More Bird Closures

[Lambone]

Do you guys understand that the possible closure being discussed is not about Perigrine falcons or any endagered bird? It is to protect "Golden Eagles and Prarie Falcons as well as other cliff nesting species.".

 

Got any of those in Washington?

 

The proposals and maps can be found here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/cleveland/projects/projects/seasonal-closures/index.shtml

 

Also, Perigrine closures you are talking about have a 300ft raduis. This closure has a 1/2 mile radius.

 

There is a big difference in existing closures around the United States and the one being proposed.

[JosephH]

A biologist told me that peregrines are everywhere now and the population is booming. Perhaps we should readdress some of the closures due to the number of pergrines being threatened. Midnight Rock in Leavenworth comes to mind. With the closure, you only have about a 6 week season for the crag to send anything hard. July, August, and Sept. are to hot. We only rock climb on about .001% of the steep clifs in the state of Washington.

 

At about roughly 1.5 chicks per nesting pair, "booming" would be descriptively over the top, but the North American recovery program has been having steady successes. The results from the first nationwide monitoring effort to measure the peregrine falcon's recovery in 2006 put the number of nesting pairs in North America at 3,005. This includes estimates of 400 pairs in Canada, 170 pairs in Mexico, approximately 1,000 pairs in Alaska, and the rest (1,435 pairs) distributed among 40 of the lower 48 states. For example, last year in Ohio, 18 nesting pairs of peregrine falcons resulted in the successful hatching and fledging of a record 57 young falcons (with an anticipated loss rate of 65% in the first year).

 

This is a fairly typical recovery chart (not from Ohio); note that a lot of chicks doesn't necessarily translate into a lot of nesting pairs due to a fairly high natural mortality rate of young birds (Great Horned Owls, Coyotes, cars, etc.). And also be aware the stability of the overall population is more a function of adult mortality (we lost a female this year on rte. 14 just west of Beacon) and that the number of nesting pairs and successful nests rises only incrementally regardless of the number of chicks:

 

 

The estimated historic North American numbers are approximately 4-4,500 pairs so we are roughly 3/4's of the way there and there will be three more post-delisting surveys in 2009, 2012, and 2015. At some point along that time line it is possible some state protections will be lifted - but, even that doesn't necessarily mean individual historic nest sites won't still be protected under some form of state and federal laws or rules. That's because each known-productive, historic [anchor] nest site (like Beacon, Midnight, etc.) only serves a single nesting pair, are a one shot deal each year, and are key in the overall recovery effort. It would be different if sites hosted multiple pairs, but that's just not how they are.

 

Keep in mind this historic recovery is one of the iconic successes of the overall environmental movement from the '70s and has been hard fought for thirty years by small groups of dedicated individuals who will have forty years into it before they are done. This is their legacy and is not all that different than our collective forty year legacy of routes on El Cap or elsewhere. And we are not talking pigeon-like numbers here, these are still relatively spartan numbers due to the size of the ranges of individual pairs. We should very much appreciate what has been accomplished by this dedicated group of folks. These are the fastest, burliest birds alive and fellow cliff-dwellers - if we can't share the vertical realm with them it says volumes about how consumptive, self-centered, and jaded we've become.

 

Anyway, these are the best facts available, and as far as I'm concerned, Beacon wouldn't be Beacon - or half as alive - without the Peregrines (or the trains)...

 

[ And Kevin and Andrew, I agree with many of your comments about the trail and its impact, but that's another story altogether and more one of political and legal realities than of targeting climbers per se as 'scapegoats'. Take it as you will, but I just don't agree that closures are bogus in the context of the overall recovery and sustaining requirements. As you said, Beacon is unique, but unfortunately easily accessible and has a long, convoluted, and storied history stretching back before Lewis and Clark. Far better it were obscure, buried in the forest somewhere and a trek to get to - but then it wouldn't be Beacon. ]

 

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Here's some recovery history and stats from the late '90s that contributed to the Federal ESA delisting...

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ALASKA: Surveys conducted between 1966 and 1998 along the upper Yukon River demonstrated increases in the number of occupied nesting territories from a low of 11 known pairs in 1973 to 46 pairs in 1998. Similarly, along the upper Tanana River, the number of occupied nesting territories increased from 2 in 1975 to 33 in 1998. The recovery objective of 28 occupied nesting territories in the two study areas was first achieved in 1988, with 23 nesting territories on the Yukon River and 12 on the Tanana River.

 

PACIFIC STATES: By 1976, no American peregrine falcons were found at 14 historical nest sites in Washington. Oregon had also lost most of its peregrine falcons and only 1 or 2 pairs remained on the California coast. Surveys conducted from 1991 to 1998 indicated a steadily increasing number of American peregrine falcon pairs breeding in Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. Known pairs in Washington increased from 17 to 45 and in Oregon from 23 to 51. The number of American peregrine falcons in California increased from an estimated low of 5 to 10 breeding pairs in the early 1970s to a minimum of 167 occupied sites in 1998. The increase in California was concurrent with the restriction of DDT and included the release of over 750 American peregrine falcons through 1997.

 

ROCKY MOUNTAINS/SOUTHWEST: The Rocky Mountain/Southwest population of the American peregrine falcon has made a profound comeback since the late 1970s when surveys showed no occupied nest sites in Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming and only a few pairs in Colorado, New Mexico, and the Colorado Plateau, including parts of southern Utah and Arizona. Surveys conducted from 1991 through 1998 indicated that the number of American peregrine falcon pairs in the Rocky Mountain/Southwest area has steadily increased. In 1991, there were 367 known pairs; in 1998 the number of pairs increased to 535.

 

EASTERN STATES: The eastern peregrine population has a unique history and complex status under the Act. Peregrine falcons were extirpated in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada by the mid-1960s. Releases of young captive bred peregrines have reestablished populations throughout much of their former range in the east. In 1998, there were a total of 193 pairs counted in five designated eastern State recovery units. The number of territorial pairs recorded in the eastern peregrine falcon recovery area increased an average of 10% annually between 1992 and 1998. Equally important, the productivity of these pairs during the same 7-year period averaged 1.5 young per pair, demonstrating sustained successful nesting.

[kevbone]

Do you guys understand that the possible closure being discussed is not about Perigrine falcons or any endagered bird? It is to protect "Golden Eagles and Prarie Falcons as well as other cliff nesting species.".

 

Sorry fellow bone, got at little side tracked from your original discussion. Just that there is a VERY sensitive bird closure at our local crag and some of us are REAL sensitive about it. Any time some one mentions "bird closures” I feel I need to bring up Beacon, maybe just to vent, maybe to let others know of the hypocrisy happing out there. Either way sorry, looks like there are two discussions going on here. (Like most threads on cc.com).

[pink]

For the record... I would never climb in an area closed for birds. Mostly because I agree with bird closures.

 

Me too, I support ANY environmental closure. It's kind of a nice karmic heads up and a trade for having access to so many non "challenged" areas. Just like the Devils Tower June climbing ban "for native religous beliefs", I think its a reasonable deal in this day and age. If you disagree, please send me a PM and I will tell you you are an asshole.

 

i think it was alasdair that you agree with that said to ignore the rules. so i'm confused, you agree with an asshole.

[area51]

So when does beacon close to climbing?

[JosephH]

The South and West faces of Beacon are closed February 1st - July 15.

 

The climber's Trail down to the South face is closed as well.

 

The East face is closed permanently.

 

The NW face is open.

[kevbone]

.

 

The climber's Trail down to the South face is closed as well.

 

 

Thats new.....when did the decide to do that?