Beacon

[gabrielle]

Hello all. I appreciate and share your frustrations about the Beacon Rock blanket closure and lack of progress on the climbing management plan. Awhile back, we had tried to organize a "technical advisory committee" that had very active Beacon climbers (it might have been after one of our trail tending parties). Jim, Arnt, Adam, and other passionate climbers were present. Previous park ranger said we had to go through a public process. I was selected as a member of the climbing committee.

 

Randy Kline seems to understand and appreciate our requests for improved access and a better buffer zone during closure. I will post more when I have more time - but feel free to contact me.

 

Thanks. Karen

[pink]

Hello all. I appreciate and share your frustrations about the Beacon Rock blanket closure and lack of progress on the climbing management plan. Awhile back, we had tried to organize a "technical advisory committee" that had very active Beacon climbers (it might have been after one of our trail tending parties). Jim, Arnt, Adam, and other passionate climbers were present. Previous park ranger said we had to go through a public process. I was selected as a member of the climbing committee.

 

Randy Kline seems to understand and appreciate our requests for improved access and a better buffer zone during closure. I will post more when I have more time - but feel free to contact me.

 

Thanks. Karen

 

I think there is some extreme prejudice with the closure, and i didn't realize Adam was an active climber at Beacon

[ivan]

i see adam climbing at beacon pretty damn often actually, but then "what is a beacon rock climber" has always been a bit a meta-physical musing

[pink]

i see adam climbing at beacon pretty damn often actually, but then "what is a beacon rock climber" has always been a bit a meta-physical musing

 

 

oh, i have a different impression....

[mksportn]

OK. So I finally got a list of who is on this committee. Only Bill Coe is a Beacon Rock climber/local. I guess Randy Klein decided who was going to represent Beacon. Jim, myself, Arent and others where left out because we are too emotional. Well....your right about that. IMO this is completely unacceptable to have people representing Beacon Rock who are not locals and climb at Beacon on a regular basis. I am moving towards forming our own committee. Obviously this committee has no power and has not accomplished anything considering the 15 year faze out of the bird closure. There is absolutely no legal precedent keeping the rock closed at this time.

 

Kevin

Did you actually apply to be on the committee? The invite was out there and open for anyone.

I talked to Randy a couple times last year, and I honestly feel like he really does want to help us out. Of course, that's hard for him to do when he hits government AND climber resistance at every turn...Let Bill and the crew do what they were appointed to do. Sure, bring it back up later in the year, but at least give them a freaking chance to do the work. Bill thinks the climbing plan will be up by summer time. I, for one, am for trusting Bill to work with the crew and do a good job representing all of us.

[kevbone]

I did not apply because I knew nothing about it. My understanding of the situation is Dave Anderson is the single road block.

 

 

"Climber resistance at every turn"? Please explain.

[stevetimetravlr]

Kevbone, I'm not sure you climb enough at Beacon anymore to be a local...Honorary Visitor is more like it, so you may have to take a belay test next visit and show your knots. The wine factor is pretty high also, so no beer for you!

I know Adam climbs at Beacon weekly during the season, so I guess he qualifies somewhere up there near Kenny and Ivan.

2 thumbs up for Bill Coe leading the charge. I think Jeff Thomas should have been on the board also, but alas....so us rejects we're in good company.

[JosephH]

Only Bill Coe is a Beacon Rock climber/local.

 

My driving concern all along - but when all you do is shit talk the people and the process this will be the result every single time. Politics and Sales 101 / Politics for idiots.

 

There is absolutely no legal precedent keeping the rock closed at this time.

 

You have an incredibly poor grasp of the word 'legal' for a guy married to a lawyer as long as you've been.

[powderhound]

There is someone from the American alpine club right, another the mazams, seemed reasonable to have those groups have a say.

[LostCamKenny]

Andrew, nothing personal, but when was the last time you climbed at Beacon? It wasn't too long ago, because I know you were in town fairly recently, though I can't quite recall if you climbed. I was disappointed when I heard you were around and I didn't get to climb with you.

