Kentucky Breaking News
Muir Valley Nature Preserve: “Build It and Climbers Will Come,” (04/15/2008)
By Doris Edwards, Friends of Muir Valley, Co-Chairperson
Muir Valley Nature Preserve in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge area is 400 acres of privately owned land developed as a nature preserve and climbing venue. It is open to the public and has quickly grown in popularity, with over 10,000 visitors in 2007. To meet the demands of the ever-increasing number of climbers, the Friends of Muir Valley, a local, volunteer-based organization made up of over 300 active supporters, is working closely with the owners to continuously improve and maintain the infrastructure of Muir Valley.
Friends of Muir Valley would like to remind visitors that climbing on private land is a privilege. To help mitigate the impacts of the growing number of visitors, dogs are no longer allowed at the Preserve. Please leave your dog at home. Also, please practice Leave no Trace climbing ethics.
For more information on low-impact climbing practices, visit www.accessfund.org/boulderproject/coex.php. For more information on Friends of Muir Valley, visit www.friendsofmuirvalley.org/.
LAC Final Meeting Scheduled, Red River Gorge, KY (02/14/2008)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
On Tuesday February 19, 2008 the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) process for Red River Gorge will wrap up in one final review meeting at the Daniel Boone National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Winchester, Kentucky. The last two LAC meetings held in January 2008 have focused on potential management actions if recreational impacts exceed LAC standards. In relation to climbing, 245 “climbsites” in Red River Gorge have been found to have measurable impacts but only 25 of theses sites exceed LAC standards. A “climbsite” is a staging area at the base of one or more climbing routes. Proposed management actions to mitigate impacts above standards include trail relocation, climbsite modifications using native materials to reduce size and erosion, and site hardening using non-native materials. Additional management actions in support of the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition’s goal to improve all climbsites include signage, education efforts, and evaluation of ways to reduce impacts even where LAC standards are not exceeded.
Undoubtedly the results of the Red River Gorge LAC process are precedent setting and not just for climbing. Throughout the process climbers have worked hard to make sure that LAC efforts to limit impacts do not at the same time limit climbing. The final results of LAC are expected to lead to a Climbing Management Plan that will provide procedures and guidelines for new routes and areas to be developed. This outcome would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of the climbers involved in almost monthly meetings over the last three years: Dwight Bradburn, RRGCC Treasurer; Shannon Stuart-Smith; past RRGCC Executive Director and Board Member; Jim Holzman, past RRGCC Board Member; Chris Carr, Recreational Ecologist; and Rita Wehner, USFS Backcountry Ranger.
Red River Gorge, KY – LAC Process Nears Completion (12/13/2007)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
The Limits of Acceptable Change process for Red River Gorge is nearing an end. After two more LAC Workshops scheduled for January 2008, the recommended alternative is expected to be given to Daniel Boone Forest Supervisor, Jerome Perez for a final decision. The alternative that the LAC group strongly supports is Alternative 2, Balance Recreation and Protection of Resources. The end of the LAC process brings climbers hope that the development of new sport routes in the Gorge will be allowed to resume. A moratorium on new sport route development has been in place for almost five years. The moratorium was initiated during the revision of the Forest Plan for the entire forest and was extended through the three year LAC process.
Another ongoing Forest Service process of interest to climbers is the development of a Heritage Resource Management Plan for Red River Gorge. LAC participants were updated on the status of this process by Forest Archaeologist, Chris Jenkins during the most recent workshop held on December 6, 2007. Mr. Jenkins explained that he is currently working on digesting an 800-page report documenting heritage resources in the Gorge. He said that he needs a couple more months working on the report before he can write the management plan. He thinks that after he is through digesting the report, he can write the Heritage Resource Management Plan in about six weeks. Throughout these Forest Service processes the RRGCC has periodically consulted with the Access Fund’s Policy Director, Jason Keith.
Petzl Roc Trip Brings In Over $30,000 to Preserve Recreational Access, KY (11/16/2007)
Joint Petzl/Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition press release
This fall Petzl America and the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition (RRGCC) made history with an unprecedented effort to preserve climbing and recreational access in eastern Kentucky. By joining forces for this year’s annual Rocktoberfest fundraiser and climbers’ festival, Petzl and the RRGCC raised over $32,000––a ten-fold increase from last year’s event earnings and more than triple the initial goal of raising $10,000 for the RRGCC. Fundraising power was bolstered by a $10,000 matching grant from the Petzl Foundation that provided added incentive for climbers to pitch in for climbing and recreation access in the Red River Gorge area.
