Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 9/19/19

Climate Crisis:

--Athletes from Protect Our Winters went to Washington DC last week to talk about how climate change is impacting snow and ice around the world. To watch a video about the trip, click below. To watch testimony by POW founder Jeremy Jones, and athletes Tommy Caldwell and Caroline Gleich, click here.



--CNN is reporting that, "Sweden's tallest mountain has lost its title, and climate change is to blame, as the glacier covering its summit continues to shrink due to rising temperatures, scientists have confirmed. The glacier-covered southern peak of Kebnekaise mountain, located in the far north of the country, now stands at 2,095.6 meters, which is the lowest height ever measured and 1.2 meters below the mountain's ice-free, rocky northern peak at 2096.8 meters." To read more, click here.

--Rock and Ice is going to start covering climate and it's impacts on our community. To read more, click here.

Northwest:

--The American Alpine Institute was heavily featured in an article about women in the guiding industry. Several of our current and former guides were featured. To read the article, click here.

--The National Parks Traveler is reporting that, "a public meeting has been scheduled for early October to discuss a draft plan that aims to help grizzly bears return to the North Cascades of Washington state. The meeting Oct. 7 on the Draft North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement is being hosted by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Meeting participants will have an opportunity, through a lottery system, to provide up to two minutes of oral comment on the record." To read more, click here.

--If you are worried about development in the Shannon Basin near Squamish, this is your chance to have a say. Fill out a survey, here.

Desert Southwest:

--The New York Times is reporting that, "The construction of President Trump’s wall along the southwestern border will significantly damage or completely destroy more than 20 archaeological sites in a natural park in the heart of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, according to a study conducted by the National Park Service." To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--Winds have made the Taboose Fire difficult to deal with. To read updates, check out the Sierra Wave.

--There is some snow in the Sierra.

--KPIX 5 is reporting that, "A Sonora family had a close encounter with a big cat over the weekend when a mountain lion made itself comfortable inside their bathroom after getting trapped in the house Sunday. It happened at a home in Tuolumne County near Yosemite." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Out There Colorado is reporting that, "A man in his early 50’s with a prosthetic leg took a serious fall while climbing the 2nd Flatiron in Boulder’s Chautauqua Park Friday, September 13." To read more, click here.

--The Adventure Journal is reporting on the BLM move. "As Grand Junction, Colorado, gets ready to welcome the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management, dozens of former BLM top officials are speaking out against the move, saying it will deeply wound the agency’s effectiveness." To read more, click here.

--The first snow of the season has hit the high country.

--Conflict between hikers and bikers is brewing on trails near Golden, Colorado. There's a passive aggressive war going on between the user groups. Each side is posting signs to the other side. It's weird. And if history is any guide, it's probably going to result in regulation or closure. To read about it, click here.

--The Wall Street Journal is reporting that, "Six years ago, Utah tourism officials launched a “Mighty 5” marketing campaign to entice more visitors to the state’s spectacular national parks. State officials got more than they bargained for. Frustrated locals are now dealing with the consequences of the explosive growth that followed. The five parks—Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches—have soared to 10.6 million visitors in 2018 from 6.3 million in 2013, a 68% increase that state officials say was due in large part to the advertising. Other factors, they say, included the national economic recovery and social media." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--LEX 18 is reporting that, "An investigation is underway after a climber reportedly died Monday in fall at Red River Gorge in Wolfe County. Officials with the Wolfe County Search and Rescue team said the group received a call about 4:15 p.m. reporting a climber had fallen in Muir Valley near the Rogers community." Our sources indicate that this was due to an unfinished tie-in knot. To read more, click here.

--The New Hampshire Union Leader is reporting that, "Rescuers called in a National Guard helicopter to reach a 20-year-old man who fell 50 feet while climbing on Cannon Cliffs Sunday. Fish and Game officers received an emergency signal about 11:30 a.m. from the cliffs, where the man, who officials did not identify, had fallen, was unconscious and was stuck halfway up the cliff, a news release said." To read more, click here.

--CNN is reporting on a family that survived being stuck on top of a waterfall after they sent a help message in a bottle down the river. "Curtis Whitson has two strangers to thank for his family being alive today. Two brave hikers plucked a lime green bottle from a river and alerted authorities about the SOS message they found inside." To read more, click here.

--Gear Junkie is reporting that, "Two-and-a-half years after his first step on the Pacific Crest Trail, Will ‘Akuna’ Robinson reached the northern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail. And in doing so, he became the first black man to thru-hike the big three. Completing one of hiking’s crown jewels — the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), or Continental Divide Trail (CDT) — stands as a bucket list dream for many outdoor enthusiasts. Finishing all three? Most never even attempt it. But while the Triple Crown of hiking welcomes only the hardiest thru-hikers to its ranks each year, none has been a man of color. Until now." To read more, click here.

--Outside online is reporting on the aftermath of a murder in the Malibu State Park campground last year. "When a father of two was shot through his tent in the Southern California park last year, the murder revealed a mysterious trail of previously unpublicized incidents that had happened nearby—and sparked a $90 million lawsuit." To read more, click here.

--REI is reporting that, "A Department of the Interior plan for keeping U.S. national parks open during the record-long 35-day partial government shutdown earlier this year may have broken the law, furthering disagreements over how to manage access to public lands when the executive and legislative branches fail to approve budgets by their deadlines. A Sept. 5 opinion from the nonpartisan federal watchdog Government Accountability Office (GAO) says Trump administration officials broke the law by diverting funds previously approved by Congress for other uses under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). The law allows parks to collect entrance fees for a dedicated fund to add and enhance the park’s amenities, but per the GAO, the Trump administration stretched its interpretation beyond the limits of the law." To read more, click here.

--SGB Media is reporting that, "America’s outdoor recreation businesses have paid $1.8 billion more in tariffs over the last 11 months (September 2018 to July 2019) compared to the previous period a year ago on affected outdoor products, according to the latest figures from Outdoor Industry Association." To read more, click here.

Camber Outdoors is looking for women in mid-level positions that would like mentors

in the Outdoor Industry.

--SNEWS is reporting that, "Camber Outdoors, the hub for advancing workplace equity in the active-outdoor industries through career opportunities, leadership and entrepreneurship, announces that applications for The Ann Krcik Professional Mentoring Program are now open. Mentees are encouraged to apply before the deadline of October 8, 2019." To read more, click here.

--Dirtbagging is getting harder and harder...

--NBC News is reporting that, "two tourists face criminal charges for taking a dangerously close look at Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park, officials said. The men were photographed last week at the edge of Old Faithful, peering down into the natural wonder — apparently unaware that they could have been seriously burned, or worse, if the boiling hot water had erupted, as it does every hour." To read more, click here.

--The Sierra Club is reporting that, "the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign works to improve options for public transit powered by clean energy that everyone benefits from, as well as changing land use for more transit-friendly communities. Our Outdoors for All campaign works to ensure everyone has access to the healing power of the outdoors, because access to nature is a human right. Together, we’re working to ensure that everyone, not just a privileged few, can access the great outdoors via affordable, accessible transit. That’s why we’re proud to support the bipartisan Transit to Trails Act, introduced in both the Senate and House this week (H.R. 4273 and S. 2467). The Transit to Trails Act would provide block grants for transportation for low-income communities to visit public lands. With this crucial investment, we can expand access to the outdoors for people across the nation and lessen the burden of polluting car trips on our delicate, sacred public lands." To read more, click here.