In November, the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) both released draft policies that if implemented unchallenged could possibly result in the prohibition of fixed anchors (bolts, pitons, slings) in America’s Wilderness areas.
These proposed policies are a significant threat to recreational climbing in areas such as Yosemite, Rocky Mountain National Park, Joshua Tree, the Wind Rivers, and the Sierra Nevada.
Club members are strongly encouraged to submit personal comments in response to both the NPS and USFS proposals before 30 January 2024 when the comment period ends.
To assist Club members understand the proposed directives, they have been summarized here: Summary of Proposed Wilderness Directives
The Appendix contains additional details of the proposals and information about the regulatory background.
Other Sources of Information
The Access Fund has some pointers here:
https://www.accessfund.org/action-alerts/stop-the-bolt-prohibition
And similar from the American Alpine Club:
https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2023/12/18/action-alert
There are some useful arguments in this 2022 AAC submission on a Climbing Management Plan for Joshua Tree https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2022/3/22/mvzhfd99meyjsx9p53pt0fibprss9f
Further background can be found in this Access Fund podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-56-erik-murdock/id1441364357?i=1000639382019
How to Comment on the USFS Proposal
The full language of the proposed directive can be found at:
https://usfs-public.box.com/s/3q0ctfro41x26x0brajjn0uazt135lux
You can comment online at:
https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=ORMS-3524
The comment period closes 30 January 2024, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Standard Time.
How to Comment on the NPS Proposal
You can find a pdf ‘Draft authorization process for fixed anchors in Wilderness_10-11-23’ describing the proposed NPS directive at
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=132387
This webpage also provides a link to allow you to comment online.
The comment period closes 30 January 2024, 11:59:59 pm Mountain Time.