Climbing Advisories and Closures 2024 (Protection of Nesting Birds of Prey)

[Gavin]

Do dry or wet years affect the birds of prey fledgling success numbers?

If it is a really wet year, it could affect fledging success dramatically - in 1998 with all the flooding here, there was complete falcon nest failure (because all of the nests were washed out).

In more moderate years, it is hard to say. There are a lot of factors that can affect raptor nesting productivity. The biggest issue seems to be prey availability. If it is too dry for multiple years, that can lead to less prey available for adults and young... Breeding raptor pairs can just bail on nesting and focus on surviving drought conditions.

For the most part, though, the birds do seem to find ways to nest successfully. We'll see how the weather shapes up this year!

[Runout]

Just to confirm, the following routes are OK:

Cuidado!
Machete Direct
Son of Dawn Wall Pitch 1

From this site, it's not clear that the above routes are open:

http://pinnacles.org/climbing_info/index.html#closures

Thanks

[mynameismud]

take a look at the very first post in this thread.  It is a bit more detailed.

Machete Ridge
Sensitive: The West Face, Bill's Bad Bolts, Bill's Bad Bolts Direct Finish, Rock Around the Clock, Pigeon Crack, Crackophobia, Son of Dawn Wall (2nd pitch and above), Icarus, Daedalus
Okay: Desperado Chuteout, Destiny, Old Original, Derringer, all climbs from Machete Direct to Cuidado!, first pitches of Son of Dawn Wall, Full Throttle, Dos Equis

[Runout]

Climbed West Side yesterday. There are no visible postings about bird closures. Saw one team across they valley on Lava Falls (definitely closed). Is someone here in touch with the NPS? The NPS should have a sign up on the desk where we sign in. The ranger at the reg desk was very much concerned that my NPS pass matched my driver's license. Did not care so much about what I was doing (did not ask about climbing), nor did they mention bird closures. There are also no signs up on the message board at the bathrooms.

[JC w KC redux]

Thank for the heads up. There should be a sign post at the approach trail for Balconies.
If it's not up yet you'll see the metal bracket that holds the post.
Gavin may not have gotten around to get all the posts up yet.
I'll shoot Gavin an email in case he isn't checking in here daily.

Gavin has his email visible if you check the members list - of course that is provided you know he's the birdman.

gavin_emmons@hotmail.com

[Gavin]

Runout -

I work at Pinnacles as a biologist and manage the closures. Feel free to send me an email if you'd like.

In regards to signs, there are closure signs that are up and affixed to metal brackets, at the main access point to Balconies along the Balconies Cliff Trail (near Smiling Simian), and at the top of the access trail to Tilting Terrace. I affixed them for the season on January 19th, so they have been in the ground for over a week. Basically, anyone climbing Lava Falls would have had to walk right by the main sign along the Balconies Cliff Trail.

I do have a bulletin board poster that is current and reflects closures at the bulletin board across from the Juniper Canyon trailhead. Unfortunately there isn't room near the bathrooms for placing another poster at the bulletin board fixture there... The bulletin board leading to the Juniper Canyon trailhead is the best I can do with the existing infrastructure.

I have also given out closure handouts to gyms throughout California to post in the gyms, and I give copies of the handouts to interpretation staff on the east and west sides of the park to disperse to visitors. Some staff are more motivated to do this than others, but I will remind interpreters and visitor use assistants to make use of the handouts.

Finally, I have current lists of closures here on Mud N' Crud, also on the Friends of Pinnacles website, and there is a link on current closure conditions on the official Pinnacles website. (I was a bit late getting that last one updated, but it is current now.)

Beyond that, any help that climbers can provide to enforce closures as a responsible community are greatly appreciated... I do so myself when I am out climbing and hiking in the park, and hopefully other climbers and hikers feel comfortable doing the same. Ultimately it is our collective motivation as stewards of the park that make the advisories/closures work or not, since we have limited NPS staff at the park and can only do so much, So if you see folks in closure areas, please let them know!

Thanks for your concern and support. I'll do what I can to try to push for more handouts and a sign-in sheet for climbers on the west side.

[Brad Young]

Runout -

I work at Pinnacles as a biologist and manage the closures. Feel free to send me an email if you'd like.

In regards to signs, there are closure signs that are up and affixed to metal brackets, at the main access point to Balconies along the Balconies Cliff Trail (near Smiling Simian), and at the top of the access trail to Tilting Terrace. I affixed them for the season on January 19th, so they have been in the ground for over a week. Basically, anyone climbing Lava Falls would have had to walk right by the main sign along the Balconies Cliff Trail.

