Montana Breaking News
Hyalite Canyon Road Re-Opened for Ice Climbing Bozeman, MT (01/14/2008)
By Joe Josephson, Access Fund Regional Coordinator, MT
Following the recent closure of the Hyalite Canyon Road by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the resulting loss of ice climbing access in the Hyalite area, local climbing activists rallied to persuade USFS to reopen the road for day-use access into this ice climbing Mecca.
As a result, on January 3, 2008, the Bozeman Ranger District reopened the Hyalite Road much to the satisfaction of ice climbers, backcountry skiers, and other winter recreation enthusiasts. The re-opening restores the hard-earned access to the upper reaches of the canyon originally obtained by the Southwest Montana Climbers Coalition. The USFS, City of Bozeman, and Gallatin County view the current situation as a test-run for future management of Hyalite in winter.
The road issue at Hyalite has a long and contentious history. USFS has pushed to close the road while a broad range of local Bozeman interests have lobbied for access.
Local ice climbers and backcountry skiers hope that these latest developments signal a compromise that will allow for future recreational access in the Hyalite area. For more background and information on this issue, see www.montanaclimbers.org or Email: joe@firstascentpress.com.
Update on Lost Horse Crag, MT (01/14/2008)
As a result of continued political activism on the part of the Bitterroot Climbers Coalition, the Ravalli County Commissioners indefinitely tabled (i.e suspended) their vote on a proposal to re-open mining at the Lost Horse Quarry. The proposal would have authorized mining at the quarry, a popular climbing and recreation area for at least five years.
The Commissioners' decision to table the vote represents a big victory for climbers who lobbied vigorously against the proposal. Because the Commissioners decided to suspend the vote as opposed to actually voting against it, climbers may need to mobilize against the proposal in the future.
The climbers are now focusing their organizing efforts on turning the quarry into a climbing park. If you want to help, please email a brief message to bitterrootclimbers@gmail.com.
You can also help right away by sending a letter to the Darby Ranger station. Please tell District Ranger Chuck Oliver that you support the effort to turn Lost Horse Quarry and its surrounding areas into a recognized climbing recreation area.
Chuck Oliver, District Ranger
Darby Ranger District
P.O. Box 388
Darby, MT 59828
Lost Horse Canyon Update, MT (11/16/2007)
By Steve Porcella, Bitterroot Climbers Coalition
Things are looking bad for Lost Horse (see www.accessfund.org/display/page/AA/74 for background). Currently the Ravalli County Road Department has submitted a new proposal to the Commissioners to mine rip rap for 5 years. However, because no financial numbers are attached to this proposal and because the last proposal’s costs were grossly over projected, the Bitterroot Climbers Coalition’s (BCC) focus is on repudiating this new proposal as another ill-planned scheme that will surely cost the citizens of Ravalli County too much money while also destroying a valuable recreational asset.
The Lost Horse homeowners are again providing numbers that say Lost Horse rip rap mining is more expensive than the local quarry owners are offering to provide the County. The BCC is asking everyone to send letters to Bitterroot Star, Ravalli Republic and County Commissioners saying that this new proposal is yet again more expensive than what local quarry owners are offering and is a waste of county tax payer money.
The BCC feels confident if we focus on the underlying fiscal implications of this proposal the three commissioners will vote against this new proposal. For more information see www.bitterrootclimbers.org or email steve@bitterrootclimbers.org
Lost Horse Canyon, MT (09/13/2007)
By Steve Porcella, Bitterroot Climbers Coalition
Lost Horse Crag in the Bitterroot Mountain remains at risk of being mined. This mining proposal has been deadlocked by an even vote of the Ravalli County Commission. Ravalli County Commissioner Kathleen Driscoll is the one abstainer in the currently tied vote (2 vs 2 out of 5 total commissioners) on whether to proceed on the Lost Horse Mining Proposal (slated to start Oct. 2007). Driscoll remains undecided while she waits for cost estimate numbers for mining road gravel at the old Lost Horse quarry versus other gravel pits throughout the county. For more background, see www.accessfund.org/display/page/AA/74.
