipment to move it. Forest officials recently told the Arizona Republic that people driving by the boulder would often stop to photograph it.
In a previous news release, Clawson said such boulders are a “treasure” that “belong to the public” and that anyone wanting information on what they can take from the forest can contact the forest service.
The Wizard Rock’s puzzling disappearance made numerous headlines in places such as CNN, Newsweek and USA Today.
Apparently, this is not the first time a heavy rock has gone missing from this particular forest.
An 80-pound rock in the shape of a heart was taken in 2009 and its theft was covered by a local outlet, according to the park’s earlier news release.
“The story resulted in an anonymous person returning the rock as they didn’t know it meant so much to the local people familiar with it,” the news release said.
Two other boulders — weighing between 750 and 2,000 pounds each — have been removed in the past four months by people using heavy equipment, according to forest officials.
The news release notes that removing minerals from U.S. national forests without a permit is against the law, and that permits are required for collecting and removing most “forest products” such as rocks and plants.
Forest officials are now considering a new home for the Wizard Rock.
— With files by The Associated Press