Arcadia Cracks Down on Rock Thieves

[B the Hiker]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/us/08rock.html?_r=1&ref=us

If people have to steal rocks--and I don't suggest they do--they should take from the col between Zealand and Guyot.

 

[MichaelJ]

Really? There aren't any rocks in Florida?

One little comment - Arcadia is an Audubon wildlife sanctuary out in Western Mass. Acadia is the National Park up in Maine.

 

[McRat]

FTFA - An additional ranger has just been added to patrol the Schoodic Peninsula section of the park, where the problem has grown over the past decade.

It promised to increase by two on Tuesday. “I have a rock situation right now,” Mr. Weidner said from his cellphone while trying to track down two men who had made a pile of rocks, knocked it down and scurried away as he approached.

I would love to see COPS: Acadia NP edition - watching justice being dispensed on the illegal cairn builders and rock collectors of the world.

"I have a rock situation right now."

I bet he did.

 

[RoySwkr]

If people have to steal rocks--and I don't suggest they do--they should take from the col between Zealand and Guyot.

You probably mean Bond/Guyot and South Twin/Guyot

I remember the "no cairn building" rule in Acadia from years ago, only place I ever saw it

 

[Trail Bandit]

I think the school teachers from Florida are a threat that needs to addressed.
If something is not done immediately, they may steal enough rocks from Mt Washington, that it will no longer be the highest in the North East. They may also be stealing branches and deer antlers! Very serious indeed.

 

[chomp]

If they are cool enough to steal, they are certainly cool enough to protect. I know its low-hanging fruit to make fun of someone trying save rocks, but this seems to be a somewhat serious issue. I'm sure it was considered a joke to take a piece of Plymouth Rock until 2/3rds of the thing disappeared.

 

[the_swede]

Really? There aren't any rocks in Florida?

One little comment - Arcadia is an Audubon wildlife sanctuary out in Western Mass. Acadia is the National Park up in Maine.

It's also a wildlife management area in Rhode Island.

 

[psmart]

The biggest rock-collecting problem at Acadia is actually at Seawall, where the road goes right over a natural "sea wall" of rounded rocks. Since it's a very small area with lots of summer traffic, rock collecting has had a significant impact.

 

[Stash]

There was a smilar issue with the Petrified Forest out west and folks taking pieces of petrified wood. A piece here. A piece there. Even a small percentage of millions of visitors made a noticable dent.

 

[DougPaul]

Hawaii also has a problem with tourists taking rocks. They have a legend that it is bad luck and have a steady flow of returned rocks...

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

Hawaii also has a problem with tourists taking rocks. They have a legend that it is bad luck and have a steady flow of returned rocks...

I think I saw that episode of the Brady Bunch.

 

[am&pm]

The only time to view acadia is in february in a blissard. It's awesome. The rocks are frozen then.

 

[--M.]

One little comment - Arcadia is an Audubon wildlife sanctuary out in Western Mass. Acadia is the National Park up in Maine.

I was left thinking "Isn't it some mythical utopia?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia_(disambiguation)

Turns out it's lots of things.

One of them, however, is a mythical utopia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia_(utopia)

Arcadia (Greek: Ἀρκαδία) refers to a Utopian vision of pastoralism and harmony with nature. The term is derived from the Greek province of the same name which dates to antiquity; the province's mountainous topography and sparse population of pastoralists later caused the word Arcadia to develop into a poetic byword for an idyllic vision of unspoiled wilderness. The Utopian vision, Arcadia, is associated with bountiful natural splendor, harmony, and is often inhabited by shepherds. The concept also figures in Renaissance mythology.​

[Bolding mine.]

I heard, by way of relevance to a hiking bulletin board, that they hike there. Not sure about stealing rocks. Or building cairns.

Amazing what you can find in 20 seconds on a computer these days.

 

[dentonfabrics]

I saw some ******* loading up his SUV with rocks from the Swift River. He eventually stopped when he noticed I was staring him down. I think some people use them for landscaping in gardens and along walks and such. You can bet those rocks would cost a pretty penny if you bought them from a landscaper.

 

[RoySwkr]

I saw some ******* loading up his SUV with rocks from the Swift River. ... You can bet those rocks would cost a pretty penny if you bought them from a landscaper.

I believe that rock collecting is legal in most of the WMNF except Wilderness. There is probably a separate rule against removing them from the river so you need to take them from the bank

 

[Tom Rankin]

I believe that rock collecting is legal in most of the WMNF except Wilderness. There is probably a separate rule against removing them from the river so you need to take them from the bank

It's illegal to take almost anything off of NY State Land.

 

[Trail Bandit]

I saw some ******* loading up his SUV with rocks from the Swift River. He eventually stopped when he noticed I was staring him down. I think some people use them for landscaping in gardens and along walks and such. You can bet those rocks would cost a pretty penny if you bought them from a landscaper.

I wonder where the "landscaper" gets the smooth rounded rocks that he sells. I recently had some ***** steal a truck load of granite foundation stones from my property. (The stones came from an old barn that I tore down on my property). The thieves came with a big backhoe and truck in the middle of the day. It must have been a good sized truck because they stole more than 10 stones, each weighing over 1000 pounds. The thief is probably a "landscaper".

 

[Grumpy]

Mrs. Grumpy was an elementary schoolteacher for more than 40 years before she retired. Our summer trips invariably involved modest stone and mineral collecting – some “found” samples, and others purchased at rock, mineral and gem shops. I happen to think a lot of kids’ lives were enriched by Mrs. G’s collecting habit.

I’m always conflicted upon reading articles like the one in the NY Times.

On the one hand I see no harm in taking a souvenir stone, which sort of reflects the human hunting-gathering instinct. That leads me to scoff at the regulations and regulators.

But on the other hand, I also see where some people simply abuse and go way beyond the souvenir gathering. That makes me applaud the regulations and those who enforce them. Abusers of privilege always foul things up for everybody else.

By the way, if you are interested in collecting (or knowing about) stones, I commend to you a little book called Stones – Their Collection, Identification and Uses, by R.V. Dietrich.

G.

 

[peakbagger]

Years ago when my development was far less settled, I used to see a car drive in to the back road a couple of times per week for a few months and then head out about 20 minutes later. Eventually I was out walking one evening, and noticed that they were picking through a couple of stone walls and grabbing a few choice stones. When I approached them, they drove off and I didnt see them again. They werent locals that I recognized.

 

[DougPaul]

On the one hand I see no harm in taking a souvenir stone, which sort of reflects the human hunting-gathering instinct. That leads me to scoff at the regulations and regulators.

It is illegal in any National Park (including Acadia). As noted earlier, places like Petrified Forrest National Park have massive problems with both souvenir hunters and harvesters...

Doug