No Clues In Dinosaur Art Vandalism At Allaire Park In Wall

WALL, NJ — It's still not known who is responsible for the destruction of large, dinosaur-shaped figures, erected from tree branches deep in the woods of Allaire State Park.

But one thing seems certain - the creations were as beloved as their artist, area resident Robin Ruggiero.

There has been lots of support for her on Gregory Andrus' Portraits of the Jersey Shore Facebook site, mourning the loss of the fantastic figures that have been featured on television news shows and on online sources for exploring New Jersey's unique sights.

But Andrus said he has also seen some "pushback" from commenters on his site, who say nature should be kept protected - even from art.

The statues of a Tyrannosaurus-rex and a triceratops and several others were destroyed, Andrus said. They were created by her more than four years ago deep in the grounds of the 4,000-acre park. They were created with branches and wood found at the sites, he said.

It was not an official installation but it attracted a following of people who would seek them out along the trails, he said.

According to a 2020 article on app.com the figures were created by Ruggiero, of Ocean County, as a "whim" that was both an artistic expression and a reflection of a personal journey.

But the State Park Service can't trace how the damage happened as yet.

The park service "is saddened to see the damage to the wooden dinosaurs at Allaire State Park that occurred over the holiday weekend," Caryn Shinske, public information officer for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

"There is no further information at this time about how the damage occurred. As this was a personal project conducted by a park visitor and not a Parks-commissioned amenity, the Department is not in a position to pursue further enforcement actions," Shinske's statement said.

On the Portraits of the Jersey Shore site, the administrator, Andrus, posted on Monday that he went to look at the damaged structures: "I am seeing firsthand for the first time the destruction to the dinosaurs that were created by a beautiful artist named Robin. This is incredibly sad. A lot of families were here today, with this being a day off for a lot of schools. I met one mom and her child who drove all the way up from Ocean City to see the dinosaurs.". . . "Thankfully, there were a few precious dinosaur structures still standing. The kids were in awe of them," he wrote.

He said most of the damaged dinosaurs were tied together securely with rope, so he feels it was not an act of wind or weather - but purposeful.

"To me, it's not a mystery," he said in an interview Tuesday.

He posted that Ruggiero does not want to “'resurrect" the structures. "It is my hope that I can give her the space to heal, while also encouraging her to reconsider," he posted.

He said she has been devastated by the destruction. But at least two structures remain, Andrus said, one a butterfly.

The broken dinosaurs have struck a chord with the public and a neighbor of the park - Allaire Village.

Hance M. Sitkus, the executive director of the Historic Village at Allaire, said the Village is saddened by the destruction.

"I denounce any intentional destruction of art," he said.

Allaire Village is not connected to the park service, he noted. The art installation was deep in the woods he said, at last 3.5 miles southeast of the Village familiar to most visitors.

The park is 4,000 acres, he said, with the Village comprising only 40 acres.

But Sitkus is a proponent of history and of art.

"The mission of our nonprofit organization is to preserve the history of Allaire, the historic buildings and the artifacts of the area. This type of intentional destruction is exactly what we fear the most. We sympathize with the artist and all who enjoyed the display within this section of Allaire State Park,” he said.