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Cuckawalla
Trad climber
Grand Junction, CO
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 30, 2010 - 03:37pm PT
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I have just been involved in some dialogue with the local officials about power drill permits for re-bolting. I know that there is and have been permission granted for such things in places like Joshua Tree, Yosimite, and even our close neighbor Arches. I started with a long chat with the Head Climbing ranger and seemed to get him aware of the situation and the perks of Permitted Power Drilling. He has a meeting with the super superintendent of Colorado National Monument and she said that because they are running their shop as a wilderness that it was impossible, case closed.
From my Experience I know that her word is pretty cut and dry with little negotiation and further discussion.
What I am wanting is some information from those who have received a permit for use a power drill in protected area.
How did you get it?
What were the terms?
Etc.
A little history on my situation is that this is for the Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction, CO. We have similar rock quality to Arches. This demands re bolting efforts to use long and thick hardware that is brutal to do by hand. I have worked with the ASCA in securing the hardware and have replaced anchors by hand so far. It is only a recent development that we are allowed to re-bolt unless it is a life or death situation.
It just is frustrating for me from my climbers' point of view. I respect the wilderness protection policy. I just think that I could preserve it better, safer, and more quickly with a power drill. The deep holes, 4-5" by 1/2" diameter takes a long time of beating on a hammer. And the holes are less than perfect and tend to wallow. 30 seconds with the noise of a power-drill or a 1/2-45 minutes of the pinging of my hammer. Everything is being replaces with camo'ed hangers. The Parks' biggest complaint is Webbing tat.
Anyway, just a rant and the hope that I can get some more information so that when our Climbers' Coalition goes to talk about it again we have more ammo.
Thank you,
Jesse Zacher
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
CA
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Aug 30, 2010 - 05:40pm PT
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Mr. Walla,
observe a distinction between a permitted area, and a "Wilderness"
Federal land deemed wilderness has by statute, no power anything,
no motorized vehicles, no blender in the ranger hut. The only exception that comes to mind is helicopter evacuation of critical patients.
otherwise the answer is no.
so. you can study the movement, frequency, and distribution of law enforcement, and do a covert op. or, you can not do it at all,
but i can't imagine a fed giving you permission to do what you ask, just approving your action would expose them to liability, legal, and from peers.
and if the Sierra Club heard of it, the howling would not cease.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 30, 2010 - 05:45pm PT
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in my experience the Bolt Fairies do a damn good job
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Aug 30, 2010 - 05:45pm PT
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No power drilling in Wilderness, including replacement.
Dumb, but that's the rules for now.
We (the ASCA) have never received power drill permits for Wilderness areas - just non-Wilderness parts of parks (Joshua Tree, Red Rocks before there was any designated Wilderness, etc).
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Aug 30, 2010 - 05:55pm PT
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However I just looked it up and CNM is NOT officially designated Wilderness (unless it's very recent and I missed it).
If it is not actual designated Wilderness, then they can permit it no problem. In fact the BLM permitted power drill replacement in Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) in Red Rocks (areas that are on a track to become Wilderness), even when all new bolting was prohibited including hand drilling.
So if it is not Wilderness, there is nothing other than the opinion of the managers to keep them from allowing you to replace bolts with a power drill. Simply explaining that by using a power drill you will place bolts that don't need to be replaced for a much longer time period may or may not work, since managers may not really care if bolts have to be replaced in 40 years instead of 100...
Unfortunately I think everyone involved in the Red Rocks power drill permits in WSAs is no longer working there.
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Cuckawalla
Trad climber
Grand Junction, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 30, 2010 - 06:03pm PT
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Sorry for not being specific. I am pretty sure that the Colorado national monument (monument vs park : A park is set aside by an act of congress, which after approval requires the president's signature. A monument is established by presidential proclamation only.) is not designated wilderness. It was said that there would be not permission because the area is being managed as (if) it were Wilderness.
There has been permission for power drilling to re-do Otto's route on Independence Monument. This was before there was a switch in the superintendent.
AS far as the Fairy Bolting method, I respect the wishes of the ASCA, Access Fund, Local Climbing organizations. I would hate to jeopardize their situation.
Also, are wilderness areas just a BLM thing?
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Cuckawalla
Trad climber
Grand Junction, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 30, 2010 - 06:04pm PT
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Beat me too it Greg!
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Aug 30, 2010 - 06:06pm PT
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Also, are wilderness areas just a BLM thing?
Nope.
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Aug 30, 2010 - 06:27pm PT
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Wilderness areas are protected above and beyond other land management designations. So Yosemite National Park is a protected area, but the Wilderness areas inside the park are even more protected. The Wilderness designation also restricts what the managers are allowed to do within those areas. If the NPS, BLM, USFS, etc want to (for instance) use a chainsaw within Wilderness, they have to issue a public decision that the chainsaw use is the "minimum management tool" - less impact than using more primitive means (yes, they actually still use giant two-person hand saws). In fact some environmental groups like to bust the NPS and other managers when they violate the Wilderness Act.
For life-saving emergencies, power tools are permitted - which is why YOSAR can use helicopters on El Cap (and power drills if they need to drill rescue bolts...if they remembered to keep the batteries charged...).
But in non-Wilderness areas (like your case) it's up to the managers whether to allow power drilling, and it's their turf, so being pleasant, reasonable, and diplomatic is the ONLY way to go...
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