Soda is pulled out of vending machines with a crowbar near Duvall. Porcelain toilets are shattered outside Kirkland. Japanese maple trees get ripped from the ground in Redmond.

The story at King County-owned parks these days seems to be more about destruction than preservation or appreciation of nature. Vandals have long targeted parks with graffiti, and people still dump refrigerators and tires on open county space, but the damage in recent years has become more frequent and more violent, parks officials say.

Faced with a depleted budget and a limited number of employees, the county is turning this summer to the people who may know parks the best: neighbors and park users.

A Park Watch Patrol has a simple design for volunteers: Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, and if you see anything, tell police or county officials. Anyone interested in joining a park patrol is asked to call 206-296-4248.

The vandalism "is such a waste, and it's so frustrating for us," said Bobbi Wallace, county park-resources manager. "We need people to ... take back their parks from this incredible damage that is happening."

King County operates 184 parks, 20 trails, four pools and several other recreation sites. Among the biggest parks are the 3,082-acre Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park near Bellevue, 633-acre Marymoor Park in Redmond and 574-acre Tolt MacDonald Park in Carnation.

Last year, vandalism cost $21,000 and more than 500 work hours to fix, parks officials said. Thirty-six sites were hit.

Some of the recent damage was particularly difficult to handle, Wallace said, including new benches in White Center that were tagged with graffiti on their first day and aluminum bleachers in Fall City and Carnation that were stolen more than once, likely for scrap metal.

If park users see vandalism happening, they should call 911, park officials said. If they see damaged facilities, they should call the county at 206-296-4232.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com