CLOSE THE TOURIST TRAIL!!!

Oh? Do tell...

i think we should close the train tracks, all commerce should stop immediately... in order to protect the falcons.

Oh, and as of this morning, they're confirmed nesting on Big Ledge.

sounds complicated... frickin rocket science,,,

Last time I checked the rangers did not want "anyone" with in 300 feet of the nest.

Big Ledge is one rope length (200 feet) from the trail.

You do the math.....

Let's break down what I said:


We're the only user group which can visit the eyerie on Big Ledge and deliberately get within "close proximity" of a Peregrine which, for my purposes, would be under 30 feet. In short, we're the only user group capable of threatening an eryie by our travel.

Why not do like Smith and just limit usage, instead of an outright closure? Just opening things up to single pitch (200' or less) usage on the south side would be a grand improvment. Many other climbing areas manage similar limited bans, the one at Beacon just seems retardedly broad in its scope.

Other areas have a lot more rock to work with and bigger/multiple faces. Typical buffer zones distances unfortunately cover the entire South face at Beacon. Then there is the issue of a solid history of folks breaking the closure at Beacon which has played badly into any conversation about limited closures. How many folks do you suppose would keep heading up Dods each year once they've done FFA?

proof, i want proof of this. names, i need names.is this documented joseph? how many people broke the closure? what about all the work jimmy opdyke did for beacon and the times he got the rock open early? oh yeah, what did ex ranger steve johnson have to say at your luncheon? do i need to call the ranger station an apologize for climbing during the closures in my passionate liberal state of mind. i was already punished for this mr. healy, so the state is going to punish everyone for me ignoring the closure? sounds like my third grade teacher. the guilty should be punished not everyone else. what a crock of donkey shit. lol!!

Jimmy Rocks

BTW, this may not be helpful but I know of 3 others that *cough* got caught poaching off season * cough.

i know someone who did it lots of times and never got caught...

Don't know if anyone is still following this thread - or if anyone cares anymore, but beacon is "scheduled" to open on the 22nd after 8am... five weeks late! Make that 5 months late WTF?!? The birds have been flying for nearly a month already... F#@king politics!

What birds?

I thought it's because the Fish and Wildlife guy said that he observed that they fledged late this year, ie, they were "crash landing each time as they moved about the rock in hops" this was just as of last week. If you are sure on that, could you contact Dave Anderson and sort him out Kenny?

In the USA, Canada, Germany and Poland, Wildlife services in Peregrine Falcon recovery teams breed the species in captivity.[64] The chicks are usually fed through a chute or with a hand puppet mimicking a Peregrine's head, so they cannot see to imprint on the human trainers.[42] Then, when they are old enough, the rearing box is opened, allowing the bird to train its wings. As the fledgling gets stronger, feeding is reduced forcing the bird to learn to hunt. This procedure is called hacking back to the wild.[65] To release a captive-bred falcon, the bird is placed in a special cage at the top of a tower or cliff ledge for some days or so, allowing it to acclimate itself to its future environment.[65] Worldwide recovery efforts have been remarkably successful.[64] The widespread restriction of DDT use eventually allowed released birds to breed successfully.[42] The Peregrine Falcon was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list on August 25, 1999.[42] The population studies and recovery plan devised by Dr. Richard M. Bond and William Griffee are considered by the Cooper Ornithological Society and the Pergrine Fund to have been critical to the recovery effort for the Peregrine Falcon population in the United States.[66]


Wiki

What is that recovery plan you mention in your post Bone?

Huh?


I think the bold print speaks for itself. Do the rangers even have the legal right to close the rock? I suppose they do.....but WTF????

Even though the peregrine falcon is no longer a federally listed endangered/threatened species, it's still protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 which states, in part:

SEC. 7. [16 U.S.C. 708]
That nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent the several States and Territories from making or enforcing laws or regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of said conventions or of this Act, or from making or enforcing laws or regulations which shall give further protection to migratory birds, their nests, and eggs, if such laws or regulations do not extend the open seasons for such birds beyond the dates approved by the President in accordance with section three of this Act.

Which, of course, is not limited to giving the States the right to protect nests, so if the nest was on Federal land, those management agencies would do the same. I found a .pdf copy online some time ago, I'm sure if you googled it you can too if you want to read the entire act (it's only 4 pages).

beacon rock STATE park....

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. The Act clearly says that STATES have the right to protect nests. A State Park is an agency run by the State, therefore they have the right to protect birds and their nests.