Please Comment on NPS/NF Bolt Ban!!

OK, is it an outright bolt ban? Sorta, kinda, in the wilderness, yes. Everywhere? Not quite. But, I think we should all speak up against this. It is going to impact all climbers (think it will stop at wilderness? I don't).

Access Fund has a great page allowing you to easily comment on the proposed changes (see separate thread for devolving discussion).

https://www.accessfund.org/action-alerts/stop-the-bolt-prohibition

AF Email Pasted Below:

Take Action: Speak up now to protect sustainable Wilderness climbing.

 Hi [climber],

The National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) just released draft policies that would prohibit fixed anchors—bolts, pitons, and slings—in America’s Wilderness areas. We can improve these proposals, but we need to act quickly.

Please take 5 minutes to write to NPS and the USFS. We’ve analyzed the proposals, broken down what we’re saying on our website, and made the process as easy as possible. Sharing your personal experience with these agencies will make a big difference.

Speak Up Now

These new proposals would apply to both new and existing anchors—hindering Wilderness exploration, threatening the existence of longstanding established routes, and obstructing climbers’ ability to replace antiquated, unsafe bolts. This is a huge blow to climbers that not only threatens America’s climbing legacy but puts the safety of our community at risk.

Please take 5 minutes to write to NPS and the USFS through their respective portals, using our guidance and/or your own experiences climbing.

Thanks for speaking up

Hasn't this been hashed out already?

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/125346419/public-comment-on-wilderness-area-fixed-hardware

It's been hashed out - but we need TONS of climbers to comment, and a 227 post thread may seem intimidating (or may have been overlooked), so a new thread is not uncalled for.

FrankPSwrote:

Hasn't this been hashed out already?

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/125346419/public-comment-on-wilderness-area-fixed-hardware

Ongoing debate and discussion is great. Just starting this thread to make it easy to comment. I can't think of anything more important as a US climber at the moment. 

These current plans will most certainly have a bigger impact than just NPS/USFS land if we as climbers do not speak up. Submitting a comment to both proposals is the most important thing you can do as a climber. If you are reading this PLEASE follow the link above to comment, it only takes a few minutes!

As one of the latest instigators in the other thread, I'm here to say that passionate climbers should comment. If you have the time, come up with your own comment. Reiterating the Access Fund's position might not be the best. 

Thanks for posting

I agree bolt placements can and should be debated amongst climbers. It is exactly for this reason - the introspective and self critical nature of the climbing community - why these decisions should not be made by bureaucrats, but by local climbing communities, engaged with local land managers.

I hope we can put aside granular differences in opinion and see that we need to get together on this one. A unified front of concerned voices will keep the door open for the community to have these discussions.

Get those comments in. 

J Ewrote:

As one of the latest instigators in the other thread, I'm here to say that passionate climbers should comment. If you have the time, come up with your own comment.

If you have time to climb, you have the time 

Ryan Kwrote:

I agree bolt placements can and should be debated amongst climbers. It is exactly for this reason - the introspective and self critical nature of the climbing community - why these decisions should not be made by bureaucrats, but by local climbing communities, engaged with local land managers.

I hope we can put aside granular differences in opinion and see that we need to get together on this one. A unified front of concerned voices will keep the door open for the community to have these discussions.

This right here. Currently fixed anchors are an allowable use and the climbing community is open to regulation and having that conversation within as well as with local land management. Under the proposal fixed anchors are considered an installation and effectively banned unless given permission after review. As climbers we don't want to start from a position that fixed anchors are banned.

It's great to see all of the interest in these proposals! If you'd like to learn more, join Access Fund, the American Alpine Club, and professional climber Nina Williams this evening at 5pm MT for a policy-focused webinar. We'll break down our analysis of these proposals and answer questions from the community. Registration is free, but you do have to sign up to join: https://www.accessfund.org/events-calendar/stop-the-bolt-prohibition-webinar