Forest
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Perhaps some climbers with the time should make an effort to get a seat on these boards?
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Think there is an available seat on the Parks and Recreation Commission. However, I live in San Mateo County. We'd have to find someone in Santa Clara County. Sure would be nice if we had a trail runner and a road biker and a climber and maybe an equestrian sitting on the Commission. Someone who actively recreates in the great outdoors anyway.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2011 - 09:38pm PT
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I will offer to sit, but it won't fly well.
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Bruce,
As a former local, thanks for your hard work.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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You look like Da Man to shake up the Commission, Blue! A Repug-Libertarian type they will instantly hate! They need someone who talks back and causes trouble.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 4, 2011 - 09:37am PT
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Hmmm....
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fattrad
Mountain climber
GOP Convention
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I'll be at a meeting with a Santa Clara Supervisor next week, they make the appointments.
The evil one
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 4, 2011 - 09:58am PT
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It looks like I'm in District 4, under Ken Yeager.
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climbingcook
Trad climber
sf
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I love the idea of bluering sitting on the Parks and Rec commission. Unfortunately the commission would decide climbing should be off limits county-wide after hearing his take on the situation.
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Rokjox
Trad climber
Boys I'dunno
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Peregrines in particular don't seem especially skittish birds.
We got several nests in our downtown area (Boise) and they don't seem to mind the horns, the stink or all the people walking around all the time. They prey on the stinking filthy pigeons, who also are not endangered species.
Don't let the birders tell you they are shy, since the banning of DDT, most of the birds seem to be coming back pretty strong. There is PLENTY of solid evidence that people do NOT bother the birds in any serious way.
World Birds of Prey wild life center is just a few miles away from here.
http://www.peregrinefund.org/default.asp
http://www.peregrinefund.org/world_center.asp
Them birds fall out of the sky, get picked up by people, and reset in their nests, and seem to do just fine. They got cameras on the nests 24/7 and nothing seems to shake them much.
The World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho was dedicated in 1984. It is The Peregrine Fund's world headquarters. From here we operate our national and international conservation programs.
The Peregrine Fund's original breeding facilities at Cornell University, New York and Ft. Collins, Colorado were consolidated here. We also operated facilities on the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui for breeding of endangered Hawaiian birds. We transferred these to the Zoological Society of San Diego. Internationally, we have a field station in Madagascar. In the United States we have a field station in Northern Arizona and an office in Sheridan, Wyoming.
At the World Center we propagate birds of prey for release to the wild. We house about 200 falcons and condors for breeding. Research is underway on many topics to help us better understand birds of prey and their requirements. The World Center is also the home of our Education Program at the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center and the Herrick Collections Building. We hope you will visit.
""DONATE BNOW!""
Yeah, sheesh. Big money in telling people falcons are delicate and rare, whether its true of not. Big money.
Fledging season is over, so the camera link is not running. Looks ghetto, peering over the city, a definitively urban nest...
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 4, 2011 - 10:49am PT
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I love the idea of bluering sitting on the Parks and Rec commission. Unfortunately the commission would decide climbing should be off limits county-wide after hearing his take on the situation.
Maybe you can elaborate.
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Gerg
Boulder climber
Calgary
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My 8 year old son and I are coming to San Fran for a summer holiday, from Canada.
so without me reading every comment since 2008, is that nasty sounding Ranger still doing his thang at Castle Rock?! Is there any pointers you locals can give me?
We want to go to Goat Rock one afternoon also. Maybe to the rocks in Berkley as well.
Any Bay area bouldering info i should be aware of would be nice.
Is there any place to rent a pad, costs $40 each way to put on a plane.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 4, 2011 - 10:57am PT
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Gerg, CRSP is fine. Have fun.
Miles Standish has retired.
It's pretty inexpensive to buy Bruce Morris' "A climber's guide to Skyline Blvd". It's a good guidebook. Buy it. Must have for the area.
http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Climbers-Guide-Skyline-Boulevard/dp/0965023427
I can probably show you around too, if you'd like.