I do have a bulletin board poster that is current and reflects closures at the bulletin board across from the Juniper Canyon trailhead. Unfortunately there isn't room near the bathrooms for placing another poster at the bulletin board fixture there... The bulletin board leading to the Juniper Canyon trailhead is the best I can do with the existing infrastructure.

I have also given out closure handouts to gyms throughout California to post in the gyms, and I give copies of the handouts to interpretation staff on the east and west sides of the park to disperse to visitors. Some staff are more motivated to do this than others, but I will remind interpreters and visitor use assistants to make use of the handouts.

Finally, I have current lists of closures here on Mud N' Crud, also on the Friends of Pinnacles website, and there is a link on current closure conditions on the official Pinnacles website. (I was a bit late getting that last one updated, but it is current now.)

Beyond that, any help that climbers can provide to enforce closures as a responsible community are greatly appreciated... I do so myself when I am out climbing and hiking in the park, and hopefully other climbers and hikers feel comfortable doing the same. Ultimately it is our collective motivation as stewards of the park that make the advisories/closures work or not, since we have limited NPS staff at the park and can only do so much, So if you see folks in closure areas, please let them know!

Thanks for your concern and support. I'll do what I can to try to push for more handouts and a sign-in sheet for climbers on the west side.

Gavin,

Not to get mushy, but while reading your response, I realized again how lucky the climbing community is to have you as the raptor biologist, and, also, how lucky the park is to have your passion and knowledge working on behalf of the birds.

Glad to know and climb with you.

And piss on the idiots that don't care enough to read.

[Gavin]

Gavin,

Not to get mushy, but while reading your response, I realized again how lucky the climbing community is to have you as the raptor biologist, and, also, how lucky the park is to have your passion and knowledge working on behalf of the birds.

Glad to know and climb with you.

And piss on the idiots that don't care enough to read.

Thanks Brad - I'm feeling the love.

[Runout]

Really glad Pinnacles has the people to help it go the way it did (vs. close the whole park to climbing for 6 months).

Thanks again.

[mungeclimber]

no sign in sheets without a program and agreement on how it is used/stored. There is a long history of a sign in sheet being put out without any thought as to how it is used/retained.

[mungeclimber]

https://vimeo.com/133851245

[F4?]

There is a long history of a sign in sheet being put out

Mungie would know. I kept seeing his sign-in on both the E and W sides.

[Gavin]

Hey gang -

I've updated climbing advisories today.. Check them out.

There is one area with new advisories / closures, and it is significant: the east face of Machete. All routes that make use of the first 4 pitches of Old Original - including Derringer, The Hideout and of course Old Original - are under advisory, due to birds nesting in the area. New advisory signs have been put at the Balconies Cave / Cliff Trail junction and along the Machete access trail near Serpiente de Cascabel to offer reminders to climber / hikers.

On the positive side, note that a lot of other areas are open for the rest of the season, including Citadel / Whitetail Rock, everything on Condor Crag south through Long's Folly, Chaos Crag, Goat Rock, Scout and Beak Peaks, Pinch or Lynch Wall, everything near Salathe's Sliver and Nelson's Needle, and the Yaks. Let me know if you need additional details of what is and isn't open for climbing. I'll update advisory brochures that visitors can pick up in the visitor centers and will update the advisory posters at trailheads as I have time. Thanks!

[NOAL]

That's VERY positive! Thanks Gavin!

[mynameismud]

Thank you for the update!

[F4?]

Chaos Crag

Sport climbing area...

Gavin, are you working tomorrow?

Do I ask for that Bird guy?

[Gavin]

Sport climbing area...

Gavin, are you working tomorrow?

Do I ask for that Bird guy?

I am working tomorrow... I think I'll be out doing wildlife surveys in Marion Canyon, at the north boundary of the park off of North Wilderness Trail.

[clink]

 

On the positive side, note that a lot of other areas are open for the rest of the season, including Goat Rock

 Did you hear that Lars?

[mynameismud]

the not so good news.  I am leaving town for two weeks so I will be missing a few weekends at the Pins.

[Gavin]

Oh yeah, one more thing I should mention. The advisory sign on the way to Scout Peak / Goat Rock is still affixed in the ground. If you are going out to climb in areas that are open - Scout Peak, Goat Rock, etc. - feel free to ignore it. I will keep it there through the season to dissuade general hikers from heading down towards Resurrection Wall from that approach. Thanks!