Editor's note: This updates with comment from Patagonia that they were not aware of the circumstances surrounding the photo shoot.

It seemed like the perfect photo shoot: Two climbers making a "first ascent" on a route in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. Unfortunately for the climbers, not only did they install bolts into the rockface, which is against park system regulations, and also roll rocks down the slope, but they were recognizeable.

Unfortunately for clothing giant Patagonia, it marked the second time in five years that the company has been linked to embarrassing, and illegal, behavior in the National Park System. On Monday company officials said they had no knowledge of how the photo shoot came about, but going forward would try to develop a process for preventing a similar event to occur.

"We work very hard to make sure every photo we publish depicts responsible climbing practices that align with Patagonia's broad environmental mission by asking vigilant questions and requiring locations always be identified," said Adam Fetcher, Patagonia's director of global public relations and commications. "We also value a policy that allows talented, sometimes unknown photographers from all over the world to participate in our catalog. This is an important balance, and by and large we get it right. When we make a mistake, we always look hard at our process and see if any improvements can be made, and we’ll do that in this case as well.

"We were not previously aware of any issues with this particular photograph, since climbing is allowed in other areas of Capitol Reef National Park, and we have no relationship with the individuals who appear in the catalog photo. We’ve reached out to the freelance photographer to better understand the circumstances around this incident," he added.

The photo in question appeared in Patagonia's September 2011 clothing catalog. When the image came to light at Capitol Reef, rangers not only were able to identify the climbers and their route but discovered the bolts they used. They then expanded their investigation and discovered two more climbing routes that also were identified as first ascents made by the same climbers and a third party.

In the end, "(A)ll three individuals were held liable for damages in accordance with the Park System Resource Protection Act, which provides that any person or instrumentality who injures, destroys or causes the loss of any park resource is liable for response costs and damages."

The bill? Four-thousand dollars, which was paid this past May. 

The use of a photo depicting illegal behavior in a national park seemed in contradiction with Patagonia's principles of environmental sustainability and social responsibility, which state that, "We acknowledge that the wild world we love best is disappearing. That is why those of us who work here share a strong commitment to protecting undomesticated lands and waters."

Mr. Fetcher said he had no idea that Patagonia's September 2011 catalog was not contained in company's archive of catalogs until the Traveler raised the question Friday, but added that it was not removed due to the photograph. 

It was back in 2006 when Patagonia apologized after one of the company's "ambassadors," Dean Potter, was found to have climbed Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. At the time, Arches officials thought it was understood that climbing on named arches was illegal. (They later rewrote the climbing regs to make sure there was no mistake against such a prohibition). In its public apology at the time, Patagonia said:

At the end of the day, we do feel Dean's climb of Delicate Arch was inappropriate. Patagonia had no prior knowledge of his climb, nor did we "sponsor" his activities. Sadly, his actions compromised access to wild places and generated an inordinate amount of negativity in the climbing community and beyond.