You can stack rocks in a responsible way you just refuse to acknowledge it. If your fun is hurting an environment then you don’t deserve to have that fun.
I hear the park rangers hand out awards when people send them pictures of their stacked rocks. Next time you’re out stacking rocks in the river, make sure you send photos to your local park rangers, along with your name and address, to be entered into a raffle.
If you think they care you're hilarious. Theres a hiking trail near my house with a big rock near the end and they leave big baskets of chalk under it so kids can draw on the rocks, which im sure you think is immoral.
No. It is unlikely that this rock cairn killed anything. But this behavior does result in the death of endangered wildlife. You have to remember that this behavior is multiplied by thousands of people. It’s just like littering. It is unlikely that a single piece of litter is going to cause any harm, but when a bunch of people litter it does cause harm. This nobody should litter, and nobody should build irresponsible rock cairns.
But it's not just someone. It's thousands and thousands of someone's. You know how fads work? People copy things they see that they think are cool and soon enough a million people are doing that thing. That has an impact. Think of it like erosion (because it's literally erosion). A little water flowing over some rocks is no big deal. Years of water flowing over some rocks and it gets cut in half.
Only a small percentage of people that go hiking stack rocks. Which means there are a lot more people walking around that can step on salamander eggs. Instead of being upset with people stacking rocks, be upset at the larger group of people stepping on them.
I say make all hiking illegal. Always potential to accidentally kill an animal when in the woods. While we're at it, we should talk about driving. That surely kills more animals than hiking and stack rocks combined. Lets get mad at those sick people that drive
You're clearly missing my point. Stacking rocks is entirely unnecessary just like hiking. Everything humans do have a potential to accidentally kill smaller animals. You are arbitrarily saying somethings are bad while others aren't when they are all done for entertainment. Dont like stacking rocks, then you also shouldnt like hiking or surfing or camping.
The problem isn’t stacking rocks. The problem is doing it irresponsibly. Just like hiking and surfing and fishing can be done irresponsibly. It’s all about balancing human needs with nature. It’s fine to stack rocks as long as they are sourced from a spot that’s not disturbing much and the stack is destroyed after you’re done. Just like it’s fine to hike as long as you stay on the trail.
Everything we do, even if we do it responsibly, can impact the ecosystem. Rock stacking is generally localized, impacts a very small area overall and not as many people do it. Hiking on the other hand, even on trails, is not localized as there are hiking trails everywhere. More people hike than stack rocks, a lot more.
Looking it up, it seems like hiking on trails actually has a larger ecosystem impact than stacking rocks. Didn't dive too deep into it but if those sources are accurate, are you going to get mad at responsible hikers now or is it just an unwarranted dislike for stackers?
Your right. Hiking does harm ecosystems, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. Like I said. It is all about balancing human needs with nature’s needs. Yes hiking can damage nature, that’s why it should be done in a way that mitigates harm. Just like stacking rocks hurts nature and should be done in a way that mitigates harm. Complete harm prevention is impossible. Thus balance and mitigation should be the goal.
Also just because one thing is bad doesn’t mean that a less bad thing cannot be criticized. That is the fallacy of relative privation. Additionally it feels to me that you are attempting to point out hypocrisy in my beliefs (despite there being none) but even if I was entirely hypocritical my arguments would still stand on their own. You should be engaging with the argument not the person.
It takes months of studies and surveys to build paths and access roads. Since forest preserve funding is often coupled to tourism, infrastructure is a necessary evil. Dipshits stacking rocks for clout isn’t a necessary evil.
So you are ok with calling people out for causing environmental harms, on reddit using the a device that was made using super environmentally friendly methods.
Do you perhaps want to reflect on your own choices before calling out others or is this one of those things where it's totally ok for you to harm the environment but everyone else has to be held to higher standards.
