A security camera captured this image of three men wanted in connection with vandalism at the Devils Hole unit of Death Valley National Park. One can be seen carrying a firearm/NPS

A reward is being offered for the arrest and conviction of three men who broke into the Devils Hole area of Death Valley National Park and vandalized the area by discharging a firearm and swimming in the warm spring that nourishes an endangered species of pupfish. At least one pupfish was killed.

The National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Nye County (Nevada) Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident that occurred last weekend.

According to a release from the Park Service, at around 7:20 p.m. last Saturday "three men in an OHV drove off-road around a gate at the Devils Hole parking lot. They discharged a firearm at least 10 times, shooting locks on two gates, a motion sensor on the security system, and several signs. One man swam in Devils Hole and left his boxer shorts behind in the water. Alcohol was involved; three beer cans were left behind and one man vomited."

This is the Devils Hole warm spring that at least one of the men went swimming in/USFWS file photo

Park employees found an endangered Devils Hole pupfish dead on Monday. A necropsy is being performed on the pupfish to determine if the men’s actions might have caused the death of this critically endangered species, the release said.

"Although the men attempted to dismantle the security system by shooting a motion sensor and removing cables from two cameras, parts of the system continued to function during their entire time at Devils Hole. Video cameras recorded the men climbing over the fence and driving away in the direction of Crystal, Nevada," the release said.

The OHV appeared to be a blue Yahama Rhino that "had been extensively customized with an added seat and safety cage."

A reward of up to $5,000 is available for information leading to arrest and conviction in this case. Tips can be reported to the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch at:

* 888-653-0009

* https:www.surveymonkey.com/r/TipLine_InvestigativeServicesNPS

* www.facebook.com/InvestigativeServicesNPS

Devils Hole--a detached unit of Death Valley National Park--is the only natural habitat of the critically endangered Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis). The National Park Service works in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nevada Department of Wildlife to protect the endangered Devils Hole pupfish and its habitat. There were only 115 observable pupfish in Devils Hole counted during April’s spring survey.