Building of makeshift Inukshuks causing severe habitat loss

Nature
Monday, 04 January 2010
It's a roadside sign that says anything but welcome to many species. And, unfortunately, the coming of the Vancouver Winter Olympics will likely only accelerate interest in building more. Canadians are well familiar with Inukshuks. The symbol is so popular that it has become a cornerstone of the Vancouver Winter Olympics branding. But there's also a problem with Inukshuks. Drive along any major highway in Canada running through rock terrain and you can't miss this blight on the landscape: the makeshift ones. On some rocky outcroppings, you can see dozens at a time crowded together. They're everywhere these days. These are crudely made Inukshuks, most seemingly ready to topple over at the slightest wind, are usually built by motorists who stopped, maybe to pee, or take a break. Many obviously decided to pass the time by destroying habitat. Huh? Destroying habitat? "I thought they were simply doing a friendly gesture by creating a symbol to welcome others?" you might ask. Wrong. There's nothing friendly about it, especially if you're a salamander who has called that rock home for the past year. Destroying habitat is exactly what building makeshift Inukshuks does: it involves removing rocks from their natural state and repositioning them to create art (we use the term 'art' rather loosely. Have you seen some of the designs?). Every rock in a forest represents a key component of an ecosystem -- beneath each piece of granite or whatever type of rock is usually habitat for amphibians, reptiles and insects. When a person removes a rock, they have unwittingly created habitat loss. Keeping that in perspective, you can see how the tens of thousands upon thousands of roadside Inukshuks have caused substantial habitat loss across Canada. The next time you stop your car on the side of a major highway, don't build an Inukshuk. Instead, dismantle at least one Inukshuk and place the rocks back where they belong: in the forest. You'll be helping to rehabiltate habitat, one rock at a time. Gregg McLachlan is a conservationist, communications consultant and the founder of WorkCabin.ca. He's also determined to dismantle multiple Inukshuks on his way up north on Ontario's Highway 400 this spring. Tag it: