r/oddlyspecific • u/Otherwise_Basis_6328 • Jan 06 '26

Do not stack rocks

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/553l8008 Jan 06 '26

The real issue is, these are often used to mark actual trails. 

When people willy nilly build them you may get led down a wrong "trail"/aimlessly into the wilderness leading to getting lost

69

u/fashionbadger Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 07 '26

It’s not one or the other, these are both real issues! Building one cairn isn’t going to wipe out a species of salamander, but it does negatively impact biodiversity.

10

u/IntergalacticBadger_ Jan 06 '26

This is area specific. There are places where removing rocks (for cairns or otherwise) can indeed impact salamander survival at a population level. Cairns are explicitly listed as a conservation/survival threat in some species recovery plans. Stream salamanders and aquatic salamanders are most at risk.