Boulder Canyon Raptor Closure '17

So does anyone have any insight into the closure this year. I was up in the canyon and was going to go to Happy Hour Crag and the closure sign said that Happy Hour, Riviera, and Bihedral were included in the closure? I was confused because generally these are left open. If they are closed, we saw a lot of cars parked for all of those areas and I want to clear up any confusion so we don't put access at risk for these areas.

Thanks!

Keith W

I think you read it wrong, but thank you very much for respecting the closure and making best efforts to comply:

fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/rec…

"Current Conditions: Seasonal area closures protect nesting birds of prey from February 1 through late July. Happy Hour, Bihedral and Riviera typically remain open. CURRENT CONDITIONS: Eagle Rock, Blob Rock, Bitty Buttress and Security Risk: CLOSED""

Go here for more info on the other closures in the Front Range:
boulderclimbers.org/we-must…

Thanks for clearing that up Tony.

I must have misread the signage. I thought it was weird that they would close them down.

Hopefully this helps others who were confused like me.

Cheers!

Hey Keith,

You are definitely not wrong that the sign said that Bihedral area is closed. Went up on Tuesday (2/21) and the sign was up, but the website doesn't reflect that. We decided best to stick to what the sign reads and let the birds have their space. Probably a precaution or maybe for if it gets closed further down the line.

This is the email notification that I got from the Forest Service Jan. 27.

Reading it again, it's possible something occurred with folks not adhering the the initial closures.

I would recommend calling them in the morning for an update.

I just sent them an email, but a call might be quicker to clarify this situation.

Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Pawnee National Grassland
Boulder Ranger District
2140 Yarmouth Avenue
Boulder, CO 80301

Seasonal closure in Boulder Canyon protects nesting birds of prey
BOULDER, Colo. – To protect nesting golden eagles, the U.S. Forest Service will be implementing annual area closures in Boulder Canyon beginning Feb. 1, 2017. The closures include rock climbing spots at Eagle Rock, Blob Rock, Bitty Buttress and Security Risk in Boulder Canyon. These areas are located along Colorado Highway 119, approximately 1.5 miles east of Boulder Falls.
Effective through July 31, 2017, the closures protect a long-established golden eagle nesting territory. Happy Hour, Bihedral and Riviera will remain open as long as visitors stay out of the closed areas.
“These closures allow the birds to choose a nest site without human disturbance. The chosen site remains closed until the eagles fledge in late July, but we typically reopen other parts of the area earlier,” said wildlife biologist Bev Baker.
The Boulder Ranger District partners with the Boulder Climbing Community and the Access Fund to monitor nesting progress and to inform climbers about the importance of giving the eagles space to raise their young.
Federal and state laws prohibit disturbing any nesting bird of prey. Visitors can help protect wildlife by respecting all closures. Signs will be posted at key access points into the closed areas. Closure information will be available online at local climbing websites and at fs.usda.gov/activity/arp/re….

K. “Reid” Armstrong
Public Affairs Specialist/Community Liaison
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Pawnee National Grassland
p: 303-541-2532
c: 970-222-7607
krarmstrong@fs.fed.us

fs.usda.gov/arp
Caring for the land and serving people

Kevin Lowe wrote:Hey Keith, You are definitely not wrong that the sign said that Bihedral area is closed. Went up on Tuesday (2/21) and the sign was up, but the website doesn't reflect that. We decided best to stick to what the sign reads and let the birds have their space. Probably a precaution or maybe for if it gets closed further down the line.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought the signage was confusing.

Thanks Leo for the further info.

I sent a note to the lead biologist as well, who will know.
When I hear back, I will report here.

Hopefully this settles the worry/concern/lack of clarity.
Bev is in charge of those closures and absolutely knows what they are, and so I take this as a final word on the matter and the signs, if misleading or incorrect will be changed.

Meanwhile, if anybody sees the sign in question, can you take a picture and mail it to me (contact me by the link at my page)?

