Lumpy Ridge additional raptor closures began

As of this week new raptor closure signs are posted.

Supposedly due to so few climbers in 2020 the birds got more comfortable and spread out and built nests on crags that were previously open year round.

New closures as of June 1 include 

The Bookmark

 left book

And most every other formation through July 31

The Book's page on Mtn Proj is out of date.  This is the current closure:

Granite Grantwrote:

As of this week new raptor closure signs are posted.

Supposedly due to so few climbers in 2020 the birds started nesting again in their historical nesting grounds on crags they had previously been displaced from by climbers.

FTFY

Man this sucks.

Evan Gerrywrote:

Supposedly due to so few climbers in 2020 the birds started nesting again in their historical nesting grounds on crags they had previously been displaced from by climbers.

If the US gov’t hadn’t sprayed DDT all over Kingdome Come, a little disturbance here and there from climbers wouldn’t have been a problem. Peregrines have been known to nest on skyscrapers. Birds of prey find nesting spots just fine. 

So wait... What IS open at Lumpy right now? Trying to plan a day out is hard. Argh.

Twin Owls and Rock One opened back up, new signs posted today apparently.

Sorry, I didn't see this until now.

I added Closure Notice pop-ups for The Book, Bookend, Left Book, and Bookmark with a hyperlink to your image above.

Leo Paikwrote:

Sorry, I didn't see this until now.

I added Closure Notice pop-ups for The Book, Bookend, Left Book, and Bookmark with a hyperlink to your image above.

Leo:

I would suggest not linking to a static copy of the NPS closure notice... in case the closures get updated.  Besides, those pages now have dual links to the same info (image below).

It seems like a no-brainer for the NPS to keep closure info on the same URL. That way people could bookmark it on their browsers and climbing-info sites like MP and AF could keep links on their pages. I think an admin should try to contact the NPS web managers; the request would mean a lot more coming from a site like MP with a ton of visits/day.

Evan Gerrywrote:FTFY

Actually, you didn't.

Do you have any credible source that says that raptors have ever nested on the Book Group? I know they haven't in the last 41 years, and they have never been mentioned in any of the descriptions I've read from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Do you have data or are you just making shit up?? (As is usual on MP.)

Secondly, raptors, such as Peregrines and eagles, stake out large areas and will not tolerate another raptor building a nest nearby.  Thus, if there is one raptor nest on Lumpy, it is highly unlikely that there is another, especially one of the same species.  

Further, closing  additional areas in JUNE is absurd.  Raptors nest in February-March and by June the offspring are close to fledging, if they haven't already.   So if the birds were going to "abandon the nest" due to "disturbance" from climbers, as in the press release, they would have done it before now.  And more importantly, raptors protect their nests, they don't just give up.  Have any climbers been attacked by raptors?   You WILL know if you get too close to a nest.  

What has happened in the past, and apparently continues to happen, is that a Park/Forest Service employee sees a protected raptor sitting on a rock or soaring, and because they don't know where the nest is, they close the entire area.   Of course since a Peregrine can travel 1,200 miles in a day (!!) when migrating, flying ten miles on a hunt is no big deal.  So just seeing it perched or soaring doesn't give you any idea of where the nest is.  

And of course they won't tell you where the nest is, ostensibly so you won't go there, but really it's because they don't know where it is, since they might  look silly and have to rescind their closures if they told you that. 

So Evan Gerry, I FTFY.

Philip Magistrowrote:

Twin Owls and Rock One opened back up, new signs posted today apparently.

Is this information online anywhere, or just at the Lumpy parking lot? In any case, this would mean there is at least some effort by rangers to be proactive.

Jonathan Swrote:

Is this information online anywhere, or just at the Lumpy parking lot? In any case, this would mean there is at least some effort by rangers to be proactive.

I think the signs went up before the information was updated on the website.  There wasn't a big announcement or press release that I'm aware of, just an update to the closures page at https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/area_closures.htm.

At the moment, everything's pretty much closed at Lumpy Ridge, The Pear remains open

GeHowrote:

At the moment, everything's pretty much closed at Lumpy Ridge, The Pear remains open

And the Twin Owls/Rock One.  And Crescent Wall.  And a handful of other smaller crags.