Joshua Tree National Park is excited to announce the Oral History of Rock Climbing in JTNP transcripts are live on the park’s website. They highlight the historical and cultural significance of recreational rock climbing in the park from the mid-1900s to the present day. In other rock-climbing news, the park has reviewed over 4,000 public comments with suggestions on improving the area’s rock-based recreation and has answers to the biggest concerns regarding the laws and policies on fixed anchors in the wilderness.
Climbing Management Plan Scoping Update and Oral History of Rock-Climbing News
By Z107.7 News Assignment Reporter Dr. Elle Weatherup
On March 13th, 2022, Joshua Tree National Park closed its request period for public input on potential management actions to improve the area’s rock-based recreation. A review of over 4,000 comments revealed the laws and policies on fixed anchors in the wilderness are the biggest concern, reflected in 78% of the submissions. The comments ranged from suggesting that all bolts should be removed to arguments more should be added.
An exhaustive review documenting 7,214 individual routes found that 25% of Joshua Tree National Park routes are in the wilderness and are therefore subject to the 1964 Wilderness Act, whereas the other 75% of the routes are not. For the routes that are subject to the Wilderness Act, the policy states that they must not be bolt-intensive sport routes, and that bolts in the wilderness should be rare.
To determine what is bolt-intensive, categories of climbing styles were drafted to define sport climbs, traditional climbs, and any potential combination of the two. These definitions were shared with the public and are still open to suggestions and further alternative definitions.
JTNP responded to some of the respondent’s common questions and concerns. To the question of whether fixed anchors are “installations” under the Wilderness Act, NPS has determined that fixed climbing anchors, including bolts, are “installations” subject to Section 4 (c). Further, respondents asked if they were prohibited once identified as installations. To this, the short answer is “no”: installations, including fixed anchors, are not flatly prohibited under the Wilderness Act. According to Section 4(c), they are allowable if they are “necessary to meet minimum requirements for the administration of the area for the purpose of the Wilderness Act.”
In other rock-climbing news, Joshua Tree National Park is excited to announce that the Oral History of Rock Climbing in JTNP transcripts are LIVE and on the park’s website. The interviews highlight the historical and cultural significance of recreational rock climbing in the park from the mid-1900s to the present day. This research was made possible thanks to a collaboration between the Anthropology Department of the University of California, Riverside, and the National Park Service.
To listen, please click the following link: http://: https://www.nps.gov/jotr/learn/historyculture/climbingoralhistory.htm