In 2004, climbers and advocates of the RRGCC purchased the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve, a 750-acre plot of undeveloped land now being developed for climbing, hiking, mountain-biking, and human-powered recreation access. On October 12–14, an international crowd of nearly 1,000 climbers gathered for a weekend of clinics, competitions, and celebration. The money raised during the Rocktoberfest weekend will help cover the RRGCC’s annual $29,000 mortgage payment (due through 2013) to protect the Pendergrass-Murray Preserve. Without funds to cover the yearly mortgage, the preserve could fall into the hands of interested oil developers, which would shut down climbing on the land.
Fundraising by climbers to preserve access even made national headlines! This year’s RocTrip/Rocktoberfest’s philanthropy efforts piqued the interest of National Public Radio’s It’s Only A Game. A segment covering Rocktoberfest aired on the nationally broadcast radio program on October 27. Globally, the event generated buzz on 8a (www.8a.nu), the Internet’s most widely trafficked sport-climbing site, which now spotlights the Red River Gorge as a world-class climbing destination.
“This year’s Petzl RocTrip showed what can be done when a company with heart and soul gets behind something it believes in,” says Robb Shurr, Director of Marketing and Business Development for the Access Fund, a national non-profit organization dedicated to keeping climbing areas open and preserving the climbing environment. “Having places to climb is fundamental to Petzl’s business, but they took it one step further and got behind a local access issue with national importance and really pushed for success. It’s exactly this sort of involvement, vision, and stewardship that will keep climbing and recreational areas preserved and viable for the future.” Shurr continues, “The Access Fund has always been proud to have Petzl as one of its biggest and longest standing partners—we’re especially proud after seeing the success of this year’s RocTrip.”
“We owe the success of this event to the local community––the volunteers, the RRGCC Board, area businesses, and the 1,000-plus people who came out and put dollars down in support of the Pendergrass-Murray Preserve,” says John Evans, Marketing Director for Petzl America. “I highly recommend other outdoor companies include this outstanding grassroots event in their outreach programs for 2008. I guarantee Petzl will be back to support this great cause.”
The success of Petzl RocTrip/Rocktoberfest 2007 was supported by The Access Fund, Avery Brewing Company, Five Ten, Keen, the climber-friendly Miguel’s Pizza, La Sportiva, Prana, Red Bull, Red River Gorge Cabin Rentals, Red River Outdoors, Rock and Ice magazine, Sterling Ropes, and The Warrior’s Way/Desiderata Institute.
Petzl Roc Trip, now in its sixth year, successfully brings the international climbing community together in celebration of the sport, from New York’s Shawangunks to British Columbia’s Squamish to Kalymnos, Greece and Millau in the south of France. Open to climbers of all ability levels, the 2007 Petzl Roc Trip/Rocktoberfest featured competitions, clinics, and celebrations of climbing; raised funds and awareness for local and national access issues; and drew over 35 high-profile, sponsored climbing athletes.
Fires and Crowds at Red River Gorge, KY (10/11/2007)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
Fall is typically fire season in Kentucky, and a severe drought this summer has created particularly dangerous fire conditions. After a lightning-induced fire started above the popular Funk Rock City crag in the Clifty Wilderness, the USFS temporarily closed the area to climbing on September 7, 2007. This fire grew from about 5 acres to over 18 acres, and burning snags falling from the top of the cliff burned 1 to 2 acres at the cliff base. The fire eventually burned out, and the Forest Service reopened the area to climbing on October 1, 2007.
Then on October 4, 2007, the Forest Service issued a 120-day ban on all open fires outside of developed recreation areas in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The governor of Kentucky has also issued a statewide ban on all open burning. Due to the fire danger, the private Muir Valley climbing area has instituted a temporary ban on smoking and all sources of open flames.
The Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition (RRGCC)-owned Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve (PMRP) does not allow open fires at any time on the property. Forest fires burned portions of both Muir Valley and the PMRP last fall. Please respect the fire bans and refrain from smoking no matter where you are climbing in the Red River Gorge.
