Sundance at Lumpy closed?

Does anyone know if Sundance at Lumpy is in fact closed. Historically they haven't been closing it for raptors, and it isn't on the government website as closed (but that hasn't been updated since March):

nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/are...

A friend went to Lumpy last weekend and told me they had closed it last Saturday after birds nested there.

I assume if they closed it for nests, it will remain closed until August.

I can't seem to find anything online showing it is closed, however.

Can anyone confirm?

I believe it is indeed closed for raptors.

I was planning on climbing at Sundance this weekend, so I just called the RMNP backcountry office (970-586-1242) and spoke to Josh. He confirmed that Sundance Buttress is not closed for raptor nesting. We should be good to go, but if anyone has first hand knowledge that says contrary please post up.

Interesting - I heard about the closure from a credible source, but the backcountry office is more up to date.
Carry on.

I work in the backcountry office. I haven't worked since Sunday, but I'm fairly certain that it is closed. You're right that it's not normally. This year they found raptors though. CMS added it to their list of closures 2 days ago. Wish I could tell you for sure!

Josh here. I referred to our website about it. But I'll check with the climbing rangers here shortly. And let you know within the hour

Sundance buttress is closed. Just spoke with the climbing rangers. There are signs at the base. We will have the website updated shortly.

Josh Schutz wrote:Sundance buttress is closed. Just spoke with the climbing rangers. There are signs at the base. We will have the website updated shortly.

They should add some signs in the parking lot, since that is a long hike to figure out the area is closed.

EDIT: They should also update their website. There is no mention of Sundance.

Twin Owls, Rock One, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Checkerboard Rock, Alligator Rock, Lightning Rock, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, and Sheep Rock are currently CLOSED.

Guy H. wrote: They should add some signs in the parking lot, since that is a long hike to figure out the area is closed.

+1

Thanks for the clarification! It makes planning much easier!

There is a sign at the parking lot (at the start of the trail), and another at the old parking area. It sucks that it's closed, but at least they did a good job with the signage.

OH, also: if anyone relies on water being available at the old parking area: it is currently NOT flowing.

Thanks everyone for helping solve the Sundance buttress closure mystery. That would have been a bummer to make that hike in this weekend to only be turned around at the base.

Any news as to the species? I was over on Storm Watch last week (prior to closure) and saw a Prairie Falcon go by, but only in passing.
PS: Thanks to all who invested time in getting this answered and correctly reported. It would be a bummer to hike all the way in and find the signs then!

Guy H. wrote: Twin Owls, Rock One, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Checkerboard Rock, Alligator Rock, Lightning Rock, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, and Sheep Rock are currently CLOSED.

With some of the NPS people here, perhaps we can get answers to several long-standing questions.

How is the size of a raptor closure determined? And what's the reasoning behind it?

In the past, a Peregrine was nested on Guillotine, so that route was closed and one route on each side. So why is the entire Sundance formation closed now?

At Devils Tower only the route the nest is on and a single route on either side are usually closed. One year I spoke with the climbing rangers there and their method was to actually climb routes closer and closer to the nest. When they got to a route that caused the birds to act agitated, or attack, they retreated and closed that route. They repeated the process on the other side. This gives the birds their space and allows climbing to continue on other parts of the Tower. RMNP has climbing rangers.

Compare that small DT closure to a past closure in the South Platte. A Peregrine was observed in the area, so they closed a ten-square-mile-area including Cynical, The Dome, Sunshine, Poe, etc. When I called the Forest Service, I was told that they didn't have enough manpower to determine where the nest was, so they just closed the entire area. When I told him that Peregrines have been known to fly 1,200 miles in a day, he didn't care. When I suggested that climbers could tell them where the nest was, and then open the rest of the area, he hung up on me.

Raptors in general are quite tolerant of humans near their nest. Peregrines are well known for nesting on tall buildings in big cities, ten feet away from windows full of humans looking into the nest. There's been an Osprey nest a few miles from my house for the last ten years. It's on top of a pole 15 feet from a road and you can walk right up to it. Except when a tornado destroyed the nest one year, they've produced two offspring every year.

Thousands of baby raptors are banded by biologists every year. (I've climbed a tree carrying a newly-banded baby golden eagle.) The birds don't jump out of the nest to their death or die of fright. They are surprisingly complacent about being handled by humans and it's pretty much accepted that banding doesn't lower their survival chances.

So if banding doesn't harm the baby birds, I have a real hard time understanding why large areas of Lumpy Ridge (or the South Platte) need to be closed when a raptor is observed in the area.

I'd love to hear from RMNP.

John Byrnes wrote:... I'd love to hear from RMNP.

So would I!

ocky Mountain National Park News Release

June 12, 2015

For Immediate Release

Kyle Patterson 970-586-1363

Sundance Buttress Closure Added
Other Closures Removed Or Continued
To Protect Nesting Raptors in Rocky Mountain National Park

Each year to protect raptor nesting sites, Rocky Mountain National Park officials initiate temporary closures in the Lumpy Ridge and Sheep Mountain areas of the park. To enable wildlife managers to gather information and ensure that raptors can nest undisturbed, specific areas within the park are closed temporarily to public use during nesting season.

Due to raptor nesting activity, Sundance Buttress in the Lumpy Ridge area has been added to the closure areas. The following sites will remain temporarily closed until further notice – Alligator Rock, Twin Owls, Rock One, Sheep Mountain and now Sundance Buttress. These closures include all climbing, approach and descent routes for the indicated formations on all sides of those formations.

The following closures have been lifted - Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Thunder Buttress, No Name and Parish. The National Park Service is committed to preserving birds of prey. The same cliffs that attract raptors also appeal to climbers. The cooperation of climbing organizations and individuals is essential to the successful nesting of raptors in the park.

-NPS-

- Kyle

Kyle Patterson
Public Information Officer/Management Specialist
Rocky Mountain National Park
(970) 586-1363
www.nps.gov/romo
www.facebook.com/RockyNPS

The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA

Sorry if I missed it, but is Sundance still closed? Generally closures are lifted by July 31st, I believe, but I saw that on the main Sundance page there is still a closure banner - hence the Q.

David Carter wrote:Sorry if I missed it, but is Sundance still closed? Generally closures are lifted by July 31st, I believe, but I saw that on the main Sundance page there is still a closure banner - hence the Q.

If you look 2 comments up, you will find the climbing ranger's contact info...

David Carter wrote:Sorry if I missed it, but is Sundance still closed? Generally closures are lifted by July 31st, I believe, but I saw that on the main Sundance page there is still a closure banner - hence the Q.

I was up there this past weekend and did not see any signs saying that Sundance was closed. There were several parties climbing up there and no sign of any raptor nesting.

On the NPS website it says that all closures have been lifted for 2015. Its open.

nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…

Thanks all for the replies.