Escalante - Cabin Wall closed to climbing

Chad Miller wrote:

Land owner / manager got sick of climbers being disrespectful (trash, speeding, illegal camping)
Land owner / manager said no more climbing. 

Is this speculation or facts?

Cory N wrote:

Does anyone have updates from the AF? I know they are involved. I am wondering if there is any more information on what happened.

When I contacted Access Fund I received a response from Eve Tallmen with the WCCC. She mentioned speeding and illegal camping. The most recent information on westernslopeclimbers.blogsp… is from March 15th. Unless there is more recent information on the Facebook page, it does not appear there is currently a plan for legal action or an attempt to get the BLM or Delta County to obtain this portion of the land through eminent domain.

Invoke eminent domain for a cliff? Out of miles of cliffs?

That's funny.

Buck Rockwell wrote:

When I contacted Access Fund I received a response from Eve Tallmen with the WCCC. She mentioned speeding and illegal camping. The most recent information on westernslopeclimbers.blogsp… is from March 15th. Unless there is more recent information on the Facebook page, it does not appear there is currently a plan for legal action or an attempt to get the BLM or Delta County to obtain this portion of the land through eminent domain.

If you’re lazy here are the minutes: 

Jesse presented a brief history and an update on access to Escalante’s Cabin Wall, which is on ranch-owned private property. He talked about the recently-installed fence with a climber-specific no-trespassing message. Jesse talked about the increased traffic in the canyon and speeding vehicles. Rich suggested climbers were singled out because they present an easy target for the ranchers. Jesse described his conversation with the ranch owner and revealed the owner did not know about the fence and closure but was not surprised the ranch managers had taken that course of action. Jesse suggested the speeding vehicles were a specific concern of the ranch. Jesse reviewed the history of actions WCCC had attempted in the past, including offering to install signage, but he indicated the ranch was not interested. In the past weeks, the rancher had appealed to the sheriff and BLM law enforcement and tickets were issued to speeders and illegal campers. 

The prospect of distributing the newly-printed WCCC leaflets encouraging climbers to drive slowly, respect private property, camp appropriately and more, was discussed.

Matt asked if WCCC should write a letter to the ranch owner. David Jenkins, a climber and official with the BLM, stated he had contacted the state BLM director and the National Parks and Conservation Association about the closure. Paul asked about what the closure is trying to accomplish. Kent recalled the changing nature of the relationship between climbers and the ranch managers over the past 20 years. He said the tone used to be friendly but now there are too many users. He suggested that speeding is the rallying point for the ranch. Kent concluded by giving the example of Joe’s Valley and how climbers can lead by good example as an exemplary user group. Sam stated he had experienced large groups of 30 and more people from institutions from the Front Range. Jesse said that Colorado Mesa University (CMU) sets a good example, training outdoor users to employ Leave No Trace ethics. Dan from the BLM stated that climbers are not well-represented in the 2017 resource management plan; he stated the main uses of the canyon are heritage tourism and picnicking. He said a three to five-year plan for camping management is underway. Dan was asked if he could provide statistics from the sheriff and BLM law enforcement officer regarding the types of tickets issued (speeding, illegal camping, etc.). Jesse asked if signage for the BLM climbing areas would be possible. Eve asked about limits to commercial group size and allowable use and whether there is a climbing management plan. 

Sarah Z wrote:

Sam stated he had experienced large groups of 30 and more people from institutions from the Front Range. 

Sounds like CU Alpine club - definitely not a leave no trace group - every trip is a frat party.  They won’t be regulated by commercial rules, either, it’s just a club.

Sarah Z wrote:

He said the tone used to be friendly but now there are too many users.

This is 21st century climbing in a nutshell.

Cory N wrote:

Is this speculation or facts?

Facts. 

CDub wrote:

This is 21st century climbing in a nutshell.

This is the 21st century in a nutshell. 

Chad Miller wrote:

Facts. 

Thanks Chad! I was looking for the source which was supplied after your comments. I don’t have Facebook so I had no idea about the WCCC having that meeting.

Too bad....Is this just the Cabin Wall?.....should Escalante merely be avoided for the foreseeable future.....been going there for quite a while and have noticed more users, and don't want to piss off the ranchers who own the land any more than they already are....

Just Cabin Wall. 

Cole Green-Smith wrote:

...should Escalante merely be avoided for the foreseeable future? .....been going there for quite a while and have noticed more users, and don't want to piss off the ranchers who own the land any more than they already are....

Though the ranch markets itself as owning the entire canyon they actually own a very small piece. If you want to climb there, on public land, then you should. It's not up to a ranch (that receives significant government subsidies) to decide how many people can use Escalante Canyon. Furthermore, the ranch manager might not be as concerned about traffic on a public road if his cattle were not illegally blocking it (CSR 35-46-105 - law.justia.com/codes/colora… ). Climbers that encounter large numbers of cows on the road between the Gunnison River and the beginning of the BLM land should call the Delta County Sheriff's office non-emergency number (970-874-2000) and report it.

Buck Rockwell wrote:

It's not up to a ranch (that receives significant government subsidies)

Funny how these ranchers / farmers are typically anti-government types when they literally only exist because of government subsidies. 

Grug M wrote:

Funny how these ranchers / farmers are typically anti-government types when they literally only exist because of government subsidies. 

Hands off my land unless the government is giving me land..... mine mine mine, the government gave me this land fair and square.

Jack Crackerson wrote:

The likelihood that those ranchers / Trump'ers care about LNT, stewardship, etc is exceedingly low. Ranching is the literal opposite of all those values. Sure, assumptions assumptions, but let's be realistic that history shows access removal is more often about the owners than the climbing users. Rather than mobilize people to inflame ranchers, maybe we should help the WCCC fight for us. I'll donate for one! 

So.....thats a wicked assumption.  I have extended family with a huge, family homesteaded ranch in Wyoming and they simply do not allow hunting, fishing, climbing, camping on their land. Even for family members. They did host president Bush to fish there once.Only time I am aware of this. The ranch is effectively a huge wildlife preserve on which they run just enough cattle to make a decent living, pay taxes, and be good stewards to the land. 

Shhh Gregory. Don’t bring nuanced views into this discussion. All the dorks here like to speak in black and white absolutes.

Gregory Clay wrote:

So.....thats a wicked assumption.  I have extended family with a huge, family homesteaded ranch in Wyoming and they simply do not allow hunting, fishing, climbing, camping on their land. Even for family members. They did host president Bush to fish there once.Only time I am aware of this. The ranch is effectively a huge wildlife preserve on which they run just enough cattle to make a decent living, pay taxes, and be good stewards to the land. 

Running cattle is the opposite of “being good stewards to the land.”

DWF 3 wrote:

Running cattle is the opposite of “being good stewards to the land.”

How would you know?  

Do you have experience or data to back up your claim?  This is a serious question and not some snarky comment. 

Chad Miller wrote:

How would you know?  

Do you have experience or data to back up your claim?  This is a serious question and not some snarky comment. 

Trad Dad Chad, King of the Western Slope, Sender of 5.5, chiming in again with the big D swinging. He is smarter than all of us so BOW DOWN TO HIS RULE MORTALS. 

Its a simple Google to see how cattle/beef are not a sustainable resource. For a simple example, it takes 1800 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef. 

Chad Miller wrote:

Do you have experience or data to back up your claim?  This is a serious question and not some snarky comment. 

New to the desert west, or just generally clueless?  Those cows turn a fragile and rich ecosystem into a barren moonscape.