Ralston Buttes Access

This post was originally a comment in Ralston Buttes

FYI: I was at the Jeffco county assembly/convention for the Democratic party, and there were plenty of pro-open space candidates vying for county commission seats in the upcoming election. I spoke with them about the subject, and they had no idea about it said that they would follow up with me. They (the County Commission candidates) really seem to want votes really bad (DUH). Does anyone else think that we (as climbers) could have the above mentioned pro-climber organizations lobby the new candidates? Or Even have A LOT of climbers show up at County Commission debate, to let them know our opinions DO matter as votes for them. Is anyone else think this is definitely worth some time and effort? I would be interested in putting some time into the issue.

Certainly not opposed to debating the topic. The biggest hurdle aside from the political realm is that the CDOW wants this area protected.

You could ask them to re-evaluate the area and if they say that the real estate & road development that has occured in this habitat does not detrimentally affect wildlife, namely the black bear, then you would have more to bring to the table to discuss with Jeffco.

Or you could conduct an independent study; I think some of us discussed, consulted, (argued??) this with Dr Ramey, the AF, lawyers, & local climbers; but nothing has looked favorable.

It's either:
1. The CDOW has merit & the habitat is threatened; meaning all access & use will continue to be prohibited.
2. Jeffco's continued refusal to discuss the matter will continue to put climbers in the backseat here.

I'd be interested in joining in. A larger issue could also be raised by all denver residents on the climbing ban in all Denver Mountain Parks.

The closure of Ralston Buttes has no foundation in science. JCOS bought the land to be a private biology park for their friends from Colorado State. There are no endangered species in the area. Perhaps some changes in elected officials may lead to a reconsideration of the current policy, but a roll back of "environmentally based" restrictions is unlikely to come from the Democrats. It was my understanding that DMP closure was liability based versus anything environmental. Periodically revisiting these issues is worthwhile as every now and then someone with a clue comes along. If anyone becomes aware of a meeting please post it.

There is no way that climbing will be any way as impacting as the "development" that has gone on there in the last 35 yrs. I did see a Canadian lynx there about 35 yrs ago (yes, I know the difference between a lynx and a bobcat), but this was before the fences and closure. I'd be interested in meetings also.

Tony, I agree. i was just contacted by a Current jeffco county commisioner, and it was interesting because she asked what my interest was in the subject, I told her climber of course not wanting to set myself for being untruthful later down the road. She then proceeded to tell me how many OTHER areas we could climb at and totally avoided the subject. I asked her what the deal was w/ a blanket closure, once again the subject was diverted. She cited it is a "sensitive falcon area" I gave her my email and ended the conversation before i said something I would regret. Fellow MP users, we need to put some pressure on these new incoming candidates. Tony, I am a jeffco resident/voter/homeowner and we do need to get organized and put some time into this with an election at stake and all. Maybe its all a waste of time, but I think a bunch of registered voters packed into a town hall meeting breathing down the necks of possible candidates sure would make a HUGE statement. I am currently right in the middle of taking finals for school, and then will be gone for a week for a family vacation. When I get back, who's w/ me to do some research (jeffco website would be a good start) as who's in the election? I think it is this fall with the other national elections, and when if any town hall meetings/debates are scheduled.

I'm totally in for a climber meet. I'd like it if a decision maker from the AF were present. I think this is going in the wrong direction, but I think we all need to talk about it.

Here's the section from the Jeffco OS guidelines regarding the closure:

White Ranch Park – The White Ranch Park Management Plan designates the Ralston Buttes section of the park as a Sensitive area, limiting public use. Approximately 700 acres contains a sensitive plant community, as ranked by the Natural Heritage Global Ranking (Type 2- rare and susceptible to becoming endangered). Additionally, the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) ranked this area #1 of the top 5 areas within the Black Hawk District warranting protection.


I think the closure you were told about (mistakenly) was for the Spires and that relates to the CP & Sunshine Wall which have had active nestings in previous years.

We had tried climber-committee meets about DMP lands but it was just a lack of participation from climbers in general & lack of genuine interest from Dvr to effect any policy change.

does anyone know who would be the best person to contact at the AF?

This from Jeffco open space...

