Vermont Fish & Wildlife to prohibit climbing on State land
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This includes large portions of Snake Mountain, as well as some other more obscure areas. It also sets a terrible precedent. |
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That would be too bad; Snake is a neat little spot. Fortunately, this wouldn't affect any of the state's best climbing areas, just a few out-of-the-way spots. Nevertheless, as you said, it would be a bad precedent. IMO, it is a little ridiculous to allow hunting but not climbing, but that is just my biased view of the relative impacts of those two sports. I guess that the hunting/fishing lobby is much more influential than climbing access groups. |
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Also, for those unfamiliar, the most-notable area affected by the ban, Snake Mountain, is a fairly lightly visited ice/mixed crag. It has a few short WI4-ish pillars, and a spectacular overhang with beasty hard mixed lines. It doesn't get a ton of visitation, but it is a notable resource nonetheless because it contains the hardest bolted mixed/drytool routes in the Northeastern US. |
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Snake is great but this ban would eliminate climbing on some real gems including a 300' cliff with several very adventurous lines. |
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Rally the troops as the VT Dept of Fish and Wildlife has proposed a new rule that would ban climbing in some fantastic beautiful areas link to submit comments here:http://www.climberism.com/climbers-of-vermont-needs-your-help/ |
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While I will acknowledge that VT DFW doesn't manage any of the really notable crags, they are partially involved in managing other state owned land that does have some very important climbing. Marshfield, Smugglers Notch and Willoughby are all on State owned land and this is the first step towards closing those to climbing. In general I have found the folks at Forest Parks and Recreation to be very reasonable and with the best interests of the public in mind. The folks at Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife are devoted only to maximizing deer population size and will do whatever they want to keep folks who don't agree with their version of outdoor recreation (which is generally limited to "nature watching") off State Land. Either way several of the WMA's have some nice potential. |
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Gotta love the oppressive East coast. NH is the closest it comes to freedom. |
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To help put this in perspective, all Wildlife Management Areas in Vermont have all been purchased for various wildlife values, or recreational opportunities specifically related to those wildlife values. That includes fishing, hunting, trapping, wildlife viewing, hiking, educational purposes, etc. |
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Someone has contacted Access Fund? accessfund.org/site/c.tmL5K… |
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Spaniel wrote:So here's my question: would you be willing to pay for access to some of these climbing spots?That answer depends on the location and the amount charged. We already pay at some sites, namely national parks. The land was purchased by the state with taxpayer money. Just because the state decided to raise the money by taxing a specific user group doesn't mean that only that specific group may use the land. Highways are funded in part by gas taxes, but I have just as much of a right to ride my bicycle on the road as a car who's paying gas taxes has the right to drive on the road. |
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I would suggest that folks read the proposed change. Some of the allowed uses are quite baffling if you consider that the goal is wildlife management. For example, they specifically allow harvesting of wild edibles(deer, bear, and turkey food)...you can go out and pick berries, fungi, plants...these are things that wildlife need to survive...but you can't climb on rocks? You are allowed to ski, snowshoe, hike through deer yards in the winter...stressing and disturbing the deer population...but you can't climb on rocks. Many of us climbers do buy our hunting and fishing licenses and some of us even hunt or fish on the same land on the same day that we climb. |
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This kinda shit makes my blood boil!! |
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Public Comments Link: |
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This is serious. Not just for climbing but there are extensive mountain biking trails that run all over Snake Mountain. It would be an absolute shame if we were banned from our beloved recreational activities on this public land. We need to rally! Spread the word and comment on the link above. |
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Hey Folks, |
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Submitted a comment to VT... |
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At a climbing area in a different northeastern state, there are partial closures of the cliffs due to nesting birds. |
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Kenr, |
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Here's what I submitted |
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Was anyone able to go to either of the hearings this week and if so what was the reason for ban on climbing? |
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I am bummed about this new law, but not really surprised. Climbers are conspicuous when climbing, especially when bolting (with power tools) and scrubbing lichen. Both of these are activities that I hypocritically am uncomfortable with. It is also hypocritical for most any other person in VT to find fault with them. We are, after all, putting in roads to get to the great outdoors. |