The Climb Towards Conservation: Identifying and Mitigating the Effects of Outdoor Rock Climbing on Surrounding Ecosystems in Colorado By Chloe Sommer University of Colorado Boulder A thesis submitted to the University of Colorado Boulder in partial fulfillment of the requirements to receive Honors designation in Environmental Studies May 2019 Thesis Advisors: Dale Miller, Environmental Studies, Committee Chair Philip White, University Libraries Lon Abbott, Geological Sciences © 2019 by Chloe Sommer All rights reserved ii Abstract Since the 1960s, rock climbing has become an increasingly important player in America’s recreation landscape. Today, rock climbing is a growing contributor to the nation’s $800+ billion-dollar outdoor recreation industry, and indoor and outdoor climbing are more popular than ever. Historically, rock climbers and other outdoor recreationalists have claimed a correlation between recreation and conservation of public lands. Ample evidence suggests, however, that rock climbing still causes an array of negative impacts to ecosystems. This is the first known study to analyze potential impacts of recreational outdoor rock climbing on a large scale with GIS techniques, overlaying geographic data of outdoor climbing areas in Colorado with government landcover data for the state from 1970 and 2011 as well as public land ownership and designation data. Based on this analysis, around two-thirds of outdoor rock climbs in Colorado are located in evergreen forests or shrub / scrub land as defined by the US Geological Survey. Many historically forested areas frequented by climbers have experienced changes in landcover, converted into developed areas and shrub / scrub land since 1970. Additionally, 89% of climbing areas in Colorado are located on land with preexisting environmental protections: 68% federally regulated, 6% state regulated, and 15% city or county regulated. Using landcover and land use change data, I then propose specific management strategies to be implemented by small-scale local climbing organizations working collaboratively with larger governments to address environmental concerns identified through GIS analysis. iii iv Preface For as long as I can remember, I have felt the inclination to climb. From ascending bookshelves in my childhood home as a toddler, to hiking up mountains hauling gear to climb steep rock faces as a young adult, the sport has always held a special place in my heart. When I moved to Boulder, Colorado and enrolled in university, my view of rock climbing shifted. As an Environmental Studies major, I was constantly looking at the world around me as an interconnected system of interactions between humans and their environment. Anthropogenic disturbance has arguably become the most dominating influence on Earth’s natural environments, and in studying the scope of human influence, I became passionate about conserving the delicately balanced biodiversity around me. Like most outdoor enthusiasts, I assigned a high value to nature as I continued to hike, climb, and explore new terrain. There was a certain thrill in finding sites virtually undisturbed by human influence, in stepping into unknown territory. But after a few years of studying human- environment interactions, I realized that my presence in wilderness reaped negative effects on the very landscapes I loved so much. Moreover, when I mentioned the concept of environmental management in regard to rock climbing, many of my peers responded skeptically and even hostilely. We discussed issues such as seasonal rock closures for raptor nesting, habitat restoration, and cultural events. This led me to discover that some climbers carry a sense of entitlement to access any outdoor locations they may desire, regardless of environmental or social effects. In my 12+ years climbing outdoors, I have observed a preconception among the community that rock climbing has little to no impact on its surrounding environment. This is the idea that I decided to investigate, and the idea that eventually developed into this thesis project. Rock climbing is not particularly well-studied in the world of academia, providing ample opportunity for future research. My hope is that this project becomes a drop in the bucket of scholarly research on outdoor rock climbing, and as the community continues to develop and grow, it does so in a self-aware, environmentally conscious way. Outdoor enthusiasts have gotten to play the role of environmentalists in the past, calling for land to be preserved as public parks rather than opened for resource extraction. But given the rapid growth of outdoor recreation and tourism over the past several decades, even non-extractive activities must be examined and controlled to ensure an ecologically stable future. v Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the ideas and support of many important people in my life. Immense thanks to Ted Sommer: my dad, my first climbing partner, and the source of the idea behind this thesis; and to Jennifer Sommer, for always picking up the phone, and for learning to belay despite the fact that she does not climb. The encouragement of countless friends and family members kept me going throughout the entire research and writing process. Special thanks to Gwen and Tim Kittel, Dani Gurevitch, Miakoda Plude, Katie Mac Slabach, Liam Fisher, and my Environmental Studies honors thesis peers for all of their advice and support. I cannot thank you enough for listening to me talk through my project time and time again. I am indebted to my committee of advisors: Dale Miller, Philip White, and Lon Abbot, whose patience and expertise made the impossible possible. Dale, thank you for believing in my idea, for stepping up as Committee Chair, and for debating grammar with a clearly unqualified undergrad. Phil, you were indispensable to the completion of this project. Thank you for letting me clog your calendar with meetings, and for forgiving every missed deadline. To Nick Wilder of The Mountain Project, thank you for creating an invaluable resource for the climbing community, and thank you for trusting a random undergrad with your metadata. This project stands on the shoulders of the many climbers who have worked, generally unpaid, to balance climbing with conservation in the past. Your efforts inspire responsibility in us future generations. vi “Most climbers are individuals who love freedom—they climb because it makes them feel free. We may expect then, that having others suggest how they ought to climb will rub wrong. There used to be so few climbers that it didn't matter where one drove a piton, there wasn't a worry about demolishing the rock. Now things are different. There are so many of us, and there will be more. A simple equation exists between freedom and numbers: the more people the less freedom. If we are to retain the beauties of the sport, the fine edge, the challenge, we must consider our style of climbing." — Royal Robbins, Basic Rockcraft, 1977. vii viii Table of Contents Abstract...........................................................................................................................................iii Preface .............................................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................................vi Epigraph.........................................................................................................................................vii Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Background......................................................................................................................................5 Recreation Ecology and Rock Climbing..............................................................................7 Vegetation..........................................................................................................................10 Soil.....................................................................................................................................13 Wildlife..............................................................................................................................14 GIS: A Novel Approach to Recreation Ecology................................................................15 Methods..........................................................................................................................................18 Results............................................................................................................................................22 Discussion......................................................................................................................................33 Limitations of Study..........................................................................................................38 Suggestions for Future Study.............................................................................................40 Application.....................................................................................................................................42 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................48 References......................................................................................................................................50