Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

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VanMarmot
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Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by VanMarmot » June 15th, 2017, 8:23 am

I happy (sort of) to report (as of 6/30/17) that the BLM and the Nature Conservancy responded to my calls and the BLM sent a crew up to fix (as best they could) this damage. The BLM is also planning more signage and some increased enforcement presence. I'm suprised (but glad) they are able to do this given their budget and staffing limitations. Still, it would have been better if the "rock art" idiots hadn't done all this damage in the first place.

The Upper and Lower Table Rocks have been favorite year-round short hike destinations for us ever since we moved to Southern Oregon.  One of the many pleasures of these hikes is to observe the seasonal round of the vernal pools that are unique to these locations. These pools are a rare habitat that supports a Federally-listed threatened species of fairy shrimp and a state-threatened plant called the dwarf wooly meadowfoam, a flowering plant currently, and historically, only known to exist around the edges of these pools.  The existence of these rare species and their habitat is what caused the Table Rocks to be designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). During a hike yesterday on Lower Table Rock, the LovedOne and I noticed what looked like posts off to the left of the trail about halfway to the South Viewpoint.  On closer inspection, these proved to be rocks stacked into spires or cairns between a foot and four feet tall and placed all over what used to be one of the largest vernal pools.  There were also stacks and rock walls built in the remains of the smaller vernal pool to the south.


Image Constructed rock cairns desecrating rare vernal pool habitat

Image Construction of the cairns trampled the vernal pool habitat

Image Close-up of the rock cairns and the trampled habitat

Whoever made these abominations had dug the rocks out of the pools and, in the process, had destroyed the pool bottoms, which the plants and animals, found nowhere else but here, need to survive during the dry summer months.  Aside from selfishness and stupidity, we have no idea what motivated the cretinous vandals who unleashed this destruction nor do we care, as there is simply no justification, whatsoever, for this wanton desecration of these rare and unique natural features.

We've reached out to both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and The Nature Conservancy - as they manage different parts of the Table Rocks - about this situation and we hope that they will follow-up on the federal and state crimes committed here.  Whether restoration is an option, or whether the destruction has just been too great, remains to be seen.

For us to have come upon such carnage in a place we've come to cherish is sad and disheartening almost beyond imagining.
Last edited by VanMarmot on July 2nd, 2017, 7:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

squidvicious
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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by squidvicious » June 15th, 2017, 8:50 am

Have you thought about contacting the local news station? Some public awareness would go a long way. These stupid cairns are everywhere--monkey see on instagram, monkey do. There's no countering info out there that says why not to do it, except on sites like this that are preaching to the choir. This is probably proudly displayed on someone's instagram right now.

I imagine some of these folks even think they're doing the responsible thing, marking their visit with rocks instead of the sort of graffiti I saw, for instance, painted, marked, and carved along Eagle Creek yesterday. They probably have no clue it could be damaging sensitive areas, or dangerously misdirecting hikers in areas where cairns are meant to mark a trail. It's just good fun. I think you could probably get a news station interested in doing a story explaining why that's not the case.


ed: although I guess this didn't do much good http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-new ... 180955880/

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VanMarmot
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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by VanMarmot » June 15th, 2017, 9:13 am

squidvicious wrote:Have you thought about contacting the local news station? Some public awareness would go a long way. These stupid cairns are everywhere--monkey see on instagram, monkey do. There's no countering info out there that says why not to do it, except on sites like this that are preaching to the choir. This is probably proudly displayed on someone's instagram right now.
So far, we've contacted the BLM and the Nature Conservancy (both here & in Portland) and the local newspaper. Plus put it up on our blog & here too [likely choir preaching in both places]. Next step up would be the local TV station where we might get some traction.

But given how strapped the resource agencies and NGOs are for budget & staff, the only way to prevent these desecrations, rather than just figure out how to fix them (if that's even possible), is for people to take responsibility for not being a-holes in the woods in the first place. Build a rock spire in your own backyard or living room if you can't control your urges but leave the outdoors alone!

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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by scrambler2 » June 15th, 2017, 12:06 pm

I hate those stupid things!
PCT class of 2012

Webfoot
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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by Webfoot » June 15th, 2017, 12:22 pm

Are there any signs explaining what these pools are, or sadly, were? Without the rocks all my untrained eye would see are flat brown fields that looks like a good place for a game of Frisbee, respecting the wildflowers seen beyond. If not this is as much a failure of education as it is of human character.

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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by miah66 » June 16th, 2017, 1:27 pm

:o :evil:

People goad me about my hatred of cairns, but this is exactly the reason why i'm opposed to building them. (NO NOT FOR NAVIGATION, IN DAYS BEFORE GPS AND MAPS) You said it best:
there is simply no justification, whatsoever, for this wanton desecration of these rare and unique natural features.
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VanMarmot
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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by VanMarmot » June 16th, 2017, 3:01 pm

Webfoot wrote:Are there any signs explaining what these pools are, or sadly, were? Without the rocks all my untrained eye would see are flat brown fields that looks like a good place for a game of Frisbee, respecting the wildflowers seen beyond. If not this is as much a failure of education as it is of human character.
Sadly, vernal pools are one of those unique bits of ecology that don't look like much - brown matted vegetation and dirt in the summer, shallow puddles of water in the winter. I guess if they looked really "wow" then they might get more respect - or not: think of all that graffiti along Eagle Creek.

There are big kiosks with signs and explanatory material at each trailhead. There are even signs specifically for the vernal pools - explaining why you shouldn't disturb them. There have also been articles in the local paper and TV about them and there are guided hikes to them on certain weekends. Unfortunately, there are no signs at the pools themselves, so if you don't read, don't watch TV news, or blew passed the kiosk, then you theoretically wouldn't know about them.

But even then, all of the Table Rocks open to the public are a nature preserve - that's a well known fact - so why would you think it OK to rearrange the rocks in a preserve, pools or not? I'm going with a failure of human character in this case...

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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by Webfoot » June 16th, 2017, 4:24 pm

As I said "as much a failure of" not "rather than" as I agree even without signs that's inappropriate disturbance. However given the presence of signs: no excuse. Same kind of jerks who destroyed the Duckbill. :x

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VanMarmot
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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by VanMarmot » June 30th, 2017, 3:43 pm

BLM has fixed (as much as possible) this damage and is stepping up information and enforcement in the area.

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Re: Desecration on Lower Table Rock (S Oregon) 14-Jun-2017

Post by Webfoot » June 1st, 2018, 6:06 pm

Have you been back this year?

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