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sunshinedaydream
Big Wall climber
yosemite area
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 12, 2008 - 12:36am PT
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I think we can all agree that we protect our local climbing areas sometimes like overprotective parents. When people come in and screw everything up we naturally get pissed...
I just got home from an almost perfect day of climbing at at Fresno Dome, our little local spot that is haven when the crowds come back to Yosemite. Dogs can run, old friends meet up and catch up, we enjoy the Sierra breezes, and most of all we RESPECT the Peregrine Falcons who call also call this place home! Especially this time of year!!
Today a friend and I (both long time yosemite locals) ran across a climber who claimed to be "local" (from San Francisco) Ha, who was climbing in a falcon nesting site, as two angry falcon parents took turns watching there nests and doing close fly by's on this climbing team. We told him of the voluntary closure observed by locals and asked him if they would do the same. To which he said "If I could kill all these f**^%$# birds I would... Fortunately he was climbing with a level headed Russian who said "no problem".
We have a responsibility to the places we climb and all the other things that live there. I hope we never forget that...
J
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Mtnmun
Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
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May 12, 2008 - 12:57am PT
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The influx of climbing into the wild as a direct result of the influx of climbing gyms brings an unconscious reality to the wilderness. We are stewards of our cliffs. The locals (falcons) only need a few months to nest, there are plenty of other climbs that will not disturb their reproduction cycle and nest. Nice job sunshine for protecting the falcons.
A few years back we bivied somewhere along the 395. When we woke in the morning I witnessed some ravens building a nest in the cliff near our bivy spot. From my sleeping bag I could see them busy flying grass and sticks to the nest site.
They both landed on a telephone pole above my head and what happened next was a scene I will remember the rest of my life. The two of them rubbed their heads together and nuzzled each other. It was a gesture of love and tenderness and a way of saying, hey girl, we are buiding a kick ass nest for our family!
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho
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May 12, 2008 - 12:58am PT
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A friend & I got chased off Chimney Rock, Near Sequoia by an angry (well, VERY testy anyway) falcon. Hey, it's their rocks, after all. They live there, we just visit.
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originalpmac
Trad climber
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May 12, 2008 - 01:14am PT
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some kid at a gym in Prescott AZ told me some friends of his did a route on Granite Mountain when it was closed for falcon nesting. I was like, "you're boasting to the wrong guy, dude."
Gyms don't breed the best wilderness ethics thats for sure.
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tooth
Mountain climber
B.C.
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May 12, 2008 - 01:50am PT
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I think something is nesting in a plant overhanging the trail to gunsmoke traverse at Josh. Took these pics yesterday.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
Pasadena, CA
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May 12, 2008 - 01:50am PT
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Well said, Mtnmun. You story about the ravens is, a in a way, what it's all about. Thanks.
Fletch
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al_piner
climber
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May 12, 2008 - 10:52am PT
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TV hardman ,Bear Grylls (Man VS Wild ), would have killed and ate both falcon & eggs !!!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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May 12, 2008 - 12:30pm PT
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While I thoroughly understand the voluntary closure and "respect" it, I am a bit concerned about an apparent conflict...
It was typed...
"Dogs can run"
"We told him of the..."
Sounds like the dogs were kind of close to the action.
By the way, as someone that has a lot of exposure to dogs and has had them attack them unprovoked, while unleashed that were normally very good dogs, please keep your dogs on a leash in "my" area of the "United States" forest.
Localism represent. :)
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L
climber
Ocean of dreams....
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May 12, 2008 - 12:39pm PT
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Tooth,
I think those are cactus wren eggs. Cool shot of something you rarely see.
Thanks for the post, Sunshinedaydream. There are a lot of us who aren't even "local" that admire you for your actions.
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scooter
climber
fist clamp
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May 12, 2008 - 12:51pm PT
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Sunshine-
You have more self control than me. That big rock on the summit may have been trundled onto senor jackasses head for that little in discretion and poor choice of confrontional words. Less sh#t talking more action is usually my motto in situations like that.
P
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Mtnmun
Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
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May 12, 2008 - 01:35pm PT
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Tooth that nest picture is priceless. Cactus Wren's usually build a cave like nest, if those are their eggs, that is a rare sighting indeed.
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sunshinedaydream
Big Wall climber
yosemite area
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Topic Author's Reply - May 12, 2008 - 02:10pm PT
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Hey Munge,
Last time I checked my dog couldn't climb into a falcon nest. Besides our dogs were way far away from the closure.
I work with and have trained search dogs, dogs are not all the same, and tend to be more violent when leashed. It would be a bummer to stereotype all dogs into one category because of a bad experience.
Nonetheless what I think is at the root of all of this for me was the attitude from this guy that human recreation takes precedence automatically over another animals survival.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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May 12, 2008 - 02:27pm PT
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Mtnmun,
what about roadrunners?
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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May 12, 2008 - 02:28pm PT
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What about killing locals and pissing on falcons? Would that be OK?
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scarcollector
climber
CO
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"I work with and have trained search dogs, dogs are not all the same, and tend to be more violent when leashed. It would be a bummer to stereotype all dogs into one category because of a bad experience."
Yeah, your dog is special - doesn't chase wildlife, drop a coiler, etc., etc.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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While I have ranted at the Wildlife Nazis and their capricious and arbitrary closures and boundaries you should tell those *tards that if The Man gets wind of their effing with the falcons they will close the whole rock and if caught those tards could be looking at serious slam time*! In fact, harrassing any bird covered by the Migratory Bird Act, and that covers most, can get you in really deep doo-doo.
*6 months and up to $25,000 if I recall
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Hahaha!!!! I ran into those falcons a couple of weeks ago. See the Wamello Dome thread. My buddy was relentlessly trying to find the start of South Pillar while I sipped beers hanging back. We had 2-way radios and before he replied to me I could hear falcon cries and thought that was weird.
Turns out they were diving on him as he skirted the base. I told him, "F*#k it", I didn't wanna climb with angry falcons around.
As luck would have it he was too far anyway and came back and we eventually found the start.
Honestly, I didn't do it for fear of infringing on their nest, I just didn't want a falcon diving on me while I was on the sharp end!
Everybody won in the end.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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sunshinedaydream might consider pulling this thread. If some lurking Wildlife Nazi sees this it could be curtains for Wamello!
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| Messages 1 - 19 of total 19 in this topic |
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