updated climbing advisories raptors

[joe]

from Gavin:

Based on raptor monitoring observations, I wanted to pass on some
important updates... These haven't been made official yet but I wanted
to keep lines of communication open before I move forward with them.

The most pressing matter is that I have confirmed a territorial
prairie falcon pair that is occupying the Discovery Wall area. I
believe this is the first time that a prairie falcon pair has ever
been documented in the area. From what I can tell, the pair is
preparing a cliff cavity site used in past years by ravens and barn
owls. The site is about halfway between Mustache and Melvin.

I know that it is not practical or desirable to try to close most of
Discovery Wall to climbers, and I'm not even considering that. But
what I hope to do is to set up a partial advisory area starting at
Melvin and extending south to Pillbox Crack, and including all the
climbs in between, as well as the section of climber access trail at
the cliff base inclusive of just these climbs. I know that folks enjoy
climbing Racing Stripes and Melvin (including me!), but I think that
this is the smallest closure I can try for that will still give the
birds a chance to nest in the area. All other climbs - Between A Rock
and A Hard Place and north, and Moses Spring Wall and south - would
still be open.

So, I'd be grateful for any support you'd offer in passing the word
along to other climbers, posting the info. on the FOP site, etc. in
hopes of minimizing use and disturbance to the birds. I think it would
be pretty cool to have a falcon pair nesting there, if they can
tolerate hikers and climbers in the general area!

Otherwise, in regards to updated advisories in general: I'm hoping to
have them revised and posted as soon as the falcons start incubating
eggs (i.e. nesting), which looks like it will be in early April or so.
However, there are a few locations I should be able to open up in the
next couple of weeks, barring any very late arrivals of raptor pairs.
These include: Gargoyle, Neglected Valley, Knuckle Ridge, and Citadel.
I'm still not sure about others but will update closure information as
soon as possible.

Thanks for all your continuing support, and please let me know if you
have questions. I'll look forward to seeing at least some of you at
the Rockpile Rendezvous!

Cheers!

Gavin

[F4?]

The birds can have everything from Melvin to the right.

The Santa Cruz contingent might have withdrawls from not being able to do Melvin.

A courtesy sign at the base of Melvin would be great.

[squiddo]

lol, F4 you crack me up. You love Melvin....keep waiting for that little pinch to snap.

[mungeclimber]

I'm all for this if Gavin can make it a documented process.  If the closures are measurably successful and the nesting is successful, then it makes for hard evidence that climbers and raptors and hikers can co-exist in a much smaller space than actually thought.   

So this is good since we already have full or overbroad closures in many forest service areas and many National Parks.

A 'partial' closure as a gateway to more areas being more open rather than shutting down an entire crag as the correct way to approach this.

Once it is official I'll help spread the word.

[Atomizer]

I believe a full closure of the whole Discovery is nessecary for multiple reasons. 

First of all for the raptors that have begun to call this place home.  They deserve to have peace and serenity in this area and all the areas they live in.  A partial closure is not feasible as these animals would soon become habituated to the presence of humans.  Once they get used to us they may lose any fears they have of us.  Soon they will start nesting on other crags that we love and may even try to get our food.  Then they will get addicted to our easy food that is often left unattended at the base of the crags; Nutter Butters, Tuna Sandwiches, Jelly Bellys, Corduroy Pants, and such will all soon become like Heroin for these poor birds.  Once those birds reproduce and teach their young that we are a stupid mediocre species and a reliable source of food it will all go downhill!!  They will inhabit all the good crags and we will have to close all those too for our own safety.

Second, I have a vision of the plant life that will reinhabit the base of Discovery Wall and make it look like more than just a trampled out dirt yard.  A revegetated wonderland.  It would be nice to see some of the scars we have created heal.

Third, We don't actually own this place, we are just visitors.  Sure we are tax payers and pay our way into the parks, but the founding mission of the Service is to preserve these places as they were before we got there as well as provide opportunities for recreation.  A proper balance and compromise must be sought out in this situation.  And a closure could have educational value for the visitors of the park both climbers and non-climbers a like.  Keep us from thinking we are kings of the place, attachment and possession are dangerous.  There are plenty of other rocks to climb or things to do.  Nothing is permanent.

Of course a closure could backfire when birds start nesting everywhere anyway.

[joe]

he's right.  let's just close Discovery Wall and go play on Mud and Crud wall.  I didn't know you left nutter butters in your pack at the base!  catch you when I'm back from sunny fla

[F4?]

All joking aside. A partial closure isn't that bad compared to all of Discovery or the entire Monument. Especially since there are how many weekends left before it gets too hot down there??

Gavin does a good job of balancing the needs of the birds versus access to the crags.

Oddly, I remember seeing the birds flying around twoweekends ago. It was pretty cool to sit atop Discovery and watch them fly around.

[mynameismud]

It is never to hot.

Wow, the closure of part of Discovery Wall is the beginning of the end.  Just goes to prove that The Pins is the Center Of The Universe.

[F4?]

The Pins is the Center Of The Universe.

Small universe.

[mungeclimber]

Atom,

Are you a climber? Just curious. Your post seems to drip of irony, but not entirely certain.

M

I believe a full closure of the whole Discovery is nessecary for multiple reasons. 

