Why NEPA Matters for Climbing

The NEPA process has helped Access Fund protect and steward thousands of climbing areas across the country. Here are just two examples of the NEPA process at work for climbing areas.

• Access Fund stops National Park Service (NPS) from pulling bolts at Christmas Tree Pass. In 2010, the NPS issued a proposal to pull climbing bolts within Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, risking several quality desert climbs found at Christmas Tree Pass. This NPS proposal was based on faulty information about climber visitation and failed to identify any conflicts that climbing was causing, which would justify removing the bolts. Because the area is located on federal land, the NPS was required to vet this decision through the NEPA process, which includes opening it up for public comment. Through this public process, Access Fund was able to step in and inform NPS staff about climber visitation and climbing management strategies that allow fixed anchor use. We also launched an action alert to our members, rallying hundreds of climbers to write to the NPS and advocate for leaving the bolts alone. The NPS reversed their proposed action to remove the bolts—a victory for climbers and a good example of how NEPA helps us protect climbing.
• Access Fund gains approval to address dire stewardship issues at California’s Lover’s Leap. Lover’s Leap near Lake Tahoe has been deteriorating for years under a dramatic increase in climber traffic. The area draws droves of climbers from throughout California and across the U.S. but has no formal trail system. Visiting climbers have created an unstable web of access trails, causing severe erosion and compromising the stability of belay areas. These issues threaten the ecosystem within Eldorado National Forest, and they also frustrate visiting climbers and have potential to hinder emergency response teams. Because Lover’s Leap is located on federal land, Access Fund and local climbers must get government approval before attempting to address these issues. In 2017, Access Fund and Climbing Resource Advocates for Greater Sacramento (CRAGS) drafted a trail-stabilization proposal for the U.S. Forest Service to help develop an environmental assessment for the much-needed trail work. The NEPA process was employed to evaluate this proposal, to ensure that our restoration plan is sound, based on the best available science, and thoroughly vetted to avoid conflicts with other values of the land. The U.S. Forest Service approved the restoration plan last fall, and Access Fund and CRAGS will begin work this summer.

These are just two examples among thousands. Nearly 60% of climbing in this country is located on federal public lands, and Access Fund has used the NEPA process to protect a critical mass of public climbing areas. (If you’re feeling really wonky, you can read hundreds of our NEPA advocacy statements here.)

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