Hyalite Canyon Access

[John Frieh]

Hey all

 

I'm going to guess almost all of you can't or won't drive to Bozeman just for this meeting but if you are headed that way or already out there (Hi BillA ) I would encourage you to attend.

 

Myself or JoJo will be posting updates in this thread... hopefully their will be some opportunity for some of us to get involved without physically driving to Bozeman.

 

Details on the Gallatin National Forest travel plan can be found on montanaice.com. It doesn't look good for ice climbers at this point. I hope you all take a little time to get involved.

 

Hello Ice Climbers,

 

If you are interested in ice climbing and care about access to Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman this is one meeting you do not want to miss. I apologize in advance if I sent this to you twice (I'm not sure who all is on the climber-list for the coalition).

 

In light of the recent decisions regarding the Gallatin National Forest travel plan, the South West Montana Climbers Coalition (SMCC) is holding an open education and planning meeting at SPIRE CLIMBING CENTER in Bozeman Thursday December 21 at 7:00 pm.

 

This meeting is free and open to the public and is highly encouraged that you come and please ask everyone you know interested in climbing to attend.

 

Tom Kalakay, Bill Dockins and I (Joe Josephson) will be giving a brief overview of the realities of the proposed winter access plans for Hyalite and exactly how it directly concerns ice climbers and XC skiers.

 

We will also leave significant time for your input, to answer any questions, and solicit for your help, if needed, in moving forward.

 

The proposed plan has proven to be confusing if not outright obscuring the reality of what it does for winter access.

 

If nothing else, you need to come to this gathering so that all ice climbers understand our options and can be on the same page.

 

Please join the rest of the ice climbing community at SPIRE ROCK GYM this Thursday at 7:00 pm .

 

I can not stress enough just how important your attendance and input will be at this meeting. Please tell all your partners and friends.

 

If you can't make it Thursday, please email me directly with any questions or comments.

 

Regards,

Joe Josephson

 

Spire Climbing Center is located roughly a mile and a half southwest of Montana State University. From I-90 head south on 19th. Just past the intersection at Kagy Blvd. take a right onto Stucky Rd. Head west on Stucky Rd. about 1/4 mile; the gym is located on your left, on the corner of Stucky Rd. and Enterprise Blvd.

 

If the parking lot is full after 5:00 pm, additional parking is available across the street in the RightNow Technologies parking lot.

[John Frieh]

BUMP

 

Please send me a PM or post here the number of times you have climbed in Hyalite. Make sure to include (an estimate is fine) how many days/nights you stayed in Bozeman on each trip and whether or not you own a snowmachine.

 

Bottom line: The Bozeman Chronicle is considering a story that could sway public opinion with respect to the current Gallatin National Forest travel plan.

 

If you climb ice or are thinking about climbing ice some day this affects you.

[John Frieh]

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle will be running a story this Sunday about the proposed Gallatin National Forest travel plan and how, if implemented as currently proposed, will result in lost revenue for the town of Bozeman as ice climbers (i.e. you and I) and other winter sports enthusiasts will choose to climb/play else where as canyon access will no longer be viable.

 

Please take the time to write a letter to the editor supporting this and encouraging the Forrest Service to modify the current proposal.

 

Ask anyone: Hyalite is one of the best ice climbing destinations in North America... it would be a shame to lose access. Even if you don't climb there how would you like to start sharing your area with other displaced ice climbers? Take 5 minutes out of your spray time and write a letter.

 

[klimerdork]

What address would you send a letter to the editor to?

[John Frieh]

You can submit one electronically here: http://bozemandailychronicle.com/webmaster/index.php

 

or good old fashion snail mail here:

 

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle

PO Box 1190

Bozeman, MT 59771

 

Perhaps some of you are thinking "what do I care? I only ice climb in [insert favorite area here]... Hyalite sucks anyways..."

 

I would say consider the fact that if the travel plan does continue as approved then you will most likely be sharing your favorite ice climbing area(s) with all those displaced Hyalite ice climbers next year.

 

Just a thought.

 

5 minutes of your time... all I ask...

 

 

 

 

[Lambone]

Anyone who says "Hyalite sucks" clearly has never swung a tool there.

[TBay]

Hyalite Ice + No Access = SouthFork Climbing Population Surplus =

 

[Hendershot]

This came up in the latest Access Fund newsletter. There is a link to a survey that can easily be completed. The survey will help justify retaining access.

[kurthicks]

more updates. stay involved or lose Hyalite access!

Hello everyone,

 

I'm sure you are all anxious to hear the latest news on the ice climbing community actions regarding the Gallatin National Forest Travel Plan. Quite a lot has been going on behind the scenes but we are still up against the wall and are required to make a formal appeal which is due February 1, 2007.

