Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 5/25/2023

Northwest:

--560 KPQ is reporting on the atrocity that is the Leavenworth Adventure Park: "It won't be long before Leavenworth Adventure Park and Washington State's first alpine coaster opens for guests. The park has announced June 1st will be the park's grand opening and that guests will pay for attractions only, no admission fee." Long fought by local climbers and guides, this new park sits at the intersection of Icicle and Tumwater Canyons. To read more, click here.

--The Squamish Access Society is looking for info on peregrine falcons: "As nesting season arrives we encourage all climbers to report any peregrine falcon nesting sites they observe. Temporary closures for nesting are an important part of protecting these birds that we share our cliff environments with. Please share any nest sightings to info@squamishaccess.ca."

--The Trek is reporting that, "the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has issued a food storage order for all backcountry users. The order is effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice." To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--There are a bunch of boulders blocking the road into Yosemite National Park. It's not clear when the road will reopen. See a video, here.

Desert Southwest:

--KRQE is reporting on New Mexico's Petroglyph National Monument: "The National Park Service (NPS) is making changes. They’re closing off 30 unofficial access points into the Petroglyphs National Monument as part of their 'Visitor Use Management Plan.'" To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Outside is reporting that, "Tom Hornbein passed away on May 6, 2023, at his home in Estes Park, Colorado. He is best known for his audacious climb of the West Ridge of Mount Everest in 1963 with Willi Unsoeld." To read more, click here.

--The Daily Camera is reporting that, "a 37-year-old man from Fort Collins was rescued Sunday night from Rocky Mountain National Park after he fell while rock climbing. According to a news release, park rangers received word Sunday afternoon that the climber had been injured after a roughly 30-foot roped fall in a mixed route on Taylor Peak." To read more, click here.

--Climbing is reporting that, "Access Fund has announced that, on June 7, Chris Winter will step down after five years as the executive director. His role will be temporarily filled by Erik Murdock, the current vice president of Policy & Government Affairs, while Access Fund searches for a new executive director." To read more, click here.

--The Daily Yonder has an interesting article out about Arches National Park and the crowds it's seeing: "'Hyper-visitation' in the crown jewels of public lands is a national issue, as parks everywhere take a beating from crowds. In 2016, the parks system marked a milestone, welcoming the most visitors ever in its history, some 331 million people, a thousand times the number of visitors exactly a century earlier, in the year of the system’s founding, when a mere 326,000 passed through park gates. Though the aggregate volume dropped by a hundred million people post-pandemic, many parks, like Arches, are still overwhelmed." To read more, click here.

--Open Snow is reporting that, "Park City Mountain Resort, UT, violated safety standards resulting in an accident that killed Christian Helger, a ski patroller on duty. A Utah Occupational Safety and Health (UOSH) citation rated the violation as 'serious.' The 29-year-old was riding the Short Cut chair on January 2nd, 2023, when “a large pine tree fell onto the chair lift itself, the cable, which caused some oscillating of the chair itself,” said Andrew Wright with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. It is still not being reported whether the chairlift safety bar was down, as per Vail Resorts’ employee policy." To read more, click here.

Alaska:

--A missing climber on Denali was found alive after falling nearly 1,000-feet. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Yahoo and others are reporting that, "there's been an accusation of grand theft on the roof of the world. On Thursday, May 12, New Zealand climber Guy Cotter of expedition company Adventure Consultants wrote on Facebook that valuable climbing gear belonging to him had gone missing at Camp IV, which is located at approximately 26,000 feet on the South Col of Mount Everest. According to Cotter's post, a cache of tents, stoves, pots, and gas was gone when he arrived. Cotter said he believes the stuff was stolen." To read more, click here.

--Footwear News is reporting that, "last week, employees at a Boston REI store joined a movement underway in the outdoor retailer’s stores across the U.S. when they voted in favor of  unionizing their location. This initial union win marked the latest victory for a relatively recent organizing drive taking root across REI stores — and across retail more broadly. In addition to Boston, four other REI stores — in Chicago, California, New York City and Ohio— have voted in favor of unionizing in the last two years, and others across Oregon, North Carolina and Minnesota have begun the process as well, filing filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for union elections." To read more, click here.

--The BLM will have several public and virtual meetings about it's new rule: "The proposed Public Lands Rule would establish a framework to ensure healthy landscapes, abundant wildlife habitat, clean water and balanced decision-making on our nation’s public lands. The proposal would uphold the Bureau of Land Management’s multiple use and sustained yield mission, ensuring the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. By putting conservation on an equal footing with other uses, the proposal would help guide responsible development while safeguarding important places for the millions of people who visit public lands every year to hike, hunt, camp, fish, and more. This proposal comes at a pivotal moment, as our public lands face new and growing challenges. Climate change is driving unprecedented drought and increasingly intense fires, a loss of wildlife, and an influx of invasive species. At the same time, public lands face growing pressure as recreation increases and development on private land disrupts habitat. This proposal would ensure the BLM is able to respond to these pressures, managing for healthy lands today so that it can deliver its multiple use mission now and in the future." To read more, click here.

--Gripped is reporting that, "the Devils Tower National Monument has said in a press release that some climbs are temporarily closed to protect nesting Peregrine and Prairie Falcons. This includes all of the routes on the east and northeast faces. 'The closure is implemented annually to provide the falcons with an undisturbed nesting location during this critical courtship and nest-selection period,' the press release said." To read more, click here.