 

Regardless, it is my opinion that one is not necessarily "a local for life" simply because of a strong association with the place pre-closure. Once one spends a fair amount of time away, doesn't that make one non-local, at least to some degree? Ask Jim this question and he'll immediately say that a "local" such as yourself is always a local and always allowed to speak for the community, based on your climbing efforts of the past. Moreover, Jim will also insist that there is a set amount of distance one must climb at beacon per month to be considered local. Ask Adam this question and he'll give you the opposing response, centering on working through a process with a cross section of voices that speak for a larger group (Ask JH this question and you'll have to read 14 pages on politics/sales 101 before you even get a straight answer - if you get a straight answer). The point I'm getting at is that the extremes are what are really affecting this issue, and we have very few moderates speaking up (I mean seriously speaking up and getting active) who can agree that a balance is best. This is true in the debate of who is a local, as well as the entire access issue which ridiculously closes the rock - no middle ground, or at least the extremists are the loudest voices. And this is why we've never seen a change in the access policy - because the extremists clash and cancel each other out, leaving a pathetically small moderate group that is nearly voiceless, and certainly powerless, to make any changes in the wake. We need the moderates to start stepping up if we ever want to see any changes.

 

Actions speak much louder than empty bureaucratic statements and promises. Randy Kline may be driving this thing forward with a fresh new set of ideas and plans to suggest, but as long as our extremist friends insist on holding staunchly to their guns we will never climb at beacon in the spring. So far Randy Kline has said a lot of things, and showed us nothing except for the same song and dance - par for this course - but I have faith that the committee can get some changes made, even with Jim and Healey's foul attitudes.

 

So I guess what I really want to know is what qualifies one as a local? I've never climbed El Cap, so does that disqualify me, or does my decade of continuous daily attendance during the majority of the year (not just the open season, but the year!) allow me to slide in there?? And yes, Adam has joined me on close to 50% of the time in the years that he has lived in the area, and that is accounting for only the times he's climbed with me; he gets out with many others too. Btw, Jamie Peterson was a local at beacon way back in the day, around the time of Jim's major sending days, so Bill is not the only "local" if Adam doesn't get the vote as one. Karen, yeah I see her out there periodically but not every week, though in past years I have seen her slightly more frequently.. Ally, well, I know she's climbed beacon at least once, but I haven't seen her out, though she travels frequently to other venues to climb - does that make her an unqualified voice?? And who, honestly, should be making that call??? Just sayin. And as far as the AAC, WCC and AF involvement in the committee, those members are leading by proxy because that is how they must lead, as voices of the much larger climbing community in general. Only two members of that section of the committee have climbed at beacon, but all are good climbers, perfectly capable of representing other climbers.

 

I suppose if I were forced to spell out a definition of a local, it would be one who lives in the area (the greater Portland metro area and the western gorge, just to be clear) and climbs beacon on a regular basis, to mean at least weekly. It's such an arbitrary definition to make, but the human animal likes the definite and this is as definitive as I can make it without purposely offending someone who may consider themselves "local" based on their own criteria.

 

I dunno... The water is just soooo muddy; the forest is too thick to see the trees; the elephant in the middle of the room matches the wallpaper... So many opinions, none of them voiced loudly enough - except the wrong ones.

[Dennis H]

Used too be Local old timer , who really cares were and what you climbed last week . Get Beacon open for the so called locals and the new climbers looking for that first big Trad climb. Great post Kenny !!

Edited February 9, 2016 by Dennis H

[ivan]

the only good true beatard is a dead true beatard

[kevbone]

Only Bill Coe is a Beacon Rock climber/local.

 

My driving concern all along - but when all you do is shit talk the people and the process this will be the result every single time. Politics and Sales 101 / Politics for idiots.

 

There is absolutely no legal precedent keeping the rock closed at this time.

 

You have an incredibly poor grasp of the word 'legal' for a guy married to a lawyer as long as you've been.