 

In a nutshell, the Forest indicated to Bill Murdock (County Commissioner & ice climber) they may be willing to reach a discretionary compromise without an appeal as it is in the Supervisor's authority to do so. Encouraged by these overtures, several of us spent many, many hours of coalition building with other user groups and developed a clear and simple plan requiring only minor "tweaks" to the Record of Decision (ROD); one which would have solved most of the concerns ice climbers have over future access to Hyalite Canyon.

 

On January 12th, Bill Dockins, Bill Murdock, Sean Becker (City Commissioner and ice climber) and I along with several representatives of other user groups (BSF & motorized) had a meeting with the most of the Gallatin Forest administration (seven total including Becki Heath) and although they claim to be "listening" and are "very pleased" to see joint efforts between user groups, it is very clear they are happy with, if not proud of, the ROD and will resist any changes tooth and nail.

 

Needless to say, many of us are now fired up.

 

Fortunately, we have also been working on the official appeal process although it now needs to kick into high gear. Immediate concerns are determining who can be appellants, which is something of a frustrating, moving target. That is, what the regulations state versus who the Forest Service claims can be an official appellant is not entirely clear.

 

The Access Fund and The Wilderness Society have been helping Bill sort through the legal and writing processes of the appeal. To my knowledge, several people have already volunteered to be appellants: Peter Aengst, Pat Callis, and Chris Naumann.

 

There are a few more "substantive" comments related to ice climbing access in the final period, but as I said above, there may be additional opportunities to add to the appellant list. If this administrative appeal process does not work then our only option would be litigation along with the huge costs involved (50K or more).

 

A CALL TO ACTION

 

So what can be done right now?

 

JOIN or RENEW NOW

Although the initial appeal process does not require full legal counsel and will not be too expensive, there have been (and will be) some financial costs.

 

Most importantly, an quality appeal will require a certain level of legal research to create the strongest case possible. As the Forest said, "The responsibility is to prove us (the F.S.) wrong. And we don't want to be wrong." They actually said that.

 

Our own, Bill Dockins has been a huge asset volunteering his time and expertise but he can not do it alone and we will need to hire some help.

 

If you are not already a member of the SMCC, please JOIN NOW. If you are a member but haven't sent in a renewal in recent memory, PLEASE RENEW NOW!

 

Additional Information on joining can be found at:

http://www.montanaclimbers.org/memberships.html

 

OR, You can send a check NOW made out to the SMCC to:

PO Box 6762

Bozeman, MT 58771-6762

 

OR, pay with a credit card at:

http://www.firstascentpress.com/buy.html

(I donate all the credit card merchant expenses so the entire membership fee goes to the SMCC)

 

If you want to contribute more than ten bucks on your credit card you can simply enter however many SMCC memberships you want to get mulitples of $10. Don't worry about extra memberships, since the internet credit card service takes care of the processing and after that the whole process is manual handled by myself, Meg Hall and Jim Earl.

 

Also, please join the Access Fund:

Go to: www.accessfund.org

 

Fundraising:

Any additional contributions or fundraising ideas are encouraged.

 

Neva Steward has offered help from the Nova Cafe to sponsor an event. Help with this and any other idea are needed. Anyone interested in helping Neva or spearheading other local fundraising efforts please contact me at joe@firstascentpress.com and I'll forward the information.

 

Ice Climbing Survey:

If you haven't done so already, please fill out the ice climbing survey at www.hyalitecanyon.com. Although we need responses from anyone interested in Hyalite ice climbing, only about 380 people from across Montana have done so.

 

Less than half of the emails sent directly to the SMCC mailing list have responded.

PLEASE, take a few minutes of your time and spread the word.

 

Here is a direct link.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/Users/15554011/Surveys/719923082702/42E381A8-56AC-4028-A8E8-5EA9ED63BF73.asp?U=719923082702&DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK

 

Letters to the Editor:

I would encourage everyone to write a letter to the editor of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (refer to http://bozemandailychronicle.com/webmaster/ for details). No one knows exactly how this might help but a full press in the court of public opinion can't hurt.

 

I can't suggest what to say nor would I suggest you simply rephrase anything else that has been published already (I'm working on getting them all posted). Write from your heart and specific to your own experience and needs. Suggestions on what the Forest Service should do are not needed. Write about how this personally affects you.

 

Letter Writing Campaign:

At some point, we will probably need to launch a letter writing campaign to our state and federal representatives. Anyone willing to spearhead this should contact me.

 

Snowmobile Route:

A few climbers have attempted the alternate snowmobile route and have failed miserably. Jonathan Kempff (the road guy with the Forest Service) said it was assumed the route would need some work to be usable. We need to figure it out. We need someone with a snowmobile willing to work on this. I can loan a GPS unit and digital camera if needed. I also have some maps of the proposed road (or at least what I can figure out so far). Contact me and we can perhaps talk with J. Kempff directly to reference his maps and details (if any).

 

This effort is not to clear the trail and make it passable but rather to document the terrain and suitability for climbers. In other words, if you go, we need complete records - date, names, type of machine, times, observations, anything you can think of.