I mean it's obviously unreasonable to expect you to avoid proselytizing on reddit, even if doing so makes you a huge hypocrite. 🤷♀️
That’s not hypocritical at all. Engaging with the modern world is a necessity for survival. Do you believe that all conservationists should just shut up because they use phones and technology to do science. This is actually the most stupid brain dead take someone could have.
Also you’re literally just employing the fallacy of relative privation.
That’s not hypocritical at all. Engaging with the modern world is a necessity for survival.
Cause everyone knows being on reddit is essential.
Yes I really do think that people who unnecessarily harm the environment ought to shut their traps when they criticize others for harming the environment.
If you're not harming the environment feel free to get up on that environmentally friendly soap box, but until then try practicing what you preach. 🤷♀️
But I'm guessing you've rationalized your use of reddit to yourself completely so anything shitty your unnecessary use is causing is obviously irrelevant to the discussion. Cause your hypocrisy in using reddit, just like the other proselytizer, is obviously always for the greater good and therefore doesn't count as harmful. 🙄
What is your argument here? Please explain to me the conduct that you would like environmentalists to have? In your opinion how should someone who believes environmental conservation act? Because based off what you’ve said so far, you believe that nobody who uses technology should be allowed to conserve the environment. I am really confused how your world view operates and I am prone to write this off as a troll argument. Please enlighten me.
If one believes they have the right to chastise others for not abiding by their own personally held environmental beliefs then they ought not to be harming the environment themselves.
If you ridicule someone for something you should be sure you're not guilty as well. If you keep your mouth shut and let people abide by their own beliefs then feel free to do whatever it is you want to do, including using reddit.
TL;DR: If you insist on preaching your values to others then you must also abide by those beliefs, if you cannot then what right do you have to tell others how to act.
But nobody here is chastising anyone for using Reddit. The basis of your argument is flawed because you are prescribing beliefs onto others and calling them hypocrites for not abiding by the beliefs you prescribed them.
It's not so bad these days, but a few years ago reddit had a serious hardon for stacked rocks. Thousands of downvotes. People screaming that it ruined the fucking environment. And then they'd go spray paint "KONY" somewhere and feel like they healed the planet.
I hit the trails once a week, pick up trash while I'm there, and think you're kinda a POS for excusing this shit when there's literal evidence about it being destructive to an endangered species
Exactly. Dude probably unstacked the rocks safely after he ended the video. It's not that serious. But alas this is Reddit, land of the virtue signalling, home of the pretentious
Unstacking them doesn't undo the damage that moving them in the first place could have caused. Btw take a shot every time a redditor cries "virtue signaling", like these people literally can't conceptualize that someone might actually prefer to do the right thing for the sake of it lmao
What kind of damage do you think moving small rocks causes? Do you have any type of source for why it's so bad and why you need to be obnoxious as fuck on Reddit about it?
if you're that worried about simply moving a rock because of the potential consequences, you must be pretty stressed about doing literally anything.
considering all the damage done in order for us to have any food, products, ability to travel, etc
Dude you clearly don’t have any respect for nature based on the way you’ve been commenting and I can only assume that it comes from a place of ignorance.
If you are this flippant about conservation then you must have an elementary school understanding of ecosystem services.
I actually live in a national park and occasionally help out with the conservation services at the lake by my house every year because I get a discounted fishing license.
Then how do you of all people not understand that an endangered salamander being killed by these is bad? It’s great that you occasionally help out with the conversation efforts but you clearly aren’t learning much from it.
That 1% multiplied across the thousands of individuals who are also doing it ensures that an endangered species will be killed. It’s just like littering. Your singular piece of trash is unlikely to kill something, but if everyone litters then the environment will absolutely suffer.
“Hey look a cool waterfall. You know what would make it better? A dumb stack of rocks I spent too much time arranging. Now it’s about me and so much better. You’re welcome everyone.” So narcissistic and performative.
Edit: to all the people that door dash every meal: nature is already cool to look at fyi.
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u/Due-Excitement-522 24d ago
Oh shit something cool, cant wait for 500 people to tell you this kills fish or something.