Upper Grand Wall closed for the birds

[fern]

from gripped.com:

 

=========================

Grand Wall Closed Today

The peregrine Falcons who

have previously nested atop

Freeway, are now nesting on

Grand Wall. As of today, (June

12) BC parks is closing the

upper part of the route until

the birds have fledged.

=========================

 

I have heard but cannot confirm:

 

1) That this closure affects only the last few

pitches before Bellygood, and the route can still

be climbed to at least the top of the Sword

and then rapped.

2) The nest is actually somewhere on Humpty Dumpty

3) The closing of the Grand

is balanced by the opening of Freeway and other

climbs in that area.

[thelawgoddess]

too lazy to do my own research right now ... anybody know how long it takes falcons to "fledge"? not that i'm planning a trip all the way up the grand wall anytime soon.

[Jim]

Birds usually fledge about 40-45 days after hatching.

[fern]

in previous years the closures have been lifted around Aug 1st.

[snoboy]

So it's falcon closure time in Squamish again...

 

The closure is from June 15th to July 31.

 

The birds are apparently nesting near last year's site and will affect the following routes on the Chief:

 

-Grand Wall closed above the Sword pitch

-Humpty Dumpty above p3

-Uncle Ben's above p5

-10 Years After above p2

-Up from the Skies above p3

-Zorro's Last Ride above p3

-Under the Gun above p4

 

The Dance Platform and Bellygood Ledge are closed.

 

University Wall is open, however you must exit via the Roman Chimneys.

 

All other routes are open.

 

If you observe any falcon activity, please report it to BC Parks at 604 898 3678 ext 353. If there is enough information to narrow in where the exact nesting site is, it may lead to some of the above routes being opened early.

 

If there are changes to the details I will try and post them here.

[Alasdair]

Jim said:

Birds usually fledge about 40-45 days after hatching.

 

The crows outside my window better fledge early because after 30 days of continuous noise, I am about 5 more days from forcing them to fly from their nest.

[bigwalling]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering when it was going to get closed.

[Dru]

Since the mid-1980?s Peregrine Falcons have been returning to nest in the Dihedrals Area.

 

Climbers have observed a voluntary closure to protect the nesting falcons from disturbance.

 

 

 

Following up on this effort by climbers, BC Parks is now placing restrictions on certain routes.

 

ROUTE CLOSURES ~ June 28 to July 31, 2003

 

Closed Climbs:

 

Clean Corner, Negro Lesbian, Sports Illustrated, Crap Crags, Cloudburst, Slow Dyke, Sea of Tranquility, Illusion, Getting Down on the Brown, Planet Caravan, Warriors of the Wasteland, Western Dihedral (4th pitch and above)

 

 

 

No New Route Activity between Negro Lesbian and Freeway

 

Open Climbs:

 

Arrowroot, Rutabaga, Cleaning the Brain, Sticky Fingers, Deadend Dihedral, Slow Duck, Time Passages, Freeway, Western Dihedral (to top of 3rd pitch)

 

Please report any observations: 604-898-3678 ext # 353.

 

And from CASBC:

 

t appears that the known peregrines at Squamish are nesting this summer somewhere in the area of Crap Crags. Parks hopes to decide by the end of this week what area will be closed this summer, and for how long. CASBC will circulate this news, and post it to the website, as soon as its available. (SEE ABOVE)

 

Until 2002, Squamish's peregrines nested in the Western Dihedrals. In 2002 they moved to the Flats, perhaps due to predation at the nest in 2001. As a result, much of the central part of the Grand Wall was closed until the end of July 2002.

 

Jesse Brown, a Squamish resident, Registered Professional Biologist, and CASBC director, has been observing the Chief for peregrines for the last month or more. In early June he climbed the Grand Wall, but did not see any evidence (bird carcasses etc) that the peregrines were nesting in the Flats. He did see a bird in the Western Dihedrals.

