Exit78 Photo of the Day #42
Many western U.S. parks use cairns – human-made piles of stone – as trail markers over rocky or barren terrain. Unfortunately some park visitors think it’s cool and fun to create their own stacks of of rock.
Visitor created stacks of rock – rock graffiti – Canyonlands National Park, Utah, September 28, 2011 (Pentax K-r)
“Rock graffiti, even if seemingly impermanent, disturbs the natural state of the environment for other visitors, and have a permanent ecological impact. Also, be aware that it is considered by the National Park Service as a form of vandalism and it is illegal.” (Zion National Park)
A lot of people will think, “Oh, what’s the harm?”
There’s not much harm if one – and only one – person builds a stack of stones, but it’s never going to be just one. Other people will follow along and do the same, with no thought that they are disrupting the natural state of the site or possibly doing ecological damage to a fragile ecosystem.
For national parks, in particular, and other wild parks, defining characteristics include that the ecosystem is not materially altered by human exploitation and steps are taken to prevent or eliminate such exploitation. (International Union for the Conservation of Nature)
Many parks have fragile ecosystems that can be easily damaged. Utah’s Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, for example, are covered in many areas in bumpy, clumpy, blackened soil – biological soil crust, a living ground cover that includes lichen, mosses, green algae, microfungi, and bacteria, but is dominated by cyanobacteria. It helps control erosion by keeping soil stuck together. It also holds and retains water. Humans can destroy this protective crust without meaning to. Vehicle tracks, bicycles, and footprints are harmful, as is taking rocks from the soil to build stacks of rocks. Breaking up the crust makes it easier for rain and wind to scatter the soil.
Considerate visitors respect the parks, take only pictures, and leave only footprints, conserving the park environment for those who follow.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
