A special delivery to the Washington Island Police Department a few weeks ago is a reminder of the impact you might have without knowing it.

A family mailed back rocks taken from Schoolhouse Beach on a recent vacation, the first of many times police officers have received a package filled with rocks.

In 2021, former Washington Island Police Chief Tyler McGrane told the Door County Daily News that taking rocks from Schoolhouse Beach carried a $250 fine per town ordinance. The rules for removing rocks, minerals, and other fossil materials do not stop with local law enforcement. State statute says no person may remove more than five pounds of rocks, minerals, or fossils per day and no more than 50 pounds per year from state lands without the proper permits. There are also ecological reasons why you should not even move rocks.

According to the Wisconsin DNR, moving rocks can expose insects, plants, and animals to their homes and make them more vulnerable to predators. Moving embedded rocks can also lead to erosion as they help to keep soils in place and help areas drain excess water effectively. The DNR also discourages rock stacking for similar reasons, in addition to being a potential safety hazard. In 2016, the subject of rock cairns at Cave Point County Park reached the committee level because of the sheer number of them that were piling up. The committee eventually dropped the issue without taking action.