Michigan State Park Asks You to Stop Stacking Rocks Along the River
It seems like such an innocent activity: You are walking along a trail when you stop and create what you consider to be a beautiful sculpture in nature. You've grabbed a few rocks from the river and stacked them so precisely -- so they balance just perfectly. You think your rock formation looks beautiful in its natural sitting. STOP IT! Just don't do it.
You are Being Asked to Stop Stone Stacking
Stone stacking has been an issue for quite a few years now. The New Yorker did a story about how stone stacking was wreaking havoc on National Parks back in 2018. They noted in their story that Zion National Park had posed a plea: "Please, enjoy the park but leave rocks and all natural objects in place.” The post went on to call the art of stone stacking "a destructive practice” and referred to doing so as “simply vandalism.” It has become a widespread problem. There are posts from Zion National Park going back as far as 2016 asking people to refrain from stacking stones. In 2016-2017, volunteers at Acadia National Park had to destroy nearly 3,500 stone stacks on just two mountains.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park Has Also Sent Out a Request
It is not just the National Parks that are asking people to stop stacking rocks. Tahquamenon Falls State Park, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is also reminding visitors that stacking rocks in nature is harmful to the environment. On a recent Facebook post they even showed a couple of signs at the park warning against stacking rocks.
Why is Stocking Rocks Such a Problem?
In August of 2018, Tahquamenon Falls State Park posted the following video on their Facebook page explaining the problem...
By removing the rocks from the water you are destroying the homes of insects like stoneflies. They cling to the rocks in the river. By removing the rocks you are killing them along with doing other damage to the ecosystem.
It is also noted that fish need the rocks in the river as places to hide.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park Criticized for their Social Media Post
Some comments on the Tahquamenon Falls State Park Facebook page criticized the park for telling people not to stack rocks. One comment said: "Y’all worried about rock stacking, when y’all dug out a road, laid a parking lot, built a bar. To make money off people. And y’all worried about the dragon flys and small fish now lol." Other's posted photos of some of the signs at Tahquamenon Falls State Park which are made of -- rocks!
Stone Stacking is a Problem Everywhere
It's not just a few National and State Parks that have an issue with people stone stacking. Matt Smith posted a picture on Facebook showing that at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio, they also have many people stacking rocks.
What Should You Do If you See a Stack of Rocks?
According to the video above, the best thing to do is to knock the towers over and put the rock back into the water.