WICHITA MOUNTAINS CLIMBERS COALITION Exposure WMCC Newsletter Volume 10, Fall/Winter 2011 Dedicated to Protecting the Climbing Resources and Natural Environment of the Wichita Mountains After a long hiatus, the WMCC’s Exposure Newsletter, is relaunched, Table of Contents Fixed Anchor Mgmt...........................8 reconnecting our local climbing Refuge Update....................................1 ABC Update........................................9 community and keeping climbers WMCC History...................................2 In Remembrance...............................10 abreast of news, events, and happenings From the Refuge Manager.................4 Tread Lightly......................................11 in the Wichita Mountains. Within this document you will find links to Events Report......................................5 Perspective.........................................12 additional online resources. We hope Quartz Update....................................6 WMCC Membership........................14 you’ll find this updated issue of Announcements..................................7 Purpose and Board...........................14 Exposure both informative and helpful. continue to be managed as it has, to would continue; replacement of fixed Refuge Update “Alternative C” which completely anchors would be allowed and new fixed eliminates rock climbing. However, the anchors would be very limited. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan “Proposed Alternative,” Alternate B, current review process in place would continue to include the WMCC Advisory The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is Bolting Committee (ABC) for evaluation working on a long-term management with the Refuge making the final plan for the Wichita Mountains Wildlife approval. Refuge. This plan, called a Comprehensive Conservation Plan The Draft CCP was originally slated to (CCP), will serve as a guide for managing arrive in Fall of 2011 but that date appears the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge to have been pushed back a bit. The Final over the next 15 years. CCP is anticipated for Fall 2012. Over the past few years the WMCC The WMCC Board has open Board has been working directly with the communication with Refuge staff Refuge to provide input and resources for Jeremy Collins climbing RA (5.11) on the Crab working on the CCP and will continue to development of a balanced plan that will Eyes in Charons Gardens, Wichita Mountains provide support and feedback Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Andy Chasteen include rock climbing as an accepted and throughout the draft phase. After the manageable public use. draft CCP is released to the the public the WMCC Board will notify it’s membership The most recent update, Planning Update allows rock climbing and includes by email, newsletter and the website to #2 was provided in January 2011. The additional actions. These actions include make all aware. update lists rock climbing under the conducting a study on social and resource category of the all-encompassing category impacts, requirement of on-site At this time the WMCC is supportive of of “Rocksports” and includes rappelling registration of those participating in rock the current process and the actions and bouldering climbing, and limitation of groups to no proposed in Alternative B. Once more than 15 in the Charons Gardens finalized, the CCP will incorporate rock The three proposed “Alternatives” range Wilderness Area. The fixed anchor climbing as an acceptable secondary use from providing “No Action,” which management process already in place within the Refuge. essentially means rock climbing would http://wichitamountains.org P.O. Box 1387, OKC, OK 73101 [email protected] 1 WMCC “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” — John Muir Emergency Summer Closures manager for the Tetlin National Wildlife steps should be taken to insure that Refuge. natural resources were protected. In The Refuge suffered what was likely one many areas around the country, these of the worst summers on record. Extreme WMCC History reviews resulted in the establishment of a heat resulting in a number of heat-related climbing management plan designed to incidents and rescues caused the Refuge During the late1980's and early 1990's, minimize any impacts from climbing to issue an emergency closure of the technical rock climbing was becoming an activity. Often, these plans involved some Charons Gardens Wilderness Area for a increasingly popular recreational activity type of partnership arrangement between number of weeks. The closure continued throughout the United States. Climbing, the climbing community and area land when wildfires engulfed the area. Acres which was once little-known to the managers. The Wichita Mountains of land were scorched including areas on general public and practiced by only a Wildlife Refuge soon became one of many the northeast side of the Refuge and a few thousand dedicated individuals, popular climbing areas in the U.S. to large portion of Charons Gardens. quickly grew to become a mainstream undergo such a process. recreational pursuit enjoyed by hundreds In 1993, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife We appreciate those who were respectful of thousands of people. The majority of Service (USFWS) initiated numerous of the closures. All areas have since been this activity was taking place on public Environmental Assessments at the re-opened to the public. lands managed by the U. S. Forest Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Service, National Park Service, Bureau of (Refuge) for the purposes of determining Land Management, and U. S. Fish and New Refuge Manager whether technical rock climbing and Wildlife Service. Faced with increasing other recreational activities were causing The WMCC would like to welcome Mr. numbers of climbers and growing significant impacts to refuge resources. In Tony Booth as the new Refuge Manager. concerns over the impacts of climbing, the early stages of this process, Mr. Booth transferred to Oklahoma from land managers began comprehensive Tok, Alaska, where he was the refuge reviews of the activity to determine what (continued on next page) 2 Exposure, Vol. 10, Fall/Winter 2011 WMCC a considerable amount of public controversy was created when it was announced that climbing, which had been a compatible use of the refuge since the early 1940's, was to be terminated. In order to meet that threat, hundreds of local climbers from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri formed the Wichita Mountains Access Association (WMAA) to represent the rock climbing community in its efforts to insure that rock climbing was not eliminated as a recreational opportunity at the Refuge. In 1995, following two years of additional reviews, numerous discussions with the WMAA, and considerable input from the Photo by Andy Chasteen public, the Refuge released the Final Environmental with the USFWS on May 6, 1996. Under valuable climbing areas. The property Assessment for Technical Rock Climbing, the terms of that five year agreement, the was immediately donated to the State of and the USFWS issued a Decision Notice WMCC committed to assist the USFWS in Oklahoma as an addition to Quartz and FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT managing rock climbing activity at the Mountain State Park. As a result of the IMPACT (FONSI) for Technical Rock Refuge by providing guidance on critical new park status, the WMCC expanded Climbing. These documents found that climbing issues, organizing volunteer it's mission in 2001 to include protecting climbing could continue as a compatible conservation projects, establishing an Baldy Point's climbing and natural recreational activity at the Refuge, subject Advisory Bolting Committee (ABC), and resources, and to providing assistance to to a few additional regulations and educating the climbing community on Quartz Mountain State Park in managing assistance from local climbers in resource protection. climbing activity and any associated managing the impacts of the activity. To impacts at Quartz. fulfill that requirement, the WMAA Since that time, the WMCC has determined that the climbing community developed a successful working As a result of the outstanding efforts of would best be served by forming a new relationship with USFWS management our members, and thanks to the support non-profit, volunteer climber's and personnel at the Refuge, and has of the climbing community, the Access organization. provided substantial assistance on a Fund, and other volunteers and number of important projects, including: contributors, the WMCC continues to On February 26, 1996, the Executive design and printing of an informational insure that the climbing resources and Committee of the WMAA executed the rock climbing brochure, installation of a natural environment of the Wichita formal Charter of the Wichita Mountains climbing and backcountry bulletin board, Mountains are protected. Climbers Coalition (WMCC). The WMCC development of a fixed anchor was created to represent the interests of application and review process, and rock climbers from Oklahoma, Texas, organization of trash cleanups and major Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri who trail-building efforts. In addition, the frequent the Refuge, and to work directly WMCC has kept the climbing community with the USFWS to protect the rock informed about important conservation climbing resources and natural issues through the organization's website environment of the refuge. and newsletter. As its first official act of business, the In 2001, the WMCC and the Access Fund Board of Directors of