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On the rocky back shore of Peaks Island lies a small beach where, for at least a decade, likely longer, people have stacked the shore’s flat, shale rocks into towers that teeter over the landscape. The structures are knocked down often, either by high tides or by other people, and are quickly replaced. They have become so ubiquitous that at some point, the area became known as Cairn Beach.

But for years , islanders have debated whether the cairns should exist. Several people who spoke with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, all with varying relationships to the island, shared competing views. Some said the cairns disrupt the back shore’s ecosystem and pristine beauty, while others contended that building cairns is a fun and relatively sustainable activity.



The debate extends to other scenic places in Maine, too. At Acadia National Park, well-meaning visitors often erect cairns of their own, public affairs officer Amanda Pollock said, but they can confuse other visitors because park staff use cairns to mark trails. The Maine State Parks system discourages hikers from building their own cairns – partly to avoid leading hikers off trail, but also because they believe moving rocks can damage those parks’ habitats and sully other visitors’ experiences in the parks.

Rex Harris, director of planning and acquisition for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, said building cairns in mountainous areas damages habitats that are already vulnerable. “In the alpine .

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