EXPLORE Act Mandated Wilderness Climbing Guidance FR Notice

Friends of Joshua Tree, a 501(c)(3) organization and park partner, supports the NPS draft climbing management guidance but recommends specific revisions. They advocate for programmatic authorizations for anchor maintenance, clearer permit timelines, and provisions for emergency anchor placement to balance climber safety with resource protection.

The commenter, a climber, supports the recognition of climbing as an appropriate wilderness activity and the allowance of fixed anchors. They request improvements to expedite the replacement of existing anchors and advocate for a clearer, programmatic authorization process for new climbing routes.

The commenter supports the recognition of climbing as a legitimate wilderness activity and the use of fixed anchors for safety. They advocate for easier authorization processes for new routes and programmatic preauthorization for certain climbing areas to improve safety and accessibility.

An individual is opposing the proposed revision of wilderness climbing guidance that would redefine fixed climbing anchors as not being "installations" or "structures" under the Wilderness Act. The commenter argues that fixed anchors should remain subject to the Minimum Requirements Analysis and that the NPS should reject any date-based grandfather clauses for existing hardware.

The commenter supports the recognition of climbing as a Wilderness activity and the use of fixed anchors for safety. They urge the agencies to streamline the authorization process for new routes and expedite the replacement of existing anchors to ensure climber safety.