"The Ralston Buttes area of White Ranch Park has been designated as a sensitive management unit for the extraordinary wildlife habitat that exists there. It is one of the few areas in the County where habitat and the wildlife that use it are relatively undisturbed. Because of the unique qualities that are there, Open Space does provide staff guided programs on occasion and have made provisions for permitted scientific and educational study. There are no plans to open this area to general public use.

Regarding climbing: Yes, we do understand that rock climbing has occurred here in the past before it was acquired by Jefferson County Open Space. Many climbers have requested the area be made available. Both the Open Space Advisory Committee and the Board of County Commissioners have endorsed management of Ralston Buttes as a sensitive area, its closure to general public use and the continued prohibition of climbing there."

Thea Rock
Manager of Citizen Outreach
Jefferson County Open Space
700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 100
Golden, CO 80401
office: 303-271-5902
fax: 303-721-5955
trock@jeffco.us

Armin,

The person to talk to at the Access Fund for questions regarding access issues is Diana Vernazza. She may be reached via e-mail at diana@accessfund.org, or by phone at 303.545.6772 x112.

Also, keep me in the loop about what is happening. The Northern Colorado Climber's Coalition is certainly interested in helping however we can.

Cheers,
Cameron
horsetoothhang@yahoo.com

P.S. has anyone found any info on the studies that were conducted to determine the area as sensitive?

About 6 or 7 years ago I was the lead Access Fund rep working along side Rick Thompson on the Ralston Buttes access issue as well as other local issues. The thing that worried me the most about Ralston Buttes wasn't the loss of the existing climbing and the exciting potential of the area, but the precedent that this closure represented. This fear proved to be real later when Boulder Open Space tried to use similar invalid environmental arguments to close large portions of the Flatirons and Mickey Mouse Wall.

The designations givens by the Colorado Heritage Program and others should be seriously scrutinized. First, the Colorado Heritage Program is controlled by the Colorado State University Biology Department who said "Climbers are taking out species before they are even discovered." This obvious scientific genius provides the basis for the studies that led to the conclusion to close Ralston Buttes. If the same analysis were applied to Eldorado Canyon or Rocky Mountain National Park those areas would be closed as well. There are no species, habitats, or other features at Ralston Buttes that do not also occur across most of Colorado. Furthermore, there is no scientific analysis to demonstrate that climbing would have any effect on the habitats and ecology that do exist in the Ralston Buttes area.

Unfortunately, Rick and I ran headlong into a government agency that had no legitimate public process for evaluating land use and they were unwilling to consider a compromise that would have resulted in both parties ending up with an acceptable outcome. In fact, a senior JCOS official inadvertently admitted that "We didn't buy Ralston Buttes for climbing or any other form of recreation".

It will be important for the climbing community to continue to challenge unjustified closures such as this one and others like Cave Rock in Nevada. I'm sure that JCOS would love to close Cynical Pinnacle and Boulder Open Space will keep trying to close everything that they can. I would suggest that a good approach would be to request release of all JCOS studies on the Ralston Buttes area and then submit them to independent review by someone like Rob Ramey. I hope this helps provide everyone some useful background information.

Thea Rock's job is to relay words, go to the top of the mountain
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The Open Space Program quoted from their website ~

"The mission of the Open Space Program is to provide a living resource of open space lands and waters throughout Jefferson County for the physical, psychological, recreational and social enjoyment of present and future generations."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC) = 10 members (+2 alternates) appointed by the BOCC for 3yrs terms & divided by land types. Meetings open to the public on the 1st Thursday of month.

Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) = 3 elected officials, new lady just sworn in January 8, 2008
Armin who did you speak to someone in the OSAC or BOCC ?

Here is White Ranch Park Mngmnt Plan Rev 2006 - Details given of plants, wildlife etc. for Ralston Buttes.

The document is loaded with statements about "preservation, protection, unique resources, rare and unusual," etc., the deck is waay stacked against us. Politically, you would be asking the Commissioners to override a (albeit fabricated) "environmental impact" study. That would lead to getting all kinds of enviro's activated and outraged, we would be portrayed as greedy, selfish brats and the sympathetic Commissioners as anti-green.

