From dkemps site-the minutes from the last meeting--(long, but easier to read in this forum--just minutes part of letter if you dont want to download):
I will try my best to be as unbiased as I can as I write this, but it is inevitable that my own opinions will creep in now and then. I tried to include everyone¹s comments that I could remember, but I may have forgotten a few.
As I walked in the door to the meeting room at the Mountaineer¹s Clubhouse just minutes before it started, several Park officials were handing out packets of information about their proposed plan. A sign-up sheet for the attendees listing their names and organizations was there on the table where the Park¹s representatives were greeting folks. As I glanced down the list it seemed that the majority was comprised largely of people associated with different commercial guiding companies. From glancing at the list and from hearing those who spoke up and gave comments, I would estimate that only about 5% of those in attendance were independent climbers that were not there representing a particular organization.
The Park had a half dozen or so representatives there including folks that were involved in analyzing and developing the commercial services plan, the Park Superintendent, the chief climbing ranger, the Park¹s concessions analyst, as well as folks in charge of various wilderness and alpine zones and other services related to the Park. The Park first presented some of their proposed alternative commercial services plans. You can go to www.nps.gov/mora to read and download a copy of this. The Park representatives emphasized that their final decision would not be limited to the four alternatives that they had described exactly as they were presented, but could combine different aspects of these alternatives as well as involve new ideas not included in their proposal.
After the Park¹s initial presentation, there was a short time period for general questions about the Plan. Questions included ³when will this plan take effect?², ³what is the final process after this meeting?², ³who will make the final decision?², ³what is the criteria for deciding if a service is necessary in the Park?², ³what is the criteria for deciding whether the Park should provide the service or whether it should be contracted to a private commercial business?², ³ how much money does the Park collect from Franchise fees and contracts?², ³why is the Plan being reviewed now?², ³if the Plan implemented isn¹t working out very well, is there a mechanism built into the Plan to be able to make any changes?², as well as others. There was a short break and then folks were allowed to split into separate groups relating to specific aspects of the Park¹s plan if they wished, including ³guided climbing², ³guided wilderness use², ³guided alpine wilderness use², and ³additional commercial services² in order to ask specific questions. The topics could range from guided mountaineering, guided mountain circumnavigation, guided backpacking trips, guided bus tours, guided bicycle tours (including the West Side Road), shuttles, towing, and others. Areas covered might include Summer and/or Winter use. Most attendees spent the majority of their time at ³guided climbing². Although I was quite interested in the other areas, I spent my time at guided climbing as well.
Folks were asked to stand up and face the center of the room when they spoke to help insure that everyone in the room could hear what they had to say. Many of the owners and employees of major guide services were present. The ones that I can remember identifying themselves include Rainier Mountaineering Inc, American Alpine Institute, Alpine Ascents International, and International Mountain Guides. I could feel a tremendous amount of nervous tension and/or emotion in the voices of many of those that spoke. It was a very intimidating environment to be in to have to get up in front
of these many icons of the international commercial guiding world as well as these highly ranked officials of Mt Rainier National Park. A summary of the majority of the comments and questions that I can remember that were raised by the attendees of the guided climbing section will now follow.
Many of the folks representing the commercial guide companies were
looking for a larger chunk of the business in the Park. The owner of American Alpine Institute said that this business is worth 3 million dollars a year, and is the largest concession in all of North America. No one debated this. He said that the business on Mt Rainier is worth more than the combined total of all of the other concessions in North America, and that a commercial guiding company only needed a small portion of this business in order to make it a worthwhile and profitable venture. Apparently, the 3 or 4 companies that have contracts to run a couple of trips on the Emmons route each year pull in around $40,000 each and they all feel that this is worth doing.
