Landscaping along Kalispell’s U.S. 93 bypass admittedly is rather bland.

But whoever spray-painted the word “Tree” over and over along a quarter-mile stretch of concrete sound wall isn’t helping make the area look any better, authorities said.

“They made a terrible mess,” Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset said.

The graffiti was observed in several spots last week and spread last weekend along the length of the sound wall between the U.S. 93 Alternate Route and the South Meadows neighborhood.

The spray painter or painters also hit a tunnel under the bypass just north and west of the sound wall.

“This is one we’re taking extremely seriously,” Nasset said. “If anyone recognizes these tags from at school, on notebooks or at home, call us. This is a drastic defacing of the community and we will not stand for it.”

Police have seen the same “Tree” tag in other parts of Kalispell.

According to a news release Wednesday, the tag was found at Tire Rama on Dec. 31. Store employees painted over the graffiti, but it appeared again on Jan. 2 and a third time on Jan. 5 when it was a figure of a tree followed by the letters “ree.”

Kalispell Police Department has issued a Crimestoppers reward offer. Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call 752-8477. Tips are kept anonymous and cash rewards up to $1,000 are available for information that leads to an arrest.

The police department is contacting restoration companies to get the graffiti on the bypass cleaned up. Materials will need to be purchased and the cleanup will require many hours of work, Nasset said.

“The resto company will have to get out there and evaluate it, but this will be substantial — in excess of a thousand dollars.”

Drivers on the bypass likely will be stuck looking at the graffiti until temperatures warm up at least another 10 degrees for paint stripping chemicals to be effective.

Police also have long expected to see graffiti on the concrete sound wall. “We’re very shocked it took so long. But to see it in such quantity is disappointing,” Nasset said.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.