A man who confronted a family that was allegedly defacing a metal railing overlooking a waterfall in Oregon took a photo of them and posted it on Facebook, which has since blown up and gotten the police involved.

Brett Nelson was hiking at Tumalo Falls in a national forest that is located about 20 miles west of the town of Bend when he came upon a family of hikers who appeared to be carving their names into the metal railing, prompting Nelson to ask them to stop, according to media reports.

The hikers refused this request, which caused Nelson’s companion, Lyle Sweeney, to take a photo which Nelson shared on Facebook — a photo that was later shared 50,000 times and climbing since Saturday.

Nelson said in a Facebook post accompanying the photo that while his hike had so far been amazing, it was spoiled by what he described as bad parenting. He said a “proud” parents had been letting his children carve names into the hand railing at Tumalo Falls, and he asked the boy if he was seriously going to do that, which he replied in the affirmative. He then asked the dad if he was aware his children were defacing federal public land, and the daughter replied that they can do what they want.

Nelson then asked the father for his license plate number and asked if he would be OK with him carving his name in the hood, which he said was fine with him as it was a rental car, according to the Facebook post.

When they revealed they were from California, Nelson said they should “go back” there, as Oregonians take “huge pride” in the land and public parks. They then took a picture of them, who are posing mockingly for the photo.

Nelson has since been inundated with interview requests, as well as tips on social media as to the identity of the alleged vandals. Authorities have been attempting to track down the three people in the photo.

Nelson said he hopes the incident will lead to a broader discussion of preserving public lands and what to do if you spot a vandal either littering or etching their names somewhere they shouldn’t.

There’s been worse vandalisms in the history of the federal park system, but because this one was caught on camera and blew up on social media, the authorities became involved.

Late last year, someone drew a series of colorful faces on the rocks at Yosemite and four other national parks in Oregon, California, and Utah, sparking an investigation by the National Park Service and creating a firestorm online.

The perpetrator didn’t do a good job covering her tracks, or appear to know what she was doing was wrong, as the images appear to have come from a woman from New York state who was traveling in the West during the summer and was documenting her alleged artistry on both Instagram and Tumblr.

And a year before in Utah, Boy Scout leaders recorded themselves causing an ancient rock formation at Goblin Valley State Park to topple over, which was posted on YouTube and led to outrage.

Vandalism at a state park is typically considered a misdemeanor that is punishable with a fine of up to $5,000 and a year in prison. However, if the vandalism is severe enough, it can result in a felony charge, or if the vandalism happens in a specially protected place.

Tumalo Falls specifically describes a 97-foot waterfall on Tumalo Creek, which is located in the Cascade Range. It is part of the Deschutes National Forest, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The area is popular because of its views of the waterfall, and it has picnic sites and trails for hiking and mountain biking, attracting visitors from all around.

Deschutes National Forest is located in central Oregon and covers 1.8 million acres along the east side of the Cascade Range. It was established in 1908. There are plenty of activities there, including boating, fishing, watching wildlife, hiking, mountain biking, and picnicking.

The Cascade Range is a major mountain range in the western portion of North America, and it stretches from British Columbia through the states of Washington and Oregon and into Northern California. It includes Mount Rainier in Washington state, the highest peak in the United States at 14,411 feet. It also includes Mount St. Helens, which famously erupted in 1980 and most recently had a minor eruption in 2005.

The Cascade Range is one of the reasons why Oregon is known for its natural beauty, and what prompts people to flock there from around the world, which explains why residents are so fiercely protective of their national parks, seeing it as key to the state’s identity as a place to enjoy nature.