A CCESS • C ONSERVATION • A CTIVISM VOL• 40 • 2001 “TUOLUMNE OF THE MIDWEST” PRESERVED ACCESS FUND FINALIZES BALDY POINT ACQUISITION First it was Peshastin Pinnacles, then Rumney, Golden Cliffs, Society turn Crag—all saved by the Access Fund. The April acquisition of Baldy Point made the Access Fund’s effort to preserve one of America’s classic climbing areas a reality. Long known for its outstanding friction climbing and high quality stone, Baldy Point is the “Fort Knox” of granite domes in the Wichita mountain range. Baldy’s south Marion Hutchison face offers possible the highest concentration of high-quali- ty granite routes between the Mississippi River and the Rockies. Routes like S-Wall (5.9) and Last of the Good Guys (5.10a) provide some of the best face climbing in the region. Climbing has been allowed place at Baldy Point for Baldy Point (pictured above) has been preserved for climbing after a series of negotiations spearheaded by the Access Fund, Wichita Climbers’ over 30 years thanks to the open-mindedness of the Ted Coalition, and local volunteers. Baldy Point is the ‘’Fort Knox” of granite and Margaret Johnson domes in the Wichita mountain range. family. Alerted to the possible sale of the area in November in Oklahoma, played a key role during the negotiations and 1999, the Access Fund began a serious effort to acquire was the driving force behind the Baldy Point and transfer it to the Oklahoma Tourism and acquisition. “Marion’s dedication to seeing this unique area Recreation Department to be managed as part of nearby preserved, coupled with his hard work and leadership over Quartz Mountain State Park. The Access Fund, State Park the past year really made this acquisition possible,” said officials, and the property owner completed all the neces- Shawn Tierney, Access Fund acquisitions director. “The sary agreements for the acquisition after months of negotia- climbing community owes him a huge debt of gratitude.” On tions. Local climbers and the Wichita Mountain Climbers behalf of the climbing community, the Access Fund thanks Coalition strongly supported the purchase by raising over the Johnson family for their commitment to preserving this $15,000. area for future generations. See www.wichitamountains.org Marion Hutchison, the Access Fund’s Regional Coordinator for more info. vertical times may 2001 1 OPINIONS FROM THE CLIMBING WORLD AN OBED PERSPECTIVE BY FRANK HARVEY Frank Harvey works as an assistant district attorney in Having climbed in the Obed for over 15 years, I recently Tennessee. He has been climbing for 16 years and prefers attended a focus group meeting along with other climbers, NPS trad routes and ice climbing more recently. He helped personnel, and representatives of the Nature Conservancy, form the East Tennessee Climbers club, and has worked Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, and the National on access issues at Cherokee Bluffs, Black Mountain, Parks and Conservation Association. This meeting followed a and the Obed. scoping meeting and a time period for public comment. But these meetings were preceded by a long history that set The National Park Service is in the process of formulating a the tone for the management plan process. As early as 12 years Climbing Management Plan for the Obed Wild and Scenic River ago, climbers made formal contact with the Park Service, hop- (OWSR), site of world-class sport and trad climbing. In each ing to establish a dialog to deal with any climbing related case where climbing policy for public or private land is formal- problems before they escalated. When parking became an issue ized into rules and regulations. There exists a background of at the popular Clear Creek area, we raised the funds for a grav- climbing history that either begins on a positive basis or el parking lot on private property, courtesy of the landowner. reduces the process to little more than a fancy way of arriving The Park Service provided the heavy machinery for the work at an outright ban on climbing. and the local city of Wartburg donated a culvert for the • continued on page 12 © Harrison Shull/ www.shullphoto.com Harrison Shull/ Looking downstream from the north towards South Clear Creek Canyon, Tennessee, at the Obed Wild and Scenic River Area. 2 vertical times may 2001 GOVERNMENT POLICY PERTAINING TO CLIMBERS D ENALI RESCUE- COST climbers should be required to provide To comment on the Denali rescue cost STUDY proof of medical insurance prior to being recovery study, write: A study now being complet- issued a climbing permit, and whether Denali National Park, Attn. Mike ed by the National Park the current climbing fees at Denali Gauthier, PO Box 588, Talkeetna, AK Service at Denali National should be raised. 