The Environmental Impact of Cairn Making
Cairn, which is the Scottish Gaelic for stone man can bring up images of faith and the purpose of the spiritual journey. In the backcountry, cairn-making is something of a fad and it’s not difficult to see why people are attracted to these adorable stacks of flat rocks that are balanced as child’s building blocks. With shoulders aching and flies that are black buzzing in ears, a hiker will examine the stones around her and attempt to select one that is just the right amount of tilt and flatness in depth, breadth and width. After a few close misses (one that’s too bulgy, another that’s too small), the purist will choose the one that is perfectly set in place, and the subsequent layer of the cairn is complete.
Many people are unaware that cairn construction can create negative environmental impacts particularly when it is done near water sources. When rocks are removed from the edges of a river, pond or lake, it dishevels the ecosystem and destroys the habitat of microorganisms that support the entire food chain. These rocks can be swept away from the edge of a pond or lake by erosion, and end up in areas where they could inflict harm on humans or wildlife.
For these reasons, the practice of making cairns should be discouraged in areas with endangered or rare reptiles, amphibians, mammals or plants and flowers that require the moisture locked under the rocks. And if you build the cairn on private property it could be in violation of the federal and state laws protecting the land’s natural resources. This could result in fines or even a detention.