Cantwell, Colleagues Protest Proposal That Would Limit Access & Endanger Climbers in National Parks and Forests

09.05.24

Cantwell, Colleagues Protest Proposal That Would Limit Access & Endanger Climbers in National Parks and Forests

In bipartisan letter to Interior & Ag Secretaries, Senators express concern over draft rules that would severely limit use of fixed anchors on 50,000 climbing routes in wilderness areas, including iconic climbs in North Cascades, Zion, & Yosemite; Over eight million climbers in U.S. are responsible for over $10 billion in outdoor recreation economy

SEQUIM, WA - U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Boozman (R-AR) led a dozen of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to express their shared concerns over an Administration proposal that would severely limit the use of climbing fixed anchors in National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service wilderness areas, which have long helped climbers scale routes safely.

Currently, the eight million plus climbers in the United States commonly rely on fixed anchors like bolts, slings, or pitons in order to scale rock walls. However, draft guidance released by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service last November would classify these anchors as permanent "installations" which could limit access to existing climbing routes and prevent new routes from being created. Among the new administrative hurdles proposed would be the requirement to evaluate all existing anchors and create new procedures to replace existing anchors and install new ones.

"While intended to provide over eight million American climbers with clear guidance on the use of fixed anchors to maintain wilderness area protections, we are concerned the policy change would unnecessarily burden our National Parks' and Forests' already strained budgets, limit access to these special places, and endanger climbers," the Senators wrote.

"We are hearing that this new determination could threaten over a century of precedent, hinder the establishment of new climbing routes, and complicate maintenance of fixed anchors. This means access to some of America's most iconic climbing routes such as The Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, big walls in Utah's Zion National Park, adventures in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, many historic climbs in Washington's North Cascades, and climbing opportunities in Arkansas' Ozark-St. Francis National Forest could be limited," the Senators continued. "We believe that fixed anchors should not be considered installations in wilderness and urge the agencies to protect these fundamental safety tools."

The letter can be read in full HERE.

In addition to Sens. Cantwell and Boozman, signatories included U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), James Risch (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Michael Lee (R-UT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).

As an avid hiker and lover of the outdoors, Sen. Cantwell is a steadfast champion of policies that protect and preserve our national parks while keeping them accessible to visitors. In 2020, she authored and cosponsored the Great American Outdoors Act, which established full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and invested billions of dollars to address the maintenance backlog on public lands throughout the country. The successful funding of the LWCF was the culmination of Sen. Cantwell's yearslong push to sound the alarm about the LWCF's looming expiration in 2018.

In 2023, Sen. Cantwell introduced the Recreation For All Act, which would help federal lands increase the number of young visitors, collect better data, and improve the experience of visiting national parks. The bill was unanimously passed by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and awaits a vote in the full Senate.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), in 2022 the outdoor recreation generated $1.1 trillion in economic output and nearly 5 million jobs. In Washington state alone, the outdoor recreation economy generates $20 billion and supports 121,000 jobs.

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