Over Labor Day and, more recently, over the Columbus Day / Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, Muir Valley experienced large crowds that resulted in a serious parking problem. As a result, Muir Valley has issued the following parking guidelines: 1. Please park responsibly. Don’t leave 3/4 of a space between your car and the adjacent one. 2. Don’t park off of the graveled parking lot anywhere adjacent to it. 3. Don’t block other cars or the entrance to the maintenance building. 4. Weekends this fall you may park down the hill past the barn in the lower meadow, unless there has been a recent rain.
In other news, Muir Valley is holding their annual trail day on November 10, 2007. More information about the Muir Valley, their trail day, and how you can contribute to maintaining this area can be found on these websites: www.muirvalley.com and www.friendsofmuirvalley.org.
Red River Gorge, KY Update (08/15/2007)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
With the 2007 mortgage payment for the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve (PMRP) out of the way, the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition has been preparing for two major events coming up this fall, the Mountain Gear UCLIMB being held the weekend of September 15 & 16 and the Petzl Roc Trip at Rocktoberfest being held the weekend of October 12-14.
In other news, the Military Wall Cliffline Protection and Restoration Project was removed from consideration for its 2008 budget due to the transfer of the staff person preparing the environmental assessment. Due to transfers and retirements the Daniel Boone National Forest, many Districts are severely understaffed, especially the Redbird District, this position may not be filled immediately, however the USFS has indicated that may pick the project back up once it has adequate staffing.
Dogs: A Continued Access Problem in Red River Gorge, KY (07/16/2007)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director, Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
Muir Valley Nature Preserve is a 400-acre piece of private land with 7+ miles of cliff line near Red River Gorge, Kentucky that the owners, Rick and Liz Weber, have graciously opened for climbing development. Upon opening the area to climbing they institute the following rule with regards to dogs:
“Dogs must be kept on leashes at all times everywhere in Muir Valley. They must be restrained at the base of climbs such that they cannot interfere with and/or distract belayers or damage plants in the area”
Due to continuing problems with dogs at Muir Valley, Rick Weber posted the following announcement on the www.redriverclimbing.com website:
“Effective January 1, 2008, dogs will no longer be permitted in Muir Valley. This date can and will be moved up if flagrant infractions and incidents continue. Until then, dog owners who disregard the leash rule will lose visitor privileges.
Rick”
Climbers not following the dog rule at Torrent Falls were one of the primary reasons that public access to climbing there was closed. Again, we are reminded of why it is important know and follow all rules when climbing in the Red River Gorge area regardless of whether on public or private land. If these rules are ignored, more restrictions or even closure may follow.
Update on Red River Gorge, KY (05/15/2007)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve (PMRP) The Red River Reunion and a grant from Patagonia secured the funds for RRGCC owned Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve (PMRP) 2007 mortgage payment. The Patagonia grant was received with the assistance of the Benchmark Outdoor Outfitters of Cincinnati, Ohio. Our sincere thanks go to all of the climbers and businesses who contributed to the 2007 fundraising effort.
On May 7 the RRGCC, Charmane Oil and Lee County agreed to work together to provide maintenance needs for Bald Rock Fork Road aka the road to the Motherlode, Sore Heel Hollow, Bob Marley, and Drive-By areas of the PMRP. The RRGCC Board approved a motion to provide Charmane up to $2,000 to defray material costs for maintaining the roads on the PMRP that are used by climbers.
In order to maintain positive relations between the three parties, climbers are asked to drive slowly, yield to other vehicles, and not obstruct oil facilities or vehicles. For climbers visiting the PMRP during the week if oil vehicles are blocking the road, climbers should consider going to another crag. It is also asked that climbers think about carpooling to the PMRP/Motherlode areas, use a 4WD vehicle or other vehicle that is capable of negotiating these roads, and show common courtesy to oil workers and others driving in the area.
Finally, the RRGCC is monitoring ownership issues regarding the renowned Motherlode sport climbing crag. The local owners of the land have told RRGCC representatives that they have separately sold the mineral rights for the property and that they intend to make surface rights available on eBay Reserve.
Torrent Falls
Torrent Falls is being purchased by climber and Red River Gorge hero Dr. Bob Matheny. Dr. Matheny will use the main bed and breakfast building at Torrent as his personal vacation home. The cabins on the property will still be available for rental through a management company. The current Torrent owners, Mark and Kathy Meyer will continue to operate their barbecue and climbing adventure business on the property next door. As the Meyers have been living in the main building at Torrent, climbing will continue to be limited to paid guests until they find a new home. After the purchase is finalized in a closing, conditions for a partial reopening of climbing will be announced.
