OK, here is the first of