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Gerg
Boulder climber
Calgary
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ooh that is good to hear about buddy's retirement.
We are only visitng bouldering places between all the typical fun San Fran attractions for a boy and his dad...such a wonderful city.
i 'rented' a pad for a week off fellow supertaco member weschrist last year when I was in Cali. but I may contact you closer to ht emiddle of August about getting a tour maybe. Wanna go to Castle, Goat, and place north of the Golden Gate. I have the Bay area bouldering guide.
thanks.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 4, 2011 - 11:24am PT
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Gerg, I don't own a pad but I could probably locate one locally for borrowing. The bouldering at CSRP is the main attraction. Don't rule out the Indian Rock and Nature Nazi areas across the street from CRSP. Good stuff for kids over there.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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That's what I think is especially odd. If the Peregrines are upset so much by the presence of climbers, why in the heck did they move into one of the most popular climbing areas (i.e. Summit Rock) in Santa Clara County? If the climbers were around there all the time that the birds moved in, it seems to me that they didn't have any problem with sharing the rock with climbers on routes to their left or right. So . . . why did they need to be protected by closing down the whole dang cliff?
What County Parks has in effect done by closing Summit Rock to climbing is to eliminate one half of the outdoor recreational climbing resources in Santa Clara County. When you speak to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Fat Rat, be sure to emphasize that point. The Birders on the Parks and Recreation Commission tried to treat Paul and myself as if we were "lone wolf" individual climbers rather than representatives of a national climbing advocacy group with thousands of members. They used that same insulting argument you hear from the Dean of Boys in High School where they are trying to classify you as someone who is going against or outside the "group". You know the talk: "You've got to understand there are other people besides yourselves in the world." You have to "think of others" (i.e. Birders I suppose). It's just not going to be a simple matter for them to shut down a valuable local crag that been climbed on for 70 years without the climbing community taking some action.
The tone all along has been patronizing and condescending. But the only appropriate way for us to react is by being polite and conciliatory.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 4, 2011 - 11:43am PT
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The tone all along has been patronizing and condescending. But the only appropriate way for us to react is by being polite and conciliatory.
Everybody needs to behave rationally. But I ask you when you're dealing with irrational arguments and people, what then?
The rhetoric needs to be ratcheted up. This injustice will not stand. At some point we need to say, "this will not stand". We will not tolerate this.
Maybe I need to get on that board. I wonder how many of those there actually use the parks they govern over?
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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We just have to have a hard scientific study that lends credence to our arguments for a seasonal closure of Summit. Otherwise, they're going to use the recommendations from State Fish and Wildlife that Summit should be closed indefinitely. You fight their irrational, emotionally driven arguments with facts. Democracy might work too. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors are elected officials who have to answer to their constituency, a large group of whom are climbers. Raging and screaming and posturing are a good way of letting off steam, but do nothing to change policy. I do know that Paul Minault was p.o.'ed that they treated all his well-thought out compromise proposals as nothing but the work of truants and anti-social rebels. Wait for the national Access Fund to give us a few pointers about what to do next.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Think you might find it buried in here, Blue:
http://www.sccvote.org/portal/site/parks/parkschp?path=%2Fv7%2FParks%20and%20Recreation%2C%20Department%20of%20%28DEP%29%2FGeneral%20Agency%20Information%2FParks%20and%20Recreation%20Commission
I do notice that the Commission's "mission statement" talks about promoting recreation not limiting or eliminating it:
"To act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors in promoting, aiding, encouraging and conducting public recreation, including the acquisition and development of recreation and park facilities and programs, and in the planning, maintenance, development and operation of all recreational areas and facilities owned, controlled or leased by the County."
Doesn't sound like the Commission ought to be shutting down Summit Rock to climbing, does it?
One thing I do notice at the Sanborn County Parks site is that although fishing, hiking and camping are all listed as official activities in the Park, there is not one mention of rock climbing or bouldering at Summit or Indian Rocks. Of course, County Parks is terribly afraid of liability for a climbing accident and therefore may be reluctant to mention rock climbing on their site for fear of being sued.
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