The Bitterroot Climbers Coalition, www.bitterrootclimbers.org, urges climbers to continue writing to Driscoll. Make it known that citizens and visitors to the Bitterroot Valley and Lost Horse Canyon do not want this issue to be determined by the price of gravel, but rather upon the preservation of the unique recreational and outdoor attributes of Lost Horse Canyon. This important deciding vote should not be cast dependant upon if money will be saved for gravel mining but instead on the long term impacts to the Canyon from an active gravel mining operation and how this proposed industrial site will negatively impact all recreational use and interests in the area. Also worth mentioning are the negative health and safety aspects of running such an operation on a narrow dirt road and the loss of property values for local residents.
Take action now! Write Kathleen Driscoll at the address below. Lost Horse is the best climbing, bouldering, and cragging area in Montana. Operation of this quarry for the next 10 years or more will effectively halt all access to the climbing and destroy a unique recreational area in the heart of the Bitterroot Mountains.
See Joe Josephson's website: www.firstascentpress.com for more information and to order advance copies of the Lost Horse Climbing guide, available in late September.
Write your letters to:
Attn: Kathleen Driscoll
Glenda Wiles, Administrative Assistant
Ravalli County Commissioners Office
215 S. 4th Street, Suite A
Hamilton, MT 59840
Consider the following points in your letter:
•The climbing resources at Lost Horse are very valuable to climbers locally, regionally, and across the country. This is the best climbing area in the state.
•Re-activation of the quarry will negatively impact the scenic nature of the area, produce noise, disrupt wildlife such as migrating herds, wolverine that migrate through canyon, and peregrine falcons (which nest on the cliff), create a bigger footprint scar in the area (2-3 times bigger and deeper) and basically make the area too dangerous or impossible for climbing.
•The Forest Service proposal does not recognize or consider the unique recreational asset of Lost Horse, nor the hundreds of climbers, land owners,
and other users in the area. They do not realize climbers and many other users enjoy Lost Horse every month of the year and grossly underestimate the safety and egress issues (access from an upper observation point).
See www.accessfund.org/pdf/losthorse.pdf to view the Access Fund’s opposition letter.
Help Save Lost Horse Crag from County Quarry Proposal, MT (06/18/2007)
The Lost Horse Crag in Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest could face demolition if the US Forest Service agrees to a county’s proposed quarry. Last mined in the 60s or 70s, the Lost Horse Quarry has since turned into one of Montana’s premier multi-pitch climbing areas. See www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2007/06/07/.... The proposed plan would expand the old quarry at Lost Horse, install gates, restrict access, and impose season closures from October through April annually for 10 years.
Send your comments on the proposal by July 9, 2007
to Chuck Oliver, District Ranger at Darby Ranger District P.O. Box 388, Darby, MT 59829. For more information, contact the Bitterroot Climbers' Coalition’s Steve Porcella at bitterrootclimbers@gmail.com, or Elizabeth Ballard, Stevensville Ranger District, Bitterroot National Forest, at (406) 777-7421.
Climbing Access to Allen Spur, MT (04/19/2007)
By Tom Kalakay
In 2004, after many years of closure, the Allen Spur climbing crag was reopened. The reestablishment of climbing at Allen Spur came after much hard work by SMCC members who negotiated an easement with landowners, surveyed the trail location and constructed trails to the crag. Now, less than 3 years later, closure of the crag is once again possible.
Recently, a few careless individuals have been accessing the crag via routes other than those built and maintained by SMCC. In other words, they are trespassing in order to make their hike shorter. This is a strict violation of the easement agreement SMCC has with landowner Hilda Harper. If this activity continues, landowners will have little choice but to once again close the crags.
The climbing access at Allen Spur is simple.
1) Park only at Carter Bridge fishing access. For the month of April, 2007 the Montana FWP will be doing construction to expand the Carter Bridge access site. Please do not block construction machinery during that time.
2) After parking, walk north on the gravel road marked 'private drive'. Continue walking until you pass a small culvert. Turn right, after the culvert, onto a marked climbers trail. Follow the trail along a fence line, cross a gravel road and continue uphill past several switch-backs. You will then be on BLM land where the trail turns south and continues to the climbing areas.
Despite rumors to the contrary, this is the only legal climbing access to Allen Spur crags. DO NOT drive on the gravel road beyond Carter Bridge access. DO NOT access the crags by 'shortcutting' straight to the crags from East River Road. Both of these routes require trespassing across private land. Those who choose to trespass run the risk of arrest and may also cause landowners to close the area once and for all.
