Is it 'kind' to leave a painted rock behind? Ontario Parks says 'no'

Ontario Parks officials areasking visitors to choose wildness over kindnessby leaving so-called "kindness rocks" out of protected areas.

The viral trend is spreading to provincial parks, with people leaving behind hand-painted rocks to surprise other visitors.While the stones are meant to uplift others, Ontario Parksis reminding peoplethat paint is a plastic coating, issuing a plea on Instagram.

"It's something that we've noticed an increase of in a number of parks this year in particular and we do understand the incentive behind it is is spreading kindness," said Tania Berker, a spokesperson for Ontario Parks told CBC News, who thinks the increase may be because of the pandemic and people wanting to spread cheer to others.

"There is a connection between doing art in parks but our priority is maintaining the ecological integrity of our parks,so we are asking that individuals do refrain from collecting and painting rocks within our parks. They are able to bring their own rocks and paint them on their campsites or when they visit. But it would be great if people could take those rocks back home with them."

While some artists do choose eco-friendly paints, rangers aren't able to tell those paints from others.Also, even responsibly-painted rocks can inspire imitators that use regular paint.

Could detract from wild beauty

"Many paints are plastic-based, so even though it is a relatively small amount of plastic, it is something that we do ask people not to add more to the ecosystem," Berker said.

This might seem small compared to climate change and litter, but rocks are eventually ground to dust that cycles through the food chain.

"The sheer number of them means that they often are not found by our park rangers and they stay out for quite a long time," she said.

The rocks, while pretty to some, are also a form of visual pollution to others.

"Many people do appreciate seeing these rocks and we completely understand that. But not everyone goes to parks for the same reason. There are a large number of people who do come to parks looking for that sense of wildness and looking for fewer examples of human handiwork," Berker said.

"Even rocks are really important in a natural ecosystem, which is why everything living and non-living is protected within a park."