Just got my comments in today….thanks for the reminder Abby!
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, Abby Snow
The website for all National Park Service public comment on planning is > www.parkplanning.nps.gov
It looks like the Grand Canyon backcountry plan doesn’t have a public > comment period open currently (they’re processing the results of the > last one). But the site lists two employees you can contact for more > info. I believe you can ask to be added to a notification list for when > the next draft is open for review.
I’ve posted this here before, but you only have a few more days to > comment on Death Valley National Park’s last draft of their Backcountry > Management Plan — closes October 9th. Same website. Below is what I > posted earlier on this forum and American Canyoneers:
*******************************
The pdf document is posted at > http://parkplanning.nps.gov/DEVAWildernessPlanEA , which is the same > place you respond with your comments. You may also submit comments in > writing to: Superintendent, Death Valley NP, ATTN: Wilderness Plan > Comments, P.O. Box 579, Death Valley, CA 92328.
It’s a large document. The PDF pages that are relevant to canyoneering > are:
pg 88 (Day Use Guided Canyoneering Groups: Not allowed in wilderness)
> pg 90-91 (Day use permits would be required for all private > canyoneering trips due to the limited routes available, the increasing > popularity of the sport, and the challenging conditions that Death > Valley’s canyons present. Depending on patterns of visitor use, permits > could be adapted to allocate routes on a per day, per party basis. The > permit system would be phased in and would include online access to > permits. Permits may be free or for a nominal cost, depending on the > requirements for the permit system selected. All permits would include > terms and conditions to require clean and safe canyoneering practices, > environmental sensitivity, and respect for other park visitors.)
> pg 98 (Climbing and canyoneering are both legitimate recreational > pursuits, but there are limitations on where they may be appropriate > and under what conditions. It is anticipated that Servicewide guidance > on this issue will be forthcoming. In its absence, the park will adopt > the following restrictions in all three action alternatives.
No new climbing hardware may be left in a fixed location; however, if > an existing bolt or other hardware is unsafe, it may be replaced. > Intensively bolted routes are not appropriate in wilderness. The > physical altering of rock surfaces such as chiseling or the intentional > removal of lichens or plants, glue reinforcement of exiting holds, and > gluing of new holds is prohibited. The use of motorized drills is > prohibited within wilderness and rock climbing is not allowed within > 200 yards of an archeological or cultural site.).
> The document lists 4 alternatives, but Alternative D is the park’s > preferred alternative. The quotes above are from Alternative D.
> -Abby Snow
On Sat, Sep 29, 2012, at 01:03 AM, nonot8946 wrote:
> Does anyone know how to participate in the public comment aspect of the > backcountry management plan this refers to?
> — > Abby Snow > abby_snow@…
>
TomJones
Bump – here are the critical few paragraphs…
Tom
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “msmnificent” wrote:
> Just got my comments in today….thanks for the reminder Abby!
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, Abby Snow wrote:
The website for all National Park Service public comment on planning is
http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov
It looks like the Grand Canyon backcountry plan doesn’t have a public
comment period open currently (they’re processing the results of the
last one). But the site lists two employees you can contact for more
info. I believe you can ask to be added to a notification list for when
the next draft is open for review.
I’ve posted this here before, but you only have a few more days to
comment on Death Valley National Park’s last draft of their Backcountry
Management Plan — closes October 9th. Same website. Below is what I
posted earlier on this forum and American Canyoneers:
*******************************
The pdf document is posted at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/DEVAWildernessPlanEA , which is the same
place you respond with your comments. You may also submit comments in
writing to: Superintendent, Death Valley NP, ATTN: Wilderness Plan
Comments, P.O. Box 579, Death Valley, CA 92328.
It’s a large document. The PDF pages that are relevant to canyoneering
are:
pg 88 (Day Use Guided Canyoneering Groups: Not allowed in wilderness)
pg 90-91 (Day use permits would be required for all private
canyoneering trips due to the limited routes available, the increasing
popularity of the sport, and the challenging conditions that Death
Valley’s canyons present. Depending on patterns of visitor use, permits
could be adapted to allocate routes on a per day, per party basis. The
permit system would be phased in and would include online access to
permits. Permits may be free or for a nominal cost, depending on the
requirements for the permit system selected. All permits would include
terms and conditions to require clean and safe canyoneering practices,
environmental sensitivity, and respect for other park visitors.)
pg 98 (Climbing and canyoneering are both legitimate recreational
pursuits, but there are limitations on where they may be appropriate
and under what conditions. It is anticipated that Servicewide guidance
on this issue will be forthcoming. In its absence, the park will adopt
the following restrictions in all three action alternatives.
No new climbing hardware may be left in a fixed location; however, if
an existing bolt or other hardware is unsafe, it may be replaced.
Intensively bolted routes are not appropriate in wilderness. The
physical altering of rock surfaces such as chiseling or the intentional
removal of lichens or plants, glue reinforcement of exiting holds, and
gluing of new holds is prohibited. The use of motorized drills is
prohibited within wilderness and rock climbing is not allowed within
200 yards of an archeological or cultural site.).
The document lists 4 alternatives, but Alternative D is the park’s
preferred alternative. The quotes above are from Alternative D.
-Abby Snow
On Sat, Sep 29, 2012, at 01:03 AM, nonot8946 wrote:
Does anyone know how to participate in the public comment aspect of the
backcountry management plan this refers to?
—
Abby Snow
abby_snow@
>