Tree removal at Pawtuckaway

Just a reminder that its against the law to cut down trees in Pawtuckaway... It seems that some person or party have taken it upon themselves removed two trees from the base of Cornered a 5.7 crack climb up on the Ridgeline over by the Dome, the two trees that were removed didn't even effect the climb.

Stupid acts like this could get us kicked out of the park...

mountainproject.com/v/10654…

Whats the deal with idiots and Pway? I remember a few years ago a group left a massive gymnasium pad (for pole vaulting) at the base of Ride the Lightning and no one claimed ownership. Some other group had to take it out before anyone got in trouble.

Not cool!!!!!

wtf.

Throw in a couple years before the pole vault mat being found some jack ass cut three trees down in front of The Whip Boulder...

eddysamson wrote:Whats the deal with idiots and Pway? I remember a few years ago a group left a massive gymnasium pad (for pole vaulting) at the base of Ride the Lightning and no one claimed ownership. Some other group had to take it out before anyone got in trouble.

i remember seeing that cached under vintage... was both weird and impressive that chunk of pad was dragged all the way out there. kudos to the disposal group though that thing was nasty and water logged

At least other climbers do their best to counteract the ignorant vandalism of fellow climbers. Hopefully those who cut the trees sees posts like this to realize it's a shameful activity and stop.

Here is an interesting thing I saw a week or two ago. A chefs knife was stuck in a tree 30ft off the ground around the Round Pond parking area. I managed to get it down before a strong wind could potentially send it airborne.

Alec Woolley wrote:At least other climbers do their best to counteract the ignorant vandalism of fellow climbers. Hopefully those who cut the trees sees posts like this to realize it's a shameful activity and stop. Here is an interesting thing I saw a week or two ago. A chefs knife was stuck in a tree 30ft off the ground around the Round Pond parking area. I managed to get it down before a strong wind could potentially send it airborne.

And did I mention, I love Alec Wooley? and bumping into him at the bar in rumney after not seeing the dude for months.. YOU DA MAN ALEC!! good work haha - was the tree solo as gnarly as you doing that 5.8 crack trad problem you thought was the whip a couple years back?

And to the group that left your trash around Devils Den... Dont worry I iked it up for you.

Whats up with the big tree next to the trail walking up from boulder natural to the road. It is a big perfectly healthy tree that somebody hacked half way through. Also there has been a rope hanging in the Devils den wall. It has been up atleast a week. It is very obvious now that all the leaves are down and it is bright yellow.

rope?

I Had a wee chat with the folks over at NH State Parks Headquarters and they gave me the following information:

The illegal/unauthorized cutting of trees would fit into the Rule regarding removal of natural features:

Res 7301.05 Protection of Natural Features and Property. No person shall remove, damage, deface, disturb or alter any structure, plant, marine or freshwater aquatic life with the exception of lawful fishing, natural or geological feature or property on DRED properties. No person shall introduce, abandon or leave any plant, aquatic or terrestrial life, or other foreign object or item on DRED properties without the prior written permission of the director.

Source. #6167 eff 1-18-96, EXPIRED: 1-18-04

New. #8127, INTERIM, eff 7-27-04, EXPIRED: 1-23-05

New. #8532, eff 1-1-06 (from Res 7301.03); ss by #10532, eff 3-1-14

The Penalties for DRED Rule Violations are as follows:

Res 7301.04 Violations.

(a) Any person violating any rule contained in this chapter or Res 8500 shall be guilty of a violation and be:

(1) Evicted from the property;

(2) Responsible for the restoration of any defaced or destroyed historic property or resource pursuant to RSA 227-C:17, II; and/or

(3) Subject to an administrative fine pursuant to Res 7800.

(b) Serious offenses shall be charged as a misdemeanor.

(c) A “serious offense” means an offense in which a person has:

(1) Acted in a reckless manner pursuant to Res 7301.30 or Res 7304.08;

(2) Caused serious environmental or property damage; or

(3) Committed a third offense.

(d) Any person or organization evicted from the property pursuant to this section, shall not receive a refund of department-related daily fees, including but not limited to, admission, parking, permit, or enterprise function fee, except for a portion of camping rental fees as allowed by RSA 216-I:6.

(e) Any person or organization evicted from the property pursuant to this section, shall not receive a refund of the unused portion of a season pass or seasonal or multi-year special use permit pending an adjudicative proceeding pursuant to RSA 541-A:30, III.

Source. #6167 eff 1-18-96, EXPIRED: 1-18-04

New. #8127, INTERIM, eff 7-27-04, EXPIRED: 1-23-05

New. #8532, eff 1-1-06; ss by #10532, eff 3-1-14

The fine for violating the rule, it is considered a “tier 2” fine:

(b) The Tier 2 administrative fine amounts shall be $50.00 for the first offense, $100 for a second offense, $250 for each subsequent offense.

This seems to be coming up more and more. Someone recently removed a moss bed from the top of the Swirley boulder, which is also a big no-no, and we've had several trees cut in the last couple years. I think we ought to add a note to the Pawtuckaway overview page about this. Maybe create a new heading for access and park rules or something. Anyway, here's a first stab at it; feel free to chime in on additions or improvements.

Changing or removing any natural feature of the park is a violation of park rules and could impact the almost unfettered access climbers now enjoy in Pawtuckaway. Do not cut down trees, remove large amounts of moss or vegetation from the tops of boulders, build significant landing "improvements," or alter the park in any significant way. It is equally important that you not stash pads or leave gear cached in the park. Thank you for your help preserving access to this excellent climbing resource.

I wouldn't have a problem with that being added to the Pawtuckaway front page or for that matter any page in which climbing locations are within State Park grounds or wilderness areas (one area I didn't ask about but probably should have when talking with the State Park).

I would also chime in for the older generation of climbers that have been around the block for a while to step up and pass their knowledge of proper stewardship on to the younger generations.