Cosmetics for Scenic Rocks Called Off

Forest Service officials are backing off plans to spray some rocks they fear don’t look “natural” enough to sit along a scenic highway over the top of the Cascade Mountains.

“We are not going to proceed with the painting of the rocks as originally planned,” said Ron DeHart, a spokesman for the Forest Service in the Seattle area.

“We decided if this is disturbing to people, let’s let it go and see what it looks like in a year,” he said.

Rep. Jack Metcalf (R-Wash.) said he reacted in disbelief when he first heard about the idea and put heat on the agency to abandon the plan.

“Rock colorization” projects have become fairly commonplace on national scenic highways throughout the country, including the Mt. St. Helens Highway in Washington, Metcalf said.

Rocks newly exposed along the highways, by rock slides or in road cuts due to construction, sometimes are sprayed with a liquid mixture of iron and manganese because of concerns it takes too long for them to weather naturally, he said.