Hope for Access, Torrent Falls, KY (04/19/2007)
Pending final approval of the loan and closing, Torrent Falls has been purchased by Bob Matheny (Dr. Bob) with the assistance of Matt and Amy Tackett. Mark Meyers and his family will continue to live at Torrent and the area is not currently open for climbing. Details regarding long term access for climbing are being worked out and will be announced when available.
RRGCC Fundraising Challenge, KY (04/19/2007)
By RRGC BOD
The Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition has had an anonymous benefactor volunteer to provide up to $5,000 in matching funds towards the 2007 Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve payment due on July 15, 2007. To help get our fundraising efforts underway and ensure we make our goals for 2007 they have agreed to the following challenge setup to add some fun and excitement to fundraising effort:
This challenge will run for three more months—April, May, & June 2007—and the challenge amount for each month will be $1,250.
For each month if $1,250 is raised by the end of the month then that amount will be matched with $1,250 from the benefactor.
The postmark date will be considered the contribution date for mailed payments.
Whoever contributes the largest amount each month or those responsible for the largest fundraising event, whichever is greater, will be recognized as the "RRGCC Fundraiser of the Month.” They will receive a gift package of appreciation consisting a climbing related DVD and a t-shirt at a minimum.
We are working on getting some other goodies to put in these packages and will let everyone know what they are as the packages are put together.
Home gym fundraisers were very effective last year as well as climber funded slideshows. Use your imagination, get your partners together and have some fun. Let's use this generous offer to help us continue to secure the largest, and one of the best, climber owned climbing area in the US.
For donation information see: www.rrgcc.org/membership.php
Thanks For Your Support!
Sending “The Business” in Red River Gorge, KY (03/12/2007)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
As of Mid-February 2007 almost $16,000 had been collected towards the annual mortgage payment for the RRGCC owned Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve (PMRP) in Lee County, Kentucky. With the annual payment of $29,393 due on July 15, the RRGCC is continuing to ramp up its efforts to secure this purchase (For donation info see: www.rrgcc.org/membership.php.
The PMRP, with over 700-acres of land, is home to well over 300 routes with new lines being discovered and developed weekly. At the end of 2006, the first 5.14c in Red River Gorge was established when Mike Doyle redpointed “Lucifer” at the Purgatory area of the PMRP.
Equally important, the US Forest Service has stepped up the pace of the Red River Gorge Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) workshops. Currently on Step 6 of the nine-step process, participation by local climbers is key to maintaining climbing access on Federally owned land in the Gorge. Now meeting more than once a month, workshop participants are presently working to “identify alternative opportunity zone allocations.” At the heart of these meetings is an effort to find a solution that works for all stakeholders, the main options being: 1) emphasis on resource protection; 2) balance between resource protection and recreation; 3) emphasis on recreation and tourism; and 4) no action.
Finally the RRGCC has scheduled two Adopt-A-Crag Day events for 2007. The first event will be held in conjunction with the Red River Reunion being held at Miguel’s Pizza & Rock Climbing in Slade, KY on April 21, 2007. In keeping with the spirit of Earth Day, this Adopt-A-Crag Day will have a Gorge-wide Trash Clean-up and Scavenging Contest. Contestants will present their most interesting pieces of trash to be judged by the crowd that evening at Miguel’s.
Also, this year the 3rd Annual John Bronaugh & Alex Yeakley Adopt-A-Crag Day will be held on August 4, 2007 at the PMRP. This event is devoted to developing new routes and supporting trail development. Held since 2005, this day honors the legacy of the late John Bronaugh and the passion for climbing that he shared with his late son Alex Yeakley.
Closure Threat Becomes Reality at Torrent Falls, KY (12/15/2006)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition
In response to continued disrespectful behavior by some climbers, the owners of Torrent Falls, a popular Red River Gorge crag, have decided to close the area to unrestricted climbing.
Guests renting a cabin at Torrent Falls resort may still climb on the property. This closure was announced and made effective on Friday, November 24, 2006.
When the closure was first threatened earlier this spring, the RRGCC convinced the owners to write a set of rules and give climbers a chance to show that they could follow them. Unfortunately not all climbers were following the rules.