 

Tim Hoskin, the ranger for the park, and Jesse spent today observing the Chief. They saw three peregrines roosting in and around Crap Crags. The birds spent most of the day on a snag at the end of Bellygood Ledge. It appears that the nest is in and around Crap Crags about the same elevation as the roof on Zorro's - the same break that extends over to the Truck Stop on Freeway. (The three sighted may be a nesting pair, and a surviving adolescent bird.)

 

The movement of the nest indicates that the peregrines were "molested" last year - this may include attacks by bald eagles or by rodents/rats, general human disturbance (there's a lot of humans and development and vehicles in and around Squamish, with related impacts), or specific human disturbance i.e. humans in the vicinity of the nest. No one is known to have approached the nest after the closure in mid-June 2002, and it would have been rather difficult to do so clandestinely.

 

There has been some misinformation circulating as to what, if any area, is closed. For now, CASBC asks that climbers avoid the likely nesting area - Crap Crags, Clean Corner and routes nearby - until this summer's closure is finalized. And if you're anywhere in the area, and see something useful, let us know.

 

There are tales of peregrines also nesting somewhere on the north walls. CASBC hopes to circulate information which will help climbers identify peregrines and their nests. This will help in keeping track of the birds at Squamish, as well as any others that may be around southwest B.C., and so aid management decisions.

 

Thanks to Jesse Brown for his work on this matter; if you have seen or do see the peregrines this summer, please contact him with details at (604) 892-5545 or jessebrown@telus.net.

[snoboy]

Dru, thank you for posting this update.

 

I was informeed originally by Tim Hoskin via an intermediate that the closures would be as I posted above. I apoligize to anyone who was inconvenienced by the incorrect info.

[bigwalling]

I always thought Slow Duck and Slow Dyke were the same. Shows how bad my reading skills are. Time to look in the guide. Damn I'm slow

[bigwalling]

Oh wait Slow Duck sounds real crappy and worthless.

 

Is Expect Minor Falcon Delays open? I'm quessing no.

[Dru]

Actually McLane got the names reversed somehow and it stuck. The original Slow Duck is the 5.8 A2 above Dead End Dihedral, and the original; Slow Dyke is the 10a single pitch no pro dyke Peter Croft on sight solo FA'd. If you get that the Slow Dyke is a pun on Slow Duck it actually makes sense. As McLane has it it makes no sense. Oh well.

[bigwalling]

That's one of the reasons I always thought it was the same! I just remember seeing a topo calling that aid route Slow Duck somewhere. Thanks for setting my mind straight!

[snoboy]

Dru said:

Actually McLane got the names reversed somehow and it stuck. The original Slow Duck is the 5.8 A2 above Dead End Dihedral[snip]As McLane has it it makes no sense. Oh well.

 

Yeah, but dru, dontcha know, Elaho's guides were acclaimed as the "best" by many members of this very board...

[Dru]

 

But as long as I keep recommending them I keep getting free ones!

 

Don't worry, I hear www.elaho.ca is gonna enable a "discussion" forum soon race ya for first spray!

[chucK]

I can't decipher this...

 

So is the Grand Wall and/or Bellygood Ledge closed or not?

 

 

[fern]

 

succinct version:

 

ROUTE CLOSURES ~ June 28 to July 31, 2003

 

Closed Climbs:

 

Clean Corner, Negro Lesbian, Sports Illustrated, Crap Crags, Cloudburst, Slow Dyke, Sea of Tranquility, Illusion, Getting Down on the Brown, Planet Caravan,

Warriors of the Wasteland, Western Dihedral (4th pitch and above)

 

 

 

Grand Wall is not on the list. Bellygood is not on the list.

[chucK]

thank you Fern!

[snoboy]

fern said:

Grand Wall is not on the list. Bellygood is not on the list.

 

Signifigantly, neither is Freeway.

[bigwalling]

Nice that Freeway isn't closed. Too bad I can't drag my ass up it. Maybe next year...