If you see or know of someone who insists on violating SMCC's easement agreement you should tell them to stop, or report them to authorities.
A map showing access at Allen Spur in detail is available for download at:cobalt.rocky.edu/~geology/allen_spur_access.pdf
Hyalite Canyon Ice Climbing Update, MT (04/19/2007)
In February the Southwestern Montana Climbers Coalition http://montanaclimbers.org appealed a USFS decision in the Gallatin Travel Management Plan that significantly restricts ice climbing access in Hyalite Canyon.
The USFS decision would install a gate in lower Hyalite Canyon effectively turning what were day climbs into at least an overnight endeavor that most climbers wouldn’t do, especially those without snowmobiles. The SMCC appeal, which seeks to eliminate the gate proposal and identify a long terms access solution, is supported by the backcountry skiing community, statewide politicians and community leaders, the motorized community, and basically every other interest group. Access Fund assistance in support of the SMCC included reviewing their USFS appeal, and assistance with lobbying strategy and Congressional meetings in both Montana and Washington, DC.
A recent resolution conference between the SMCC and USFS offered a 4-point proposal: (1) prioritize plowing on the Hyalite Road; (2) work with ice climbers and other groups to determine “standards” for when it would be appropriate to gate the road; (3) re-route a “snowmobile alternative” for accessing backcountry ice routes; and (4) hold off implementing the part of the travel plan affecting ice climbers until #2 and #3 are in place. As a result of this compromise proposal the SMCC agreed to not file for judicial review as long as the good faith conversations and negotiations are moving forward between climbers and the USFS. The SMCC will not, however, withdraw its appeal prior to an acceptable settlement.
Access To Hyalite Canyon Ice Climbing In Jeopardy (01/11/2007)
By Emily Stifler
The new Gallatin National Forest travel plan severely threatens access to the world-class ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman, Montana. The plan closes and gates Hyalite Canyon road, the only reasonable access road to the ice climbing, between January 1 and May 15. This decision effectively reduces a 5-month ice climbing season to five weeks, eliminates 77% of all ice climbing and over 92% of the beginner and intermediate climbs in the Bozeman area.
How you can help:
1.Take a 5 minute survey
The Southwestern Montana Climbers Coalition’s and First Ascent Press have created an online survey for all ice climbers. The results of this survey will help in policy arguments for access to ice climbing resources in other areas, as well. The survey can be accessed at www.hyalitecanyon.com or directly at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?A=167794934E65415
We encourage all who are interested in ice climbing to take a few moments to complete the simple survey even if you have not visited Hyalite. No sign up or registration is required and your responses protected by secure encryption. The data will provide extremely useful, if not necessary, information to present our situation to the Forest Service regarding the adopted Gallatin National Forest Travel Plan.
2. Write a letter to the Editor of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle has already published a number of letters from local and non-local climbers that has had an amazing effect on local politicians. Ice climbers now have at least one city and one county commissioner attending meetings. A well constructed, short letter to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (citydesk@dailychronicle.com) urging Supervisor Heath to reconsider her decision to gate Hyalite Road and open 3 miles of road for winter access that will save over 140 ice climbs, from the climbers across the country will be useful in applying local political pressure.
3. Stay informed
For more information, recent discussions and updates go to www.montanaice.com/forums.
Background information:
This final plan, entitled 7M, is the culmination of more than four years of discussion, public comment periods, private meetings, letters to the editor, and ongoing debates and arguments among user groups.
7M designates the road beyond the gate for "family oriented cross-country skiing," and leaves ice climbers with two choices for access after December 31: a lengthy backcountry ski, or a circuitous, ungroomed, remote snowmobile route that experienced, local sled-heads call “advanced and difficult riding.”
The Southwest Montana Climbers Coalition (SMCC), the Access Fund, First Ascent Press and many other concerned individuals and businesses are currently working hard to explore the options to protect this climbing access.
These groups may need to launch an administrative appeal to the Forest Service, and need more statistics on ice climbing use in Hyalite Canyon. The more climbers take the survey, the more accurate and effective the data will be.