 

Additional Help:

At the December 21st meeting at Spire and via email since, many people have volunteered to be soldiers. Thank you all. Up until now there have not been many clear-cut action steps. Moving forward, the biggest steps you can do to help right now are the ones listed above and spreading the word to all your local climbing friends and partners. As the February 1st deadline approaches, I am certain many additional tasks will reveal themselves. Please stay posted and active.

 

Thank you all in advance for your time, energy and support.

Please stay posted.

Joe Josephson

http://montanaice.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=748

[Chad_A]

Any news? My browser freaks out when I try posting on montanaice.

 

I'm guessing the access might be in serious trouble (as we know it).

[Bronco]

Looks like the FS will be installing and closing a gate at the dam each winter. This adds about 3 miles of hiking/skiing or SNOWMOBILING to get to the ice. A local climbing organization appealed but was recently denied.

 

Stupid enviros.

 

 

[sill]

I wasn't aware that the FS had made any decisions after the apeal was filed and meeting held in February, except to meet again at a later date. I havn't seen anything updated on the MontanaIce website in a while. It appears that this could get dragged out for quite some time considering the legal avenues that the appellants have.

[smithisheaven]

really a shame if it happens.....

[Argus]

I recieved the following e-mail from Jim Earl with the SMCC last week.

 

Hello SW Montana Climbers,

 

We have all been anxiously waiting for the results of our appeal to the Region 1 Forester concerning the Gallatin Travel Management Plan, and how it affects access to the ice in Hyalite Canyon.

 

As reported in March 21st Bozeman Chronicle, all appeals were denied. Truth be told, this was not unexpected since rarely do the Regional decisions reverse the Supervisor despite the strength of any appeal.

 

However, on March 14th the SMCC met again with the Gallatin Forest supervisors, recreation planner, and engineer to discuss the points of our appeal. Of all 112 appellants, which includes motorized users, green groups, and other recreation user groups, I think we were the only ones granted additional meetings with the Forest Service before the release of the Regional Forester’s decision.

 

At this meeting the Forest Supervisor offered a 4-point proposal that we accepted (also covered in the Chronicle, March 15th):

 

1) The Gallatin Forest has agreed to institute a long-term priority to plow the Hyalite Road beyond the Blackmore Campground, at least to the Chisholm Campground (E. Fork Hyalite Road) area and possibly further. Doing so may require upgrades to the road at some point.

 

2) Work with ice climbers and other groups to determine "standards" for when it would be appropriate to gate the road. This does not mean just changing the date to after Jan. 1, but actively managing and identifying poor driving conditions under which the road could be closed -- and reopened if conditions improved. As a result, some years the road might be closed in January and others it might be March. It also means working to develop a lot of other alternatives, like signage warning drivers about the conditions of the road, public education, and gate designs to name just a few.

 

3) They (the Forest Service) intend to move the "snowmobile alternative" route. Instead of starting at Moser Cr. (near Langhor Campground) and circling around the East side of Hyalite, they will designate a route leaving from Blackmore (the dam) and going around the west side of the Hyalite Reservoir. This is a much more logical and direct route, assuming the plowing reaches Blackmore.

 

4) The Forest Service will hold off implementing the part of the travel plan affecting ice climbers until #2 and #3 above are in place.

 

------

What does this mean for (getting to) the ice climbing in Hyalite?

 

This is a great step in the right direction. The SMCC is very interested in working with the FS and other groups to keep the Hyalite Road as accessible as possible, for as long as possible into the winter. And we're glad to hear that the Forest Service wants to work with us and the other groups to the same end. If the goal of plowing a long way into Hyalite is achieved, all of the recreational user groups will benefit from the increased access.

 

We have agreed to not file for judicial review as long as the good faith conversations and negotiations are moving forward between climbers and the Forest Service on the 4-part proposal. We will not, however, withdraw our appeal prior to an acceptable settlement. We have built a strong administrative record and have reserved the right to petition the federal courts and contest the travel plan should discussions with the Forest Service fail.

 

The short-term solution of public education, signage, and standards for when the road will be closed will take considerable effort, time and money

 

ALonger term ideas we are also pursuing are to elevate Hyalite to National or Public Recreation Area status, perhaps the nation's first for an ice climbing venue, and improving and plowing the road all the way to Grotto Falls Parking Lot. Pursuing this will be costly and time-consuming, but could result in a permanent solution with vastly improved access season long.

 

Thanks for your help and support on the Hyalite Road issue. Lending your voices in the newspaper, to our elected officials, on montanaice.com, and to other climbers and non-climbers are what has made the difference in this campaign. It is not over yet, not by a long shot, but we are through the first crux.

 

Jim Earl

[sill]

This has been an impressive effort by the folks directly and indirectly involved with the appeal. Everyone should be aplauded for their efforts. Its seem like things might be going in the right direction now. At least there is now some sort of discourse established between the SMCC and the FS