LeavClimbRangers

Hello everyone- I would like to introduce myself, and the climbing program on the Wenatchee River Ranger District (WRRD). After following this thread and speaking with several local climbers recently, it seems there is still a need for us to get more information out to the community regarding who we are as well as well as a description of our involvement in the climbing in the Leavenworth area. To start, I would like to describe the origins of the program and how it became funded. The program is funded by a grant received through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). The RCO provides grant funding for the development and maintenance of recreational opportunities throughout the state. Details about the different grant programs and their requirements can be found here: http://www.rco.wa.gov/grants/index.shtml. Funding for grants does expire at the end of two years, although the grant can be applied for again to continue funding. The WRRD did gain support for the climbing program in the form of written, signed letters from numerous organizations including: The Access Fund, American Alpine Club, Washington Climbers Coalition as well as many more. All of these organizations were given the project idea, grant details and what the project would accomplish. After review, these organizations supported the program and provided letters of support that expressed their stake in climbing opportunities and why they felt that this program would benefit the climbing opportunities in the area. As stated above, grant funding does have an expiration date. But it is our hope that by working with the climbing community we can continue the program and preserve the climbing opportunities well beyond the grant funding. Why was the climbing program formed? As many climbers and other recreationists have experienced and begun to express, the climbing on the WRRD has exploded in popularity and amount of use. With such high use numbers, many climbers have expressed concern over increasing use and impacts. Some of these concerns are, but not limited to: excessive social trailing/erosion/soil compaction; impacts to plants and animals; user conflicts; and loss of vegetation. As we have begun to have a presence in the field, we have witnessed many of these concerns first hand. On a trip through Playground Point, we spoke with a duo of climbers forced to climb elsewhere due to an extremely large group of climbers monopolizing the area. On a trip through the Forest Land Boulders, we picked up a large amount of toilet paper and buried many piles of human waste as well as filling a kitchen sized garbage bag with bottles, cans and other garbage left in the area. With this being said we do not at all see all actions as negative. We do recognize that most climbers are a great, conscientious group who does truly care about the land that they use. The majority of our public contacts this season have been extremely positive. Many climbers we have spoken with express excitement for the climbing program and look forward to interacting with us. What are the programs goals? The WRRD would like to develop a program that addresses your concerns, protects the resource and maintain a positive climbing experience. To do this we have begun developing relationships with local, regional and national organizations to develop ideas and plans on how we can address possible issues to prevent them from becoming unmanageably large. Some of the organizations that have expressed an interest and have begun interacting with us are The Access Fund, American Alpine Club and Washington Climbers Coalition as well as several individual climbers. As has been described in this thread, we held a meeting with many of these organization to start building working relationships, address concerns and generate ideas for how to improve several of the popular climbing areas. Most of the organizations did express the same concerns with impacts that I mentioned above. It is apparent that one of the foremost concerns is that additional use restrictions could be implemented in the area. I would like to say that it is not the intent of the program to restrict access or create new user fees. Instead of more restrictions, we have been developing ideas on how we can use positive management techniques and education. Ideas such as installation of toilet facilities at key locations, development of informational signage and bulletin boards, development of a basic access trail signage plan, possible trail projects that can be completed as well as developing open and efficient lines of communication between the climbing community and the climbing rangers/climbing program. Other thoughts discussed were possibly holding gatherings and presentations to create an environment where climbers can interact directly with us and be able to ask questions, discuss concerns and hear from us in a positive manner. This program is still in its infancy and is not at all a finished product. We want to be involved in the community and to hold productive conversations regarding climbing and protection of the area we all love. We encourage climbers to contact us, provide their thoughts and ideas, express concerns and be active in the management of the public land that everyone is entitled to. The rock climbing in the Leavenworth area is world class and a legitimate use of your public land. The lines of communication that have been opened include: A program email address: leavenworthclimbingrangers@gmail.com A Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leavenworth-Climbing-Rangers/617233154965820. The purpose of our Facebook page is not only to be a line of communication but also provide a way for the climbing community to see what climbing rangers are doing, provide current conditions and provide information on current issues that arise concerning the climbing around Leavenworth. The structure of the page and how we are going to present information is still very much in development, so keep checking back for updates and changes! You can also contact me directly at agreenstreet@fs.fed.us and 509-548-2574 Or the program manager Gabe Snider at gsnider@fs.fed.us and 509-548-2556. Adam Greenstreet Lead Climbing Ranger Wenatchee River Ranger District