Recent flagrant incidents cited by the owners in explaining their reasons for moving forward with the closure included someone who leashed their dog to a “No Dogs Allowed” sign. Another disturbing incident occurred when the owners were showing close friends around their property and came across a woman urinating out in the open despite the fact that the owners have provided a port-o-let for use by climbers.
In addition to the Torrent rules having been posted in the parking area as well as the RRGCC kiosk at Miguel’s, the rules and the tenuous situation at Torrent was made widely known to the climbing community on various websites, in the Access Fund e-news, and in the RRGCC newsletter.
All indications are that 2006 was the busiest season yet for the Red River Gorge. While the RRGCC will look at ways to improve climber education about access issues during its’ planning for 2007, we are somewhat at a loss as to how to deal with climbers who blatantly disregarded very simple and common sense behavioral guidelines that could have kept Torrent open.
We ask that climbers please respect the tough decision made by Mark and Kathy Meyer to discontinue open climbing access at Torrent. Also please remember that disrespectful behavior and failure to follow rules at any climbing area in Red River Gorge, whether on private or public land, has the potential to negatively affect access.
Know whose property you are climbing on and what is expected of you as a guest on that property. Detailed information on the various areas and guidelines are readily available in Ray Ellington’s Red River Gorge guidebook.
Climber’s Proposal for LAC Accepted, KY (11/14/2006)
By Bill Strachan, Executive Director Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition
At the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) Workshop held on October 24, 2006 in Winchester, KY climbers presented a proposal regarding standards for climbing in Red River Gorge. This proposal was accepted by the overall LAC group with no changes except for the correction of a couple of typographical errors. At the beginning of the meeting RRGCC Board member Shannon Stuart-Smith made a presentation first about climbing in general and then specifically about climbing in Red River Gorge. This was followed with Bill Strachan presenting the LAC standards developed by climbers.
The proposal developed by climbers limits the amount of impact that can occur both at a “climbsite” and at a “climbing-area” before a management action must be considered by the Forest Service. A “climb-site” is a staging area at the base of one or more climbing routes and a “climbing area” is a grouping of closely spaced “climb-sites”. A key aspect to this proposal is the concept that the Forest Service will look at approving new climbing on an area basis instead of the current route by route basis. The proposal also allows for the installation of new bolts in areas approved by the Forest Service except for areas located in a “Pristine” zone. For areas that are located in a “Pristine” zone, existing bolts will be allowed to remain or be replaced. All existing climbing areas within the scope of LAC are considered to be approved pending the completion of surveys for cultural and biological resources. Any new areas proposed by climbers will have to be surveyed before climbing development can proceed.
Many thanks go to everyone involved in the climbers working group that put together the proposed LAC standards for climbing. This working group consisted of current RRGCC Board members Shannon Stuart-Smith and Dwight Bradburn; past RRGCC President, Jim Holzman; Chris Carr; Rita Wehner; and myself, Bill Strachan. Many hours were spent in meetings and in phone calls hashing out the final proposal. Thanks also to Jason Keith, Access Fund Policy Director for his involvement in reviewing our work. The non-climbers involved in the LAC process offered compliments on the thoughtfulness and effort made by climbers in putting together their proposal.
New River Gorge GMP Update; Lawsuit Challenges Proposed Land Development, WV (11/14/2006)
National Park Service (NPS) continues its General Management Plan (GMP) process for West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River. The GMP is the foundation for decision making in the park for the next fifteen to twenty years. The purpose of the GMP is to ensure that the park has a clearly defined management direction for resource conservation and visitor use that will affect climbing and camping opportunities. While many climbing specific issues were dealt with in a recent climbing management plan (http://www.nps.gov/archive/neri/cmp/index.htm), this GMP could override any decisions in the climbing plan as well as provide for trails and much needed camping for climbers.
In November the NPS held a series of public meetings that were attended by representatives from the New River Alliance of Climbers www.newriverclimbing.net/, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Plateau Action Network who is challenging a local zoning decision to allow a luxury home development on the rim of the gorge that would significantly alter the unique viewshed forever. For more information or to get involved in the GMP process at the New River Gorge, see http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkID=259&projectId=11040.
