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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 18, 2009 - 02:43am PT
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Well, Nosyslot, the names and addresses of the relevant decision makers are listed up above. Why not try writing them some blistering letters complaining about the indefinite closure? All sounds kinda bogus to me. Who's the senior wildlife biologist who signed the closure order? Who indeed!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Me and Sprock went to do some bouldering at Indian Rock (Castle Rock Park) and noticed they have a newer Summit Rock Closure sign.
Essentially it indicates that Park Service personnel are 'monitoring' the nesting birds and will assess the re-opening of the area based on the status of the nesting birds.
Maybe BS, but it's something I guess...
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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It is closed to all, from what I gather.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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There is no justification for closing a Cali climbing area for Peregrines beyond August 1st at the outside. Anything beyond that is someone just not understanding the biology.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2009 - 04:48pm PT
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You notice on the sign that County Parks is talking about "protecting the habitat", which seems to give them a license to shut the whole place down indefinitely as long as the possibility of Peregrin nesting exists. Just a power play to shut the whole place down indefinitely, which of course reduces parking along the Skyline. The South Skyline Property Owners Association definitely does'nt like like people climbing at Castle, Indian and Summit. They're constantly raving about threats of arson and breaking and entering their property. Interesting too how Stu Langdoc, who used to be the self-appointed head of the so-called "Castle Rock Climbers Committee", is also on the board of directors of the SSPOA. Obviously, all those groups - State Parks, County Parks and the property association - are working together behind the scenes to make it extremely difficult to climb along the Skyline. Climbers as a group are just caught in the middle.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Sep 13, 2009 - 10:24am PT
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We'll have to get the group together again soon, gather our collected thoughts and bring them to the Park Service.
If nothing else it'll let them know people are watching and are willing to take action if necessary.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 4, 2009 - 03:15am PT
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So absolutely nothing has been done about the Summit Rock Raptor closure? Not even an irate letter on Access Fund logo stationary? Pretty lame after all the tough talk!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Hey, uh, Bruce, weren't you a no-show at our Summit Rock organizing party???
just sayin'....
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 6, 2009 - 01:36am PT
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Just like everything else, if you want to get it done, do it yourself.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Bruce we were scheduled to get back together soon, it's just that with the awesome weather everybody has trips planned and is gone having fun.
Can you blames us?
Did you see the more recent signs indicating the Park would evaluate the site and possibly reopen it?
Anyway, we haven't given up on the project, just got distracted. You should come to the next meeting.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 11, 2009 - 02:50am PT
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Yes, I saw the sign with the talk about re-evaluation of the closure, but it sounded kinda flakey to me. I guess I better come to the next meeting. By then, it'll be raining anyway. I think the real problem is that County Parks and State Parks are being pressured by the South Skyline Property Owners Association to reduce the number of people using Summit, Indian and Castle Rocks. Same reason NO PARKING signs have been posted every few feet all along that section of Skyline Boulevard.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Oct 11, 2009 - 02:54am PT
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Hey Bruce, que pasa? It seems that there should be someone in know on this. Maybe you should try to get a small local newspaper to get involved on this. Maybe they can push the right buttons.
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Dodo
Trad climber
Spain/UK
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Oct 11, 2009 - 10:04am PT
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I am a fan of both climbing and peregrines (and other birds). Here in the UK, the BMC and the RSPB work together in instituting sensible climbing bans on areas with nesting birds, invariably just for the duration of nesting and fledging, can't there be an equal level of co-operation between climbers and wardens in the USA?
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 13, 2009 - 02:48am PT
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The big problem, Dodo, is that peregrine nesting is only a pretext being used by Santa Clara County Parks to reduce visitor usuage at Summit Rock. In the last analyis, they'll use any excuse to keep people off the rocks along Skyline Boulevard whether it's valid or not.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Oct 13, 2009 - 03:13am PT
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Dodo,
For reasons perhaps rooted in recent human genetic mutation US land managers have adopted a very confrontational us vs them approach. Not only have they lost sight of who they work for but they also doggedly refuse to acknowledge both common sense and any research they arbitrarily deem unacceptable. There are absolutely no standards to be found over here except in terms of cynical hypocrisy. Falcons nest on tall building in many cities today but if the arbitrary rules extant in the national parks and forests were applied to the urban biosphere many people would be prohibited from going to work every day. Clearly the falcons haven't gotten the message that they are supposedly deathly afraid of humans within a mile radius. I also marvel at the hypocrisy of prohibiting hiking beneath a thousand foot cliff with an eyrie atop it yet it is ok for biologists to rappel down and manhandle chicks just to further their research goals and job security.
For the record my ex is a wildlife biologist of no small repute so I have seen how the game is played from within as from without. It is just more big government.
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Dodo
Trad climber
Spain/UK
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Oct 13, 2009 - 04:38am PT
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Thats very sad, I don't think it would be tolerated in the UK, this is the access page on the BMC website, if you go to the individual crags on the RAD page you will see that all the bird bans run at most from Feb to July, even if the birds are a very rare species.
http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Pages.aspx?page=14
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Slater
Trad climber
Central Coast
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Oct 13, 2009 - 11:41am PT
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Good job Bruce! Thank you for this. Let's keep the public precedent going. The birds get what they need, and we can get on the rock. No need to close it down totally. Pinns and Yos don't, so why do it here. Bump...
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Here's the sign as of 2 weeks ago...
Sensitive habitat and threatened wildlife???
...bull$hit!
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 9, 2010 - 04:09am PT
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The organization to get in contact with about the Summit Rock peregrines is the:
Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group
100 Shaffer Road
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Tel (831) 459-2466
Fax (831) 459-3115
These guys are the ones who are observing and banding the peregrines at the San Jose City Hall and who are also watching the peregrines at Oracle in Redwood Shores. They are the ones who could make a scientific case based on hard evidence for the re-opening of Summit Rock to climbing on a seasonal basis. I don't think they are aware of the presence of the peregrines at Summit and would certainly like to know about them.
Hard as heck to find an email address for them, but I did leave message today on their answering machine. Imagine they would be very interested in the Summit Rock birds.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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falconet _ @ _ ucsc.edu
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