IMO, the best tactic would be to legally challenge the quality of the science used in this plan in conjunction with a petition for seasonal access. As long as the "Golden Eagles, Falcons, and Prairie Hawks" do not winter out on the cliffs, I don't believe that JCOS could demonstrate the need to exclude climbing during the winter.

A far more significant fly in the ointment, however, is physical access. Google Earth this place up, with the roads overlay enabled. JeffCo could very well argue that there is no where to provide public access, as the buttes are surrounded by private property, railroad property, and the uranium mine. Obtaining land for a parking lot would be difficult and costly for them, which is I believe the real reason for this closure.

hey everyone, sorry I've been in the back seat on the issue lately. I am in the process of sending the report as to why the buttes were closed to an attorney friend, and plan on contacting someone from the AFund, just trying to get organized.

"Regularly scheduled meetings are held at 9:00 a.m. on most Tuesdays in Hearing Room One of the Administration and Courts Facility.

Public comment is the first item on the agenda, a time when any citizen can bring up a concern about county matters"- From the jeffco website

UPDATE: I have requested a copy of the study that doomed us, and have contacted an attorney, and have contacted the AF. Once I hear back from these folks, I was wondering if we should get together and pack the house at one of these meetings stated above from the jeffco website.
-a

Armin wrote: I was just contacted by a Current jeffco county commisioner, and it was interesting because she asked what my interest was in the subject, I told her climber of course not wanting to set myself for being untruthful later down the road. She then proceeded to tell me how many OTHER areas we could climb at and totally avoided the subject.

Hand the lady a list of other places she could close to the public. Start with the most popular.

Remind her that there is NO OTHER LAND AROUND closed completely for Falcons, and giver her a copy of the State Parks policy for them and the national park policy for them, neither of which close cliffs beyond the possible nesting season.

Happy Hour and Security Risk were "closed for eagles" (that don't exist) until people were served papers...

A copy of those might be good to give her too.

Armin,

Probably the best thing to do is get the Access Fund or another independent body to do a scientific review of the report. While a legal review may be interesting, I'm sure that JCOS has the legal authority under regulations that they have created to close any area they want to. What JCOS lacks is legitimate scientific basis for 100% closure of the area, or really any form of closure. There is simply nothing of any sensitive biological nature at that crag. JCOS has been unwilling in the last 12 years to even consider any form of management for Ralston other than complete closure, except that is for park personnel and their friends from Colorado State Univ.

I also agree with Tony that Jeffco should look at something else to close, and that maybe the Taj Mahal (the county administration building) would be the best place to start.

Tod

whomever wants to be included about doing something about this issue,please post or send me your email. My goal is to try and get a list of folks who want to help out. Tony, I now you are in and I have your email already.
-Armin

From the access fund just in case anyone didn't see the other thread:
Armin,

Access Fund Grassroots Coordinator Charlie Boas is facilitating a
meeting for Denver climbers this Friday at 7:30 pm at Rock'n & Jam'n in
Thornton. The purpose of the meeting is to
organize a Denver based local climbers organization to work on access
issues like Ralston Buttes. Diana

I believe this item was not specifically mentioned; I thought this mtg is to be more a general organizational concept mtg with climbers:

The Access Fund is currently organizing a public climbers meeting to facilitate the formation of a Denver area climbing organization. This local climbing organization, or Affiliate, will be a conservation and stewardship liaison with Denver Mountain Parks , NFS, and BLM; a local version of the Access Fund. It will be a grassroots organization run by local climbers concerned with improving climbing access in the Denver Metro and Front Range Areas.

Again, until the CDOW mandate can be addressed, we're still looking at an issue that is problematic due to a conservational basis for access. I will add though, I am disturbed the CDOW issued a mandate without any comprehensive wildlife inventory report that may use the habitat.

Mark Nelson wrote: I will add though, I am disturbed the CDOW issued a mandate without any comprehensive wildlife inventory report that may use the habitat.

That's because the whole closure was based on Peregrine Falcons originally; now its just a crock of shit.

The dubious "science" in the management plan screams for being contested, however I don't think that anyone knows if there are statutes in place to provide for a scientific challenge.

Where's Sen. Mitchell on this one?