Utah Boy Scout leaders expelled after toppling ancient rock in Goblin Valley State Park
Two boy scouts carry water containers at the 15th National Scout Jamboree held at Fort A.P. Hill, VA, in 2001.
Glenn Taylor and Dave Hall were expelled from the Boy Scouts on Monday after they filmed themselves toppling a Jurassic-era rock formation in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park earlier this month.
The Boy Scouts’ Utah National Parks Council posted a statement on its website saying the two men had violated the organization’s “Leave No Trace” policy and therefore would be stripped of their leadership positions.
The National Boy Scouts of America later added that Taylor and Hall, who may face criminal charges over the Oct. 11 incident, were no longer members of the BSA.
Hall said he accepted the decision.
"We made a mistake and we need to own up to that,” Hall said. “They did what they needed to do and we need to make amends.”
In the video, which was later posted online, Taylor and Hall claimed they destroyed the rock formation – estimated to be about 170 million years old — because it was loose and might fall on a small child.
The two men were leading a group of teenagers through the park famous for its surreal landscape.
G
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.