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On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 9:36 AM, Baker, Beverly -FS wrote:

Tony,

Nothing has changed – Happy Hr and Bihederal remain open. I’m not sure what’s up with the signage, but if it’s confusing we need to fix it. Our maps show Bihederal and Happy Hr NOT closed, so I think it’s the signs.

I haven’t seen the signs in a while, but when we had them made we may have included B & HH in a list of closed areas, and later taped over them with tape that’s the color of the signs. Jared remembers seeing tape on some of the signs, but it’s possible that not all of them got taped.

Assuming this is the issue, we will address it tomorrow or Wednesday depending on snow – we will try to get all our signs taped, up or not, so any that are put up in the future have the 2 areas taped over.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, and I appreciate the diligence of the person who reported it and wanted to do the right thing!

Forest Service Shield
Bev Baker
Wildlife Biologist
Forest Service
Boulder Ranger District

Thanks again Tony.

I should have taken a pic when I was there a few weeks ago. If I can make it up I will snap a pic.

No big deal on the pic. It would have helped the USFS (who reads this when it is pointed out to them) know what they goofed up on (WHich sign, and how). But regardless, they said that they would go fix it in the next 2 days.

The Eagles have chosen the nest on Eagle Rock this year and are incubating there. The USFS has released the following as of Friday:

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U.S. Forest Service to reopen some climbing areas in Boulder Canyon

Boulder, Colo. (March 9, 2017) – This Friday, March 10 the U.S. Forest Service will reopen Blob Rock, Bitty Buttress, and Security Risk climbing areas in Boulder Canyon. The Eagle Rock area remains closed to climbing and other activities and is expected to remain closed through July 31, 2017.

These areas were closed February 1 to protect golden eagles during their nesting season. The areas, approximately 1.5 miles east of Boulder Falls, are located along State Highway 119. Forest Service officials anticipate reinstating these closures annually on February 1 in the future to allow the birds to choose nest sites without being disturbed.

It is against federal and state law to disturb any nesting bird of prey. Visitors can help protect wildlife by respecting all closures and leaving immediately if you should accidentally enter one.

For the most current closure information, check signs in the areas, call the Boulder Ranger District office at 303-541-2500, or visit local climbing websites or fs.usda.gov/recmain/arp/rec… (click on Boulder Canyon for more info).

K. “Reid” Armstrong
Public Affairs Specialist/Community Liaison
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests

BCarver wrote:Thanks for posting Tony

No problem, of course.
You probably know that the USFS can't just come out and post here - but they are making an effort to be climber-friendly at this point and maintain the good will they are getting on cooperation. They have to rely on us (the community) to pass the word on certain channels. That note was sent to me "asap" when it was decided, by way of example. I just happened to be out of town for 4 days, so I didn't get it posted here right away.
Thanks again to everyone who was vigilant/careful to observe the closure.
This is what cooperation looks like.

Yeah, the sign at the bottom of the happy hour trail is kinda confusing. There is a hard sign that clearly says it is closed, along with a few other crags, but under that sign is a laminated piece of paper that says happy hour is open. So I guess, it's ok?

Jessica Hysert wrote:Yeah, the sign at the bottom of the happy hour trail is kinda confusing. There is a hard sign that clearly says it is closed, along with a few other crags, but under that sign is a laminated piece of paper that says happy hour is open. So I guess, it's ok?

Bev said that there were 2-3 signs that the nut on the back broke away from and they had a problem getting down and are trying to remove... I saw that note Monday PM after they went to take them down on Mondya, but lacked the tools to get a few down.
Everything BUT Eagle Rock is open as of last Friday, and the Eagles are indeed incubating on THAT nest, so thanks in advance for keeping things smooth between the climbers, birds, and Forest Service by avoiding that particular cliff.

Just to confirm, Eagle Rock is CLOSED at this point. Please be aware that it can result in Federal charges and can require an appearance before a Federal magistrate to violate this closure.