First of all for the raptors that have begun to call this place home.  They deserve to have peace and serenity in this area and all the areas they live in.  A partial closure is not feasible as these animals would soon become habituated to the presence of humans.  Once they get used to us they may lose any fears they have of us.  Soon they will start nesting on other crags that we love and may even try to get our food.  Then they will get addicted to our easy food that is often left unattended at the base of the crags; Nutter Butters, Tuna Sandwiches, Jelly Bellys, Corduroy Pants, and such will all soon become like Heroin for these poor birds.  Once those birds reproduce and teach their young that we are a stupid mediocre species and a reliable source of food it will all go downhill!!  They will inhabit all the good crags and we will have to close all those too for our own safety.

Second, I have a vision of the plant life that will reinhabit the base of Discovery Wall and make it look like more than just a trampled out dirt yard.  A revegetated wonderland.  It would be nice to see some of the scars we have created heal.

Third, We don't actually own this place, we are just visitors.  Sure we are tax payers and pay our way into the parks, but the founding mission of the Service is to preserve these places as they were before we got there as well as provide opportunities for recreation.  A proper balance and compromise must be sought out in this situation.  And a closure could have educational value for the visitors of the park both climbers and non-climbers a like.  Keep us from thinking we are kings of the place, attachment and possession are dangerous.  There are plenty of other rocks to climb or things to do.  Nothing is permanent.

Of course a closure could backfire when birds start nesting everywhere anyway.

[MUCCI]

I vote for a "Carhartt Brown" dress code for all who venture onto the milk chocolate wall that is Discovery.  Birds will thank us for blending in! Bonus: No more contact with the dreaded shirtless, pasty, 2% milk runners every weekend!

[mynameismud]

None of those folks at Knuckle Ridge.

[joe]

what is a 2% milk runner?
do I aspire to be one?
is there a membership fee?

[F4?]

None of those folks at Knuckle Ridge.

Only real Pinnacles climbers climb there.

Do you mind if a few anchors with cold shuts were added uptop? Maybe some white tap to mark the key holds???

[MUCCI]

Joe- 2% milk runners are those who rack QD's on the left and belay cards on the right, and they never make it to KNuckle Ridge. 
A hard man like yourself need not dabble in the 2%, Vitamin D all the way.
It costs nothing to join, yet the 2% spoils easily on the obscurities!
You going to the big show the 4th? it would be good to see you hope your doing well.

[joe]

more from gavin:

The FOP listing looks great... I really appreciate the support, and it
would be wonderful if the prairie falcons choose to stay and nest at the
south end of Discovery Wall (especially as the Rockpile Rendezvous
approaches). I put in a work order to our trails crew to get a couple of
advisory signs constructed; I'll put these up between Melvin and Pillbox
Crack to alert climbers and hikers to the limited advisory in the area.

I will wait on updating Bulletin Boards and the PINN web links to advisory
PDFs until I make the overall advisory updates for the park, hopefully
within the next 2-3 weeks. I'll let you all know about advisories to be
lifted in the meantime, as soon as I confirm raptor presence or absence in
a couple remaining areas.

Thanks again for your efforts and communications!

josh,
hardly hard, but thx
not sure about rr, but intrigued by it, sounds like fun.  would mean giving up a valley weekend.

[mungeclimber]

seems official if signs are being made.

[Uncle Stinky]

I am pretty sure we saw and heard that bird, Climbing at Teaching rock we watched a raptor land on the cliff a few times.

[F4?]

I am pretty sure we saw and heard that bird, Climbing at Teaching rock we watched a raptor land on the cliff a few times.

The best is when they land next to you  and give you the stink-eye (we were in an open area).

[joe]

the latest from Gavin:



I wanted to pass on information on updated climbing advisories and the
lifting of certain closures, now that I have confirmed nesting by prairie
falcons. I just updated the FOP website to reflect these changes.

Basically, I haven't added any further closures. The following are some of
the major areas that are now open for use again:

- Frog, Hand, and Snail
- Knuckle Ridge, Outcast, Piedras Bonitas Cliffs
- Resurrection Wall
- Citadel and Whitetail Rock
- Scout Peak (**But see note below)
- Beak Peak, Pinch or Lynch Wall, Nelson's Needle and Salathe's Sliver
- Condor Crags and the FIngers (**Again, see note below)

In regards to the two bullets with notes above, I'd like to keep a couple
of climbs in the Scout Peak area under advisory because they face the Goat
Rock prairie falcon nest fairly visibly. These are Dwarf Pinnacle and Axe
Pinnacle. I will be keeping up the Scout Peak advisory sign to act as a
deterrent for off-trail hikers that might venture towards Goat Rock, but
feel free to ignore it if you are climbing in any areas not under advisory.
As for Condor Crags and the Fingers, climbers should feel free to use them,
but please use common sense and avoid routes on them if condors are perched
on top (as they have been occasionally through the year so far).

In regards to areas still under advisory, I wanted to thank folks again for
their support of the partial advisory at Discovery Wall. The prairie falcon
pair there is nesting and attempting to incubate eggs. I hope they will
continue to stay in the area despite the heavy visitor presence on
weekends!

It may take me a week or two before this information is fully updated in
climbing brochure, on bulletin boards at Pinnacles, and in an official
raptor monitoring update email to PINN employees that I will CC you all on,
but I wanted to pass on this info. to you all ASAP, especially with the
mild weather we're having and the Rockpile Rendezvous coming up. Feel free
to drop me an email if you have questions. Thanks!

Gavin Emmons

P.S. It also may take me a bit of time before I take down the advisory sign
on the access trail around the Reservoir leading to Frog/Hand. If so, feel
free to ignore it if you're heading out that way to climb. Thanks!