rockymountainboy

Here's a notice about some upcoming public hearings. Also there are addresses for e-mail or snail mail at the bottom of this message, if you want to send your comments. STAND UP FOR PUGET SOUND ORCAS Demand Bush Administration Provide Full Protection to Imperiled Orcas In a great victory for science, conservation, and killer whales, the Center for Biological Diversity successfully campaigned to gain Endangered Species Act protections for the Southern Resident killer whales, an endangered orca population that spends much of its time in the waters of Puget Sound, Washington. Now we need you to stand up and speak out for killer whales at public hearings in Seattle and Friday Harbor, Washington to demand full protection for orcas and for a strong Endangered Species Act. The Southern Residents are currently proposed for Endangered Species Act listing. However, the Bush Administration ignored its scientists and proposed protecting the killer whales as a "threatened," rather than an "endangered" species. Under the law, a "threatened" designation gives the Bush Administration wide latitude to exempt activities that harm whales from these hard-won protections. The administration also failed to propose protecting the Southern Residents' habitat all together. The Endangered Species Act is our Nation's strongest safety net for wildlife on the brink of extinction. For recovery programs to work, resource managers need access to all the tools of the trade. Listing the Southern Residents as "endangered" and designating Puget Sound as "critical habitat" for the Southern Resident killer whales will give managers the tools they need to recover the whales. It is our shared responsibility to protect these whales for future generations. You can hold the Administration accountable by standing up for a strong Endangered Species Act and speaking out for an "endangered" listing and critical habitat designation at Public hearings in February. The meetings are from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. The first is on February 17 at the Seattle Aquarium, Pier 59 at 1483 Alaskan Way. The second is on February 28 in Friday Harbor, Washington (San Juan Islands) at the Friday Harbor Labs, 620 University Road. We'll see you there! You may also submit written comments to: Chief, Protected Resources Division 525 NE Oregon St., Suite 500 Portland, OR 97232-2737. You may also E-mail comments to SRKWstatus.nwr@noaa.gov. Thank you! For more information, contact Brent Plater at bplater@biologicaldiversity.org.

I bought a rope last year that came with a little card that said Marks-a-lot brand markers were safe.

Thanks for all of the information. It sounds like their rock climbing class is presented as all-or-nothing. In my case, I've worked as a ski patroller, am certified as an EMT, WEC, etc., so the first aid stuff would be a bunch of review-- time I could better put to use on other aspects of climbing. Has anyone had experience with another group that offers a better class? Maybe one with a focus on teaching "the next step" to someone such as myself, who has plenty of experience scrambling around the Colorado mountains, but has rarely used a rope for anything more than the occasional top-rope? Again, thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

Hey, just moved from Colorado-- most of my climbing has consisted of class 3 & 4 solo trips and some steep snow couloir stuff (also solo), with most of my roped climbing consisting of setting top-ropes for my daughter-- and The Mountaineers seemed like a good group to introduce me to Washington. BUT... there seems to be a pretty strong lack of respect for them on many of the posts on this site. What's up? Any input about this group? Any better ideas? Thanks for any information...