Next time you are in Acadia National Park, make sure you don’t take home any beautiful rocks as a souvenir-you could get busted! Rangers at Acadia National Park have seen their fair share of tourists with loaded down backpacks and heavy stuffed pockets, bringing home sea-polished stones, cobblestones, and even in some cases, slabs of granite. They are starting to crack down on this-penalties can range from a warning all the way up to a federal misdemeanor, which carries a $5,000 fine and up to six months in jail. However, the average penalty is a fine of between $75 and $100. This year, park officials have fined 12 people.
The theft of resources from nature, such as branches, rocks, or even deer antlers has been illegal in national parks for quite some time. One of the more troublesome problems is the building of unofficial cairns, disturbing the natural placement of rocks, and in the process, unknowingly leading future hikers down the wrong path. While many frequent hikers, campers, and backpackers understand the principles behind these laws, and take care to leave the landscape unmarred, this is not always the case with every park visitor. This year has seen the national parks as a popular tourist destination, and many have had an increase in visitors over last year. While this is great news for the sustainability of our parks system, it requires the education of a whole new group of people. The hope is that these penalties with deter those from stealing rocks and other natural resources. Only time will tell if they have an effect on resource theft in the park.
For more details about this issue, check out the article in the New York Times.
