Examining the attitudes, rhetoric and actions of the
new generation of rock climbers is illustrative of an ethic that
places personal “freedom” above conservation (HCN,
7/7/03: Invasion of the rock jocks).
Repeatedly, The
Access Fund has, as the executive director proudly proclaims,
“played hardball with land managers,” by associating
with the very worst stewards of the environment, and darlings of
the (off-road vehicle access group) BlueRibbon Coalition and the
mining, timber and grazing industries — people like
ex-Washington Sen. Slade Gorton and Idaho Sen. Larry Craig.
Other climbers have associated with the ultra-right-wing
Mountain States Legal Foundation, asserting, at the very height of
arrogance, their “constitutional” right to climb on
sacred Native American lands. Does the National Rifle
Association’s mantra, “When they pry it from my cold
dead fingers” come to mind?
There is a developing
ethos in this country that, if left unchecked, will consume every
last bit of our environment for personal pleasure. It’s not
about climbers; it’s about what we want to leave as our
legacy: Should every crag be climbed, much less bolted? Is that why
it’s there? Should every game trail be open to mountain
biking or ORVs, because it’s a beautiful place to ride? Are
the “rights” of the snow machine industry really worth
having Yellowstone Park Rangers wearing respirators in the winter
because the smog is so lethal?
If we keep “playing
hardball” with land managers, there is going to be damn
little wild or untrammeled land left for our grandchildren. Now,
that’s a legacy of which The Access Fund, The BlueRibbon
Coalition, the National Off Road Bicycle Association (NORBA), etc.
can be proud.
Steve Wolper
Ketchum,
Idaho
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Climbers are a sign of bigger problems.
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