Fins access threatened by Howe Peak WSA

Please elaborate. I am not able to discern from the above reference, why access to The Fins is threatened by a Wlderness Study Area. I am not doubting you; I am simply asking for more info. Are road closures planned? Are you concerned about prohibition of power drills? What exactly are the issues?
Thanks,
Peter Lenz

Peter, honestly I personally doubt the Fins climbing access is in any real danger. At least not from a WSA or Wilderness designation. There was a thread going around some southern Idaho climbing groups about the issue when someone noticed the Howe Peak area was part of the wilderness evaluation. My response was that Wilderness designation is never going to happen there, especially given current federal politics. And that a WSA can be managed to allow power drills, vehicle access, etc. So everybody should just play nice, and make sure you're on the good side of the land managers. The FB group mentioned someone should post this on MountainProj while the comment period is still open. So I did so, titled Howe Peak Wilderness Evaluation or something similarly benign. Then I joked, "Maybe I should have implemented a clickbait headline... "Fins Access Threatened!", or "Sent My Proj With Hand Jammies!", or "Woot! Eric Sloan Replaced Bolts On Cerro Torre Compressor Route!". Anyway, I recognize the current title isnt super accurate.

No personal criticism intended, but I think that if a pending Wilderness designation does not threaten climbing access, then we should not state that it does so.
 Most Wilderness designations result in protection from mining, logging and industrial exploitation.
 I don’t love the power drill bans, and am currently at odds with the local Chief District Ranger over some graffiti I wish to remove from a Wilderness Area with help from a tiny portable power washer. But...I still support Wilderness Legislation in most cases, and generally am a supporter of the local USFS. We must look at the big picture: Wilderness designation protects vulnerable land from destructive exploitation.
 I urge climbers to support Wilderness Designation in most cases, and to work for common sense approaches which would allow for power drills and other very small motorized hand tools.
Peter Lenz

Wilderness Study designation forbids all fixed anchors. No hand drilling, no power drilling. BLM/USFS doesn't care about rock climbing, but they do care about fixed anchors. The WSA policy is generally more stringent than the Congressional Wilderness designation.

Congressional Wilderness designation allows for hand drilling of fixed anchors.

I just read some info from the Access Fund.
According to what I read, the BLM does not allow any new fixed anchors in Wilderness Study Areas,
but the USFS generally allows hand drilling in the WSA’s. Not what I expected.
Anyone?

Peter Lenz wrote: I just read some info from the Access Fund.
According to what I read, the BLM does not allow any new fixed anchors in Wilderness Study Areas,
but the USFS generally allows hand drilling in the WSA’s. Not what I expected.
Anyone?

That's interesting. I've not seen the WSA guidance from the USFS. Ill see if I can track it down. The BLM definitely forbids fixed anchors.

A good example is Palomas Peak in NM. It is a 200 route limestone sport area in NF Wilderness. Drilling there is fine, but power drills have been confiscated with accompanying fines. Same thing with the Sandias, although not many sport routes there. 

the schmuck wrote: A good example is Palomas Peak in NM. It is a 200 route limestone sport area in NF Wilderness. Drilling there is fine, but power drills have been confiscated with accompanying fines. Same thing with the Sandias, although not many sport routes there. 

There is a big difference between Wilderness, and Wilderness Study Area.