In the papers I’ve been openly critical of the Ravalli County Off-Road Users Association (RCORUA). Today I commend them for following the environmental review process relative to their ATV play area proposal in the old Darby Lumber Lands (DLL) area–now Bitterroot National Forest (BNF) lands owned by all of us.
RCORUA spent many hours doing fieldwork and made a proposal to the BNF. It’s the unfortunate poison pill in the larger DLL restoration project that’s now undergoing analysis and public comment (extended to 3/16/2015). Their proposal will be damaging to water, elk, and hunting. It’s undeniably counterproductive to restoration efforts.
However, I do support RCORUA’s adherence to process.
It may seem obvious for any user group who wants a significant project or development on our BNF public lands to consult first with agency officials and follow process and existing laws. RCORUA did this–as it should be.
Here in the Bitterroot sustainable, mostly low impact rock climbing has been a rewarding legitimate recreational activity for decades. There are local climbers who’ve climbed responsibly, practicing leave-no-trace techniques and following applicable laws. But what a handful of mostly Missoula sport rock climbers have done in our Bitterroot’s Mill Creek Canyon over the last four years contrasts starkly to the lawful process utilized by the off-roaders, and antithetical to responsible ethics followed by most local climbers. To be clear, these few self-indulgent climbers chose to bypass the BNF, environmental review, public comment, and local property owners, while ignoring wildlife and resources. They unilaterally created an outdoor climbing gym with over 60 densely concentrated bolted routes in a small area of Mill Canyon. These 60+ routes have over 500 power-drilled anchors/bolts, with heavy chains, webbing, ropes. They stored equipment, sometimes for many months, including pick axes, crow bars, wire brushes, sledge hammers, and spray paint—implements counter to public land enjoyment. Additionally, they excavated and constructed stairways and stations with stones, rebar, and chemically treated lumber. They left trash and graffiti.
This was all done without ever consulting Forest officials. They only contacted officials AFTER they were exposed from over-publicizing their prideful exploits in newspapers, radio interviews, blogs, and publications. Not only did they break the climbers’ code to minimize publicity, but their blatant impacts and damage were uncovered by concerned locals who notified officials.
If these five climbers, responsible for 90-95% of the 60-odd routes, had gone to the BNF, they would’ve been told: 1) The area of Mill they targeted is management area “Recommended Wilderness” — managed as Wilderness, which doesn’t allow such heavy-handed “developments.” 2) Trail construction and maintenance, without special permits, especially excavation, use of rebar/lumber, is illegal on Forest lands. 3) Storing equipment over 14 days is illegal.
4) Golden eagles and peregrine falcons make this area home. Incredibly one bolted route goes right by 2 eagle nests. 5) The area is critical mountain goat winter range for a small herd. 6) The steeply sloped approach and crag base are composed of highly erosive, decomposed granite with fragile plant life.
7) There’s inadequate parking and infrastructure for large influxes of climbers — sometimes 40+/day per the climbing “developers.” 8) There are many potential (now realized) impacts on roads and neighbors in the Pinesdale vicinity, and on other users like hunters, hikers, and wildlife watchers.
Another important lesson: An individual, or group, cannot unilaterally create major developments on our public forest. There are reasonable laws, regulations, and process to follow. One can go to the Forest Service and make a proposal, just as RCORUA did. The climbers referenced did none of this before the fact.
So what’s the fallout from the climbers disregard? Significant environmental damage. Laws broken. Unfortunate conflict and tension. Wildlife at risk. Large swaths of ground are devoid of plant life — critical winter goat forage. Local residents get more traffic and dust. Other recreationists are put off or displaced.
The BNF is in a jam. Undoubtedly these individuals’ behavior, and resultant lack of accountability, have set a bad precedent for other users considering their own “projects” and bypassing the process that RCORUA dutifully followed.
The ongoing damage in Mill Canyon needs to stop, then be undone. This is the responsible and ethical thing to do–completely doable—requiring commitment from responsible climbers, BNF officials, neighbors and locals, plus other concerned public forest visitors.
The recent bolting moratorium and raptor closure imposed by Forest officials is a start, but insufficient. Ethical climbers need to dutifully remove the 60-odd damaging routes.
Simply taking the area back to 2009 conditions, before the irresponsible climbers unilaterally and unlawfully developed it, we’d have sustainable climbing for future generations that’s within Recommended Wilderness management guidelines; an area that once again would protect eagles and goats living there; it’d unburden locals living nearby, and allow other recreational users to again enjoy Mill Creek Canyon’s spectacular beauty.
Stanley Schroeder
Hamilton