 

 

What ever dude. I had a long chat with Randy Kliene today. He basically told me there is absolutely no legal reason to keep the rock closed other than beacon is a protected place for other reason like sensitive moss and so forth. There is one guy who is the director of Washington Fish and Wildlife who makes the call. One guy. He follows the direction of a committee who simply follows the status quo. So we need to reach out to him Directly and educate him. So he makes the right call and brings Beacons bird closures in line with the rest of WA. Which as you know is not in line.

[pink]

Pardon me Negro ;)I'm really not trying to deny Adam of anything... Although i do appreciate his efforts, and your post. All I know, Tupac and Biggy are dead and Beacon has never been the same since.

[pink]

thomas jefferson wouldn't stand for this kinda crap man, eh?

 

hey, don't feel so bad, you weren't the only one who was rejected in his bid to be a Beacon Overlord

 

to be serious, i wouldn't sell bill short - and there were a # of other folks on the list i recall that i had some confidence in too

 

Kevin wasn't selling Bill short negro

[pink]

OK. So I finally got a list of who is on this committee. Only Bill Coe is a Beacon Rock climber/local. I guess Randy Klein decided who was going to represent Beacon. Jim, myself, Arent and others where left out because we are too emotional. Well....your right about that. IMO this is completely unacceptable to have people representing Beacon Rock who are not locals and climb at Beacon on a regular basis. I am moving towards forming our own committee. Obviously this committee has no power and has not accomplished anything considering the 15 year faze out of the bird closure. There is absolutely no legal precedent keeping the rock closed at this time.

 

Kevin

Did you actually apply to be on the committee? The invite was out there and open for anyone.

I talked to Randy a couple times last year, and I honestly feel like he really does want to help us out. Of course, that's hard for him to do when he hits government AND climber resistance at every turn...Let Bill and the crew do what they were appointed to do. Sure, bring it back up later in the year, but at least give them a freaking chance to do the work. Bill thinks the climbing plan will be up by summer time. I, for one, am for trusting Bill to work with the crew and do a good job representing all of us.

 

Kevin isn't questioning Bill... He pointed out that #billsourdude

[pink]

There is someone from the American alpine club right, another the mazams, seemed reasonable to have those groups have a say.

 

Big Government vs. Local Government

[pink]

Only Bill Coe is a Beacon Rock climber/local.

 

My driving concern all along - but when all you do is shit talk the people and the process this will be the result every single time. Politics and Sales 101 / Politics for idiots.

 

There is absolutely no legal precedent keeping the rock closed at this time.

 

Good stuff Kevbone

You have an incredibly poor grasp of the word 'legal' for a guy married to a lawyer as long as you've been.

 

 

What ever dude. I had a long chat with Randy Kliene today. He basically told me there is absolutely no legal reason to keep the rock closed other than beacon is a protected place for other reason like sensitive moss and so forth. There is one guy who is the director of Washington Fish and Wildlife who makes the call. One guy. He follows the direction of a committee who simply follows the status quo. So we need to reach out to him Directly and educate him. So he makes the right call and brings Beacons bird closures in line with the rest of WA. Which as you know is not in line.

 

Good Post Kevbone!

Edited February 11, 2016 by pink

[ivan]

There is someone from the American alpine club right, another the mazams, seemed reasonable to have those groups have a say.

 

Big Government vs. Local Government

do you have words of wisdom to solve this eternal conundrum? both are essential, no?

[pink]

There is someone from the American alpine club right, another the mazams, seemed reasonable to have those groups have a say.

 

Big Government vs. Local Government

do you have words of wisdom to solve this eternal conundrum? both are essential, no?

 

the ratios vary: guess it's what ur into, do you fuck dogs, or do you fuck dead people?

[powderhound]

The AAC and the Mazamas=local government

 

Really?

[pink]

Not Really

[stevetimetravlr]

The Swallow may fly South with the sun. Or the House Martin or the Plummer may seek warmer climes in winter. Yet these are not strangers to our land.

[ivan]

are you suggesting that beatards migrate?

[stevetimetravlr]

The climbers are going to have to be migratory to survive this Beacon closure. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress in this period in history.

Keep stoke alive! Kevbone, pull some strings and get some section of Beacon open.