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Current News and Updates
Friends of Indian Creek is Accepting Board Member Nominations
Friends of Indian Creek will be accepting nominations for new board members. We have 1-2 positions to be filled in September of 2010. FOIC is looking for nominees with the motivation to be involved with climber related issues in the Indian Creek corridor. If you are committed to supporting Indian Creek, a self-starter, and have a little extra time to dedicate to occasional meetings and other support functions, then this may be something that you would be interested in. Please note that the term for board members is a minimum of two years. Please direct question and nominations to info@friendsofindiancreek.org.
The Wall and 75 Cairns Wall - Temporary Nesting Closure
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has documented a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons near The Wall and 75 Cairns climbing areas. These raptors are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the BLM is required to protect these raptors from activities that may cause stress and/or nest abandonment. Therefore, the entire portion of The Wall and 75 Cairns Wall climbing areas will be closed until August 31, 2010. Closure signs have been placed in the area and on all the kiosks along Indian Creek. Thank you for your help in protecting our natural resources. If you have any questions, please contact Tammy Wallace, Wildlife Biologist for the BLM Monticello Field Office at 435-587-1527.
See map: DOWNLOAD
New Indian Creek Corridor Camping Rules
BLM RIGHT TO ISSUE CAMPING RULES
Written: Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management announced new rules for camping on BLM land. They make perfect sense, in part because they do not really apply to camping at all.
What is being addressed is not camping for a few days to enjoy the outdoors, but actually living on public lands. The BLM is right to limit that.
A lot of seasonal jobs pencil out pretty well if a person can live rent free. And in years past, Durango has seen entire tent cities spring up on public lands for exactly that reason.
To limit that, regulations published in 1990 limit campers to 14 days on any one site. After that, they must move to another location at least three miles away and cannot return to the first place for at least seven days.
The new rules keep the 14-day limit, but change the other requirements to 30 miles and 30 days. That effectively changes the post-14-day requirement from "shuffle around" to "go away."
With the three-mile rule, too many people could simply move back and forth between sites, perhaps repeatedly trading with friends. Not being able to return for 30 days, though, means multiple sites would be needed. And 30 miles makes the underlying economics harder to work out.
Good. Public lands are not an alternative to rentals. Long-term "camping" damages the land. Heavy use tramples vegetation, and there is increased risk of fire and sanitation problems. Where true campers may drive in and out of the site from time to time, people using the land as housing probably have a daily commute, with further affects.
Allowing long-term squatting is not fair to the land, its nonhuman occupants or its owners - the taxpayers who have to pay for cleaning up after those "campers" leave.
The BLM did the right thing.
Jason Keith
Policy Director
The Access Fund
Tel: 303-325-5936
Closure of Routes In Arches NP Across Colorado River from Hwy 128
Climbing routes are temporarily closed approximately 2 miles upstream fromthe US 191 bridge across the Colorado River. Closure began on May 13 and remains in effect until July 31, 2010.
Closed routes are Pergrine's Pillar (aka Trail of the Navajao, aka Princess) through Hyena.
Read the memorandum from the Arches NP Superintendent. PDF Download.
Raptor Nesting: Slug, Reservoir, Cat Walls Closed Through August 2010!
Below is the BLM update for Spring 2010 regarding raptor nesting. The BLM has worked hard to support climbing at Indian Creek, so please respect their wall closure.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has documented a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons near the Reservoir Wall and Cat Wall climbing areas. These raptors are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the BLM is required to protect these raptors from activities that may cause stress and/or nest abandonment. Therefore, the entire portion of Reservoir Wall, Slug Wall, and Cat Wall climbing areas, as well as the access roads into the area will be closed until August 31, 2010. Closure signs have been placed in the area and on all the kiosks along Indian Creek.
Thank you for your help in protecting our natural resources. If you have any questions, please contact Tammy Wallace, Wildlife Biologist for the BLM Monticello Field Office at 435-587-1527.
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/monticello.html
New Message Board
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There is a brand new and more convenient message now at the Beef Basin junction. Thanks to the BLM for installing this. Please do not place tape on the board and treat it with respect... it's for you!
Cat Wall Area Closed to Camping
The Cat Wall area (including parking) has been closed to camping for a long time. Please respect this closure and camp in permitted sites.
New Cattle Guards at Superbowl and Creek Pasture
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This keeps any cattle out of the camping! No fresh patties on the tent pads and when you step out of your car.
Route Closures To Protect Archaeological Remains
Friends of Indian Creek is supporting the BLM in their decision to close a few climbs on the Battle of the Bulge and Supercrack Butress. This is not a new standard, but an exception.
• Supercrack Buttress: A couple of fairly obscure climbs have been closed. Signs are posted in front of these. The names of these routes are unknown.
• Battle of the Bulge Buttress: The Ruins Crack is closed. A sign in posted in front of the route.
Please respect these closures. There are hundreds of other high quality climbs at Indian Creek.