Someone questioned whether the Park had made any efforts to insure that their plan would allow for commercial businesses that operate in the Park to be profitable. They felt that they Park was setting up the smaller guide services to fail. The Park representatives said that they had hired professional consultants from Pricewaterhouse Coopers that had reviewed the proposed alternatives to make sure that the concessionaires would be able to run successful businesses. They also said that there was no such consideration given to companies who would hold ³commercial use authorization² permits that would need to be renewed on an annual basis as opposed to the companies receiving long term 5-20 year ³concessions² contracts.
Many different folks throughout the night said that they felt that it was safer for folks to go with a commercial guide, that they had a better safety record than independent climbers, and that more guides on Mt Rainier would somehow make the mountain a safer place. Someone asked if the Park had ever done a study on this and if there was any statistics to back this up. Mike Gauthier, the lead climber ranger on Mt Rainier, said that as for as he knew there had not been any studies of this nature done. He also said that from his experience there was no difference in the safety record between these different groups. He had been involved with the rescue of rangers, guides, clients, and independent climbers. He seemed to be saying, that from his perspective, the presence of commercial guides did not necessarily make trips any safer and that there was no scientific evidence at this point to support these statements. The average safety record for different types of groups seemed to be about the same.
A comment was made that the Park should make sure that whatever they decide to do, that it is truly compatible with the Park¹s mission and purpose. They were not sure that the proposed plan would be compatible with this stated purpose. - ³The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.² As well as one of their stated purposes ³To provide for wilderness experiences². Commercial guiding may be incompatible with these missions and purposes. By definition, a wilderness area is a place that is untouched and untrammeled by the commercial and industrial aspects of man and our modern civilization. The beginnings of commercial elements mark the end of Wilderness.
A representative from Rainier Mountaineering Inc went to the front of the room to call into question the numbers that the Park was presenting that related to the potential number of commercially guided clients that the Park¹s alternatives would allow for. He seemed to be saying that they wanted to be able to guide as many as 20,000 people a year on Mt Rainier. Other commercial interests also questioned the Park¹s numbers. Several folks, from both commercial and independent climber interests, seemed to think that more attention needed to be given to how things were handled during the peak of the popular climbing season. There was also concern expressed about how winter use was to be handled in the Park. One person said that guided trips to the higher elevations on Mt Rainier during the winter were not a good idea. He felt that the Park needed to include more about winter commercial use in their plan.
One gentleman commented that he had worked with several community groups over the years and that this type of discussion always came down to ³what are we going to do about water and shit?²
A person who did not appear to be with a business said that she had special needs, she was older and only weighed 105 pounds, could not carry a heavy pack, and needed extra help in order to climb to the summit of Mt Rainier. She wanted to see more done by the commercial guide services to accommodate those people with special needs.
Other folks made similar commentsŠ..saying that they had climbed Mt
Rainier with commercial guide services and wanted to be able to do so again in the future and felt that they would not be able to do so without a commercial guide. A person from the American Lung Association Climb for Clean Air called for more use of shuttles to access the Park in order to cut down on air pollution.
Someone not representing a commercial guide service commented that the nature of the mountains is that they will not allow everyone to go to their summits. Certain people will be physically and mentally capable, and certain people will not. It is my belief that people who enter the mountains, particularly those who choose to pursue mountaineering activities there, must take on a certain level of responsibility for themselves. We cannot hold everyone¹s hand to the summit, we cannot make it wheelchair accessible to the summit, we have to draw the line somewhere. Many of us in attendance had helped and encouraged many folks with different needs and challenges over the years to reach the summit of Mt Rainier.
An independent climber spoke up and said that he had served as a
volunteer instructor for non-profit groups and knew many of the commercial guides there. He said the he liked them, had climbed with many of them, would trust his life to many of themŠ.but, that we (the public) did not owe them a living. He was concerned about the independent climber being squeezed out. He was concerned that current and future proposed policies were slowly turning climbing Mt Rainier into the realm of the wealthy and elite. The message that was being sent was that if you have a lot of money, then you can go wherever and whenever you want. The kid without a lot of money with a dream to climb Mt Rainier was gradually being left behind. He felt that the limits being set by the Park were probably too high. The independent climbers at the meeting who were not associated with any commercial guide services seemed to generally be in agreement on many issues. They wanted to see a limit to commercial guiding in the Park. They
wanted commercial-free zones and times. They felt that the commercial guide services should be restricted to certain areas. One person thought that we should concentrate them on the Muir corridor, and do our best to make this area able to handle this large use and impact. Some were concerned that the Park¹s proposed alternatives did not include enough commercial free zones and times on the standard routes that most people use to access the summit. Some felt that the proposed cap on the number of commercially guided clients was too high and that a lower limit should be set instead.