The controversial housing proposal planned for the rim of the New River Gorge has seen a number of recent legal developments. The Plateau Action Network (PAN) is a coalition of local interests including the New River Alliance of Climbers. From the beginning PAN supported a reasonable version of the development proposal that did not impact the world class view of the Gorge. PAN believes that a high a quality residential development adjacent to the New River Gorge can proceed in a way that also protects the valuable resources of the park including the distinctive viewshed. The NPS agrees with this position, expressing significant concern that this development should be planned in a way that enhances the local economy but doesn’t diminish the asset that keeps people coming back to the region. See www.hintonnews.net/state/060605-shns-nrg.html or listen to a recent NPR story at www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5498888 to get more background. The boating community has also been concerned with this potential change to the scenery at the New River Gorge http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/1281/.
Although developers tell the public that “no houses would be visible from any ground level point in the park,” a sophisticated, computer generated viewshed analysis produced by the NPS shows that nearly 80 home sites would be visible along the rim of the gorge. In addition, the county’s decision whether to allow this development proposal will likely set a president for at least two other development proposals which could amount to as many as 1,800 new homes. Consideration of these long term effects is the substance of PAN’s legal appeals which challenge the decision of a local zoning officer who ruled that the local development code contained no provisions to consider viewshed despite clear language which states that “outstanding views” may be taken into account in zoning decisions. The zoning officer also declared that the public would have to pay the developer if any building plans were prohibited by the county, even though existing state law contradicts this position. Accordingly, last summer PAN joined forces with other organizations including the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) and brought an unsuccessful appeal to a zoning board despite an admission of “oversight” in interpreting the development code state compensation requirements for county zoning rejections. Nonetheless, the county zoning board affirmed the decision to approve the development proposal.
Legal gyrations continued into the fall when PAN and NPCA considered an appeal the Circuit Court of Fayette County in their continuing quest to preserve the New River Gorge viewshed. Hoping to prevent this public appeal, the developer threatened to sue PAN (and some of its individual members) for “tortuous interference,” a legal action that some believe to be a SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). SLAPP suits can cause a chilling affect on the right of individuals to participate in the public process. To win this “tortuous interference” lawsuit, the developer would have to show that PAN was acting with malice; most SLAPPs are ultimately unsuccessful, but nonetheless they are often threatened because they can intimidate potential plaintiffs into withdrawing their otherwise constitutional right to petition the government for “redress of grievances.”
In late October PAN agreed to withdraw its appeal after the Fayette County Commission unanimously approved a resolution that responded to many of PAN’s concerns about how the county considers future development along the New River Gorge. The resolution “indicates the need to work closely with public land managers to ensure that developments moving forward protect our public lands, are compatible with park values, and reinforces the need to protect scenic views that lure thousands of visitors annually to New River Gorge.” Furthermore, the resolution also recognized the need to follow the state’s process for public engagement in planning decisions for development surrounding the New. “It's not too late for the [land development company] to be good neighbors, and remove these controversial lots from the park’s viewshed,” said Joy Oakes, Senior Regional Director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “The ball is in their court.” For more information on this increasingly complicated legal process that could affect the experiences of climbers at the New River Gorge, see www.plateauactionnetwork.org/.
Torrent Falls, KY Faces New Threat (08/16/2006)
After weathering a threatened closure earlier this spring due to problems with climber behavior, the popular Torrent Falls crag in Red River Gorge faces a new threat from the proposed sale of the property.
At the beginning of August, Mark Meyer the owner of Torrent Falls announced his intention to put the property on the market on September 1st, 2006. There is no guarantee that the next owner will be climber friendly. In fact the previous owner who developed the bed and breakfast on the property had closed the climbing area during their tenure.
The Torrent Falls crag has 47 routes ranging in difficulty from 5.6 to 5.13. It is a popular sport climbing destination due to its ease of access and the quality of the climbing including the five star Porter Jarrard routes Centerfire (5.11c), Bare Metal Teen (5.12a), Steelworker (5.12c), Racer X (5.12d) and Dave Hume’s rarely repeated five star route Paranoia (5.13b).
The entire property for sale amounts to 42 acres and, in addition to the crag, bed and breakfast, and cabins, includes the only true European Via Ferratta in the United States. The asking price for the property is $900,000. For details of the existing commercial operations being conducted on the property please visit: www.torrentfalls.com/
The RRGCC and the Access Fund are interested in seeing that the property is transferred to a climbing friendly owner. If you or someone you know would be interested in pursuing this opportunity, please call and leave a message on Bill Strachan’s voice mail at 1-888-804-1439 and he will return your call with contact information for Mark Meyer.