Access Issues, in General

[mattp]

Over the weekend, I attended a workshop presented by Access Fund staff members and attended by local climbing activists from northern California to Vancouver, BC. The group included some climbers relatively new to the sport and others with over thirty years' active involvement. There were boulderers and mountaineers (small "m"), some who prefer "trad climbing," and others who might be thought more in the "sport" camp. We didn't agree on everything that was discussed, but it was great to interact with a group of folks dedicated to working on access issues, land manager relations, environmental issues, and other related concerns.

 

One thing I found particularly useful was a discussion of current and recent issues in the areas represented by those present. In some cases, the best responses to these issues are obvious; in others not. However, many climbers seem unaware that some of these are even issues of significant concern. Among other things, we discussed current situations involving the following issues:

 

1. Development issues, such as a subdivision/golf course that swallowed up a climbing area near Bend and the proposed Squamish tram.

 

2. Road decommissioning is a common practice after logging operations are completed on British Columbia crown lands, and often a ready solution where police problems and other management issues cause a road to become a nuisance from the land managers' point of view on this side of the border.

 

3. Tribal lands and cultural conflicts, including the use of sacred sites and such public relations issues as the naming of climbs in a manner that may be offensive for cultural reasons.

 

4. Bouldering impacts can be more concentrated and are often more closely adjacent to other user group activities than other types of climbing.

 

5. Dogs cause a variety of problems at a wide variety of climbing areas.

 

6. Wilderness bolting and violations of other rules including permit requirements or fire regulations or raptor closures raise problems on public lands.

 

7. Trespassing and ignoring land-owner concerns cause problems on private lands.

 

8. Climber vs climber conflicts often prevent discussion and coordinated treatment of a wide variety of issues.

 

One idea that I found quite interesting was that local climbers concerned with raptor closures can help address these issues with a volunteer monitoring program that may help the land managers to more accurately tailor raptor closures to actual nesting habits. At least in one instance, climbers were able to obtain less restrictive closures by promoting and contributing to a program that protected nesting sites during nesting season.

 

An idea that permeated the discussion is that we, as climbers, need to be more "proactive" in building relationships within our own community and with land managers or land owners before crises develop, and in participating in ongoing management and planning discussions. This is not just double-speak or the fad of the day.

 

You don't have to sign up for several years' of work to get involved. Check out Freeman's Peshastin Pinnacles project, posted in another thread. Kudos to those who participated at Mt. Eerie recently. Think about setting up your own project at your favorit crag.

 

For Seattle area climbers, there is an ongoing planning process in the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River valley where we believe our interests have been underrepresented. In the Okanogan, Wenatchee, and Colville National Forests, there is a new recreation management plan under way.

 

Check out the Washington Climbers Coalition or other local groups and get involved!

Edited October 18, 2004 by mattp

[Alex]

I for one am personally interested in these issues, but have a hard time finding information on meetings like you describe; they don't seem to be well-published; maybe I am just looking in the wrong places? I think one immediate thing "we" could all do to improve the flow of information about access issues is to agree on some way to publish access-oriented meeting announcements somewhere. It could be on the Access Fund site, here, or anywhere...just *somewhere* discoverable.

[mattp]

You are right, Alex. The Access Fund sends out periodic "access alerts" and announcements of various meetings or work projects or discussion of issues requiring public responses appear on this site once in a while. In many cases, we don't even find out about meetings or planning projects until after they have taken place or concluded. It would be great if somebody could take on the task of trying to compile an ongoing calendar or spearhead a program of soliciting climber participation. You want the job?

[Dave_Schuldt]

Nice post. The link doesn't work.

[b-rock]

Nice post. The link doesn't work.

http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/

[mattp]

Sorry. I initially set the link to washoingtonclimbers. It's fixed now. You wanna be our official cc.com hyperlink tester?