99676, or e-mail: [email protected]. Park in Alaska has not The Access Fund objected to the pas- Also, check the Access Fund web site received much attention from sage of this law, authored by Senator (www.accessfund.org) or the Denali climbers – but it should. The study Frank Murkowski (R-AK). Murkowski has National Park Service site been trying to make climbers pay for the could result in new and higher climbing (www.nps.gov/dena/) for updates on fees and mandatory costs to individual costs of their rescues since 1992, when a this issue and advice on how to climbers for rescues. record thirteen climbers lost their lives contact Congress. The considered policy changes would on McKinley and the National Park climber rescues. have a dramatic and devastating effect Service spent $431,000 on rescues and It is official Park Service policy to on the climbing experience and access to body recoveries. undertake, if possible, rescues of visitors climbing areas at Denali. The Access In response to those costs and fatali- in distress. The Access Fund proposes Fund urges its members to respond to the ties, the Park Service made several that if the agency is going to rescue any Park Service and Congress to stop this changes in climbing policy at Denali: the visitors in distress, the NPS should find misguided effort to reduce the costs of park began to charge climbers $150 to alternatives to reduce rescue costs before visitor rescues in the national park sys- attempt Mounts McKinley and Foraker; singling out climber rescues. These meth- tem. climbers were required to register for a ods could include: Last fall Congress passed a law requir- permit at least 60 days prior to their -Reduction or elimination of adminis- ing the Department of the Interior to visit; and the park started an aggressive trative (government) services; study the “suitability and feasibility” of climber education program. -Allowing visitors to sign a “no res- recovering the costs of high altitude res- These changes appear to have made a cue” waiver instead of paying a fee; cues on Mount McKinley (Denali). A final difference. Between 1991 and 1995, the -Terminating the $250,000 annual report to Congress is due by August average number of climber rescues per contract for a special, high-altitude heli- 2001. The study will examine whether year at Denali was sixteen. Since 1995, the average dropped to about 11 major copter at Denali. search and rescue missions per year, with Climbing program costs at Denali an average of two climbing fatalities per (which includes climber rescue costs) year. In 2000, 13 major climber rescues should be compared to the costs of sup- cost the park $73,137. porting other types of recreational uses. In February 2001, the Park Service ini- The Access Fund will actively oppose the tiated the rescue cost recovery study. adoption of new fees, insurance require- The Access Fund responded that we ments, and rescue cost recovery efforts would oppose any policy requiring for climbers until other non-discrimina- climbers to pay for their rescue costs, tory strategies have been tested and unless it applied equally to all park proven ineffective. visitors. The Access Fund does not suggest that U SE F EES OPPOSITION GROWS the costs of rescuing climbers at Denali In recent months several developments and elsewhere are insignificant or should have boosted efforts to end the nation- be ignored. However, it is unfair to wide Fee Demo Program, which allows expect climbers to pay for rescues and federal lands agencies to impose and not expect the same from hikers, swim- raise fees for virtually any use of public Michael Kennedy mers, and boaters. Rescues of these types lands, including parking your car to A rescue like this one above on Denali could of visitors cost the Park Service much watch the sunset. have mandatory costs for climbers if the Denali Rescue-Cost study is approved. more than what the agency spends on • continued on next page vertical times may 2001 3 Policy Update Continued... The Access Fund has opposed the Meanwhile, a bill (HJM 15) has been Recreational Fee Demonstration Program introduced to the Oregon state legisla- SIGN UP FOR THE since Congress passed it in 1996. The ture urging Congress “to abolish the “test” program was given an initial life Northwest Forest Pass portion of the ACCESS FUND span of three years, but it has been Recreation Fee Demonstration Program extended twice since its inception, now and permit the citizens of Oregon to VIRTUAL through 2002. enjoy the national forests… without Out of 155 national forests, 100 now payment of a fee.” The bill appears to be charge some kind of use fee. widely supported. TIMES The Access Fund was a co-founder of At the national level, Congresswoman ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER the Public Access Coalition. Along with Lois Capps (D-CA) has reintroduced a bill organizations such as the Sierra Club, in Congress that would terminate the Fee AND RECEIVE MONTHLY Wild Wilderness and American Demo program and pay for the lost rev- ACCESS NEWS VIA EMAIL Whitewater, we have worked actively to enue by ending government subsidies ! force a thorough and accurate examina- for logging.