It was stated that it was unfair to the independent non-guided climbers that the commercial guide services were issued a large number of permits in advance of everyone else. They are also currently allowed to access the public reservation system once it opens up and compete with the rest of the independent climbers for the rest of the permits that are still available. This means that the current potential for guided clients on Rainier is essentially equal to the total amount of permits that are available each season. We should require the individual climbers to obtain the permits themselves; then if they felt the need to have a commercial guide along, they could hire one of the companies approved and permitted by the Park to do so within the requirements and restrictions determined by the Park¹s commercial services plan. This way, the independent climbers would have
equal access to all available climbing permits for all routes and all times. This system would certainly be more equally fair to everyone.
It was pointed out that commercial guiding causes an increase in the use of and in the impact on those areas where they operate.
For myself, it does not feel like much of a ³wilderness experience² when a commercial company is occupying the same camp, trail, route, or area of the mountains that I am visiting. We need to preserve some areas where folks can go and enjoy some solitude, and Mt Rainier should undoubtedly be one of those places.
The comment was made that we need to be very careful about the decisions that are made for Mt Rainier National Park. These decisions will set a precedent for what other Parks, Forests, and Wilderness Areas will be likely to do with the commercial services in those areas. Many independent climbers are concerned about what might be happening soon in other areas such as the North Cascades National Park and the Stuart Range, and that these decisions that are being made for Mt Rainier will have a spillover effect into these and other areas. What about Olympic National Park as well?
It seems that there was a new law passed recently that is requiring all of the National Parks to redefine how they are handling commercial services. Folks should contact these other Parks to find out if a similar decision making process in underway in these areas and to express their opinions and concerns as to the appropriate nature and level of the commercial services such as guided climbing in these areas.
Several individuals suggested that the Park needed to come up with a ³climbing management plan² in addition to the commercial services plan that would address all of the issues surrounding climbing in the Park including those related to both commercially guided clients and guides as well as independent climbers.
Another person felt that anyone with a known history of ³pirate guiding² should not be allowed to obtain any of the future contracts and permits with the Park. He seemed to be calling for a way to get a handle on this so-called ³pirate guiding².
Several folks who seemed to be guides for some of the smaller commercial companies said that increased competition amongst the guide services by allowing more companies to operate in the Park would benefit everyone. They said that the competition would increase the quality, safety, and level of education in the guide services.
Some people were calling for more infrastructure to support the commercial guiding in the Park, others wanted less and were arguing for more independent self-supported groups. Several folks, both from independent climber and commercial interests, called for the group size limit to be lowered in order to lessen the impact on the Park. 6 people or less per group seemed to be the number that they were looking for.
The meeting went over the planned time and there were many more details and issues that could have been discussed further. After the official question and comment period was over, the Park officials stayed around so folks could speak with them one-on-one about their concerns if they wished. They had recorded most of the public comments on giant flip charts so that they would have some sort of documentation of the meeting to take back to the Park.
I spoke with several of the Park officials after the meeting was over. They thanked me for attending and asked me what else they could do to get in touch with more of the independent climbers and backpackers in the general public. The main voice that had been heard so far in the Park management¹s decision and planning process was that of the commercial businesses. They said that they would really like to have more independent people contact them with their input. They seem to want more folks to write in to them in support of limiting commercial guiding in the Park so that they would be able to do so.
Please send in your comments to the Park before the end of the public comment period this November 25th
