I will admit, my initial reaction to the monolith was amusement and joy. I am married to an artist, after all.
However, the installation brought damaging people-pressure to the area, and a vigilante group jumped in. link.
It's easy to forget WHY people build/destroy things in the BWCA and be judgmental about it. It's a part of human nature, I guess, to find amusement in modifying one's surroundings in artistic ways. I'll try to remember that next time my blood boils at somebody's structure in the BWCA. But maybe we need to also form a BWCA LNT Vigilante group... who's in?

scotttimm: "But maybe we need to also form a BWCA LNT Vigilante group... "

Most LNT violations in the BWCA are not so easily reversed sadly. Sure I'll kick-down cairns that are not official trail/landing markers, but there isn't much to be done about destroyed trees, soaps in the water, eroded shorelines, and sprawling soil compaction. Like any good tripper I pick-up all the garbage I see, and if there is a tree cut down (by humans) or unprocessed wood left laying around, I'll process the wood and either burn it or leave it neatly stacked to dry for future visitors to burn-up. Beyond that, all we can do, and what we *should* be making efforts to do already, is educate everyone on why LNT is important and how so many common abuses are so harmful for the wilderness so that people are less likely to abuse the wilderness.

mschi772: "

scotttimm: "But maybe we need to also form a BWCA LNT Vigilante group... "

Most LNT violations in the BWCA are not so easily reversed sadly. Sure I'll kick-down cairns that are not official trail/landing markers, but there isn't much to be done about destroyed trees, soaps in the water, eroded shorelines, and sprawling soil compaction. Like any good tripper I pick-up all the garbage I see, and if there is a tree cut down (by humans) or unprocessed wood left laying around, I'll process the wood and either burn it or leave it neatly stacked to dry for future visitors to burn-up. Beyond that, all we can do, and what we *should* be making efforts to do already, is educate everyone on why LNT is important and how so many common abuses are so harmful for the wilderness so that people are less likely to abuse the wilderness."

My suggestion to form a vigilante group was made in jest...but I HAVE thought that a good, creative ad campaign would perhaps help...

I'm thinking about a letter to all who drew a permit.
Go over the LNT violations. Remind them to be more respectful of the land.
Explain that violations will not be tolerated. Future privileges will be in jeopardy if you are caught.
Any violation will result in 3 year ban on permits.
Folks. It's not that hard to take out what you took in.
I have never felt the need to chop a live tree down.
I'm serious, for every ticket there needs to be some sort of privilege suspension that comes with it

I'm for whatever works!

My "other" passion in life is mountain biking. We're dealing with a similar scenario when it comes to people poaching around the twin cities right now (poaching = riding on trails that have been marked closed).

This time of year we are in the freeze/thaw cycle. The ground freezes overnight, then the temps get at or above freezing with lots of sunlight during the day, softening the trail surface. The repetition of this cycle makes the trails very vulnerable to damage. People come tearing through and wear deep ruts or boot prints into the soft surface, then the ruts freeze and become a problem for months to come. The only solution to this problem is to leave the trails alone during this cycle until the ground can truly freeze, but every single trail system in the area has been having issues with folks who think the rules don't apply to them. These are not one-timer, ignorant, innocent riders. The only people out riding in these conditions are people who are pretty dedicated to the sport, and yet they're too selfish and self-absorbed to ride pavement for a while until things freeze.

I know this isn't exactly a parallel to LNT, but it's the same pervasive mindset that seems to negatively impact many of the things I care about -- from hunters taking game out of season, to anglers keeping fish over the limit, to trippers cutting down trees, to bikers damaging trails. It's a lack of awareness, lack of respect for resources, and lack of consideration for others.

All that, combined with a lack of enforcement of the rules, or meaningless "consequences," makes for a lot of frustration. The only solution is for people to stop sucking. I for one am not holding my breath.

I thought the Monolith was a fantastic appearance... until I read the link in the original post. The article made me recall a vandal named Casey Nocket who painted graffiti on rocks across several national parks. I remember being outraged toward her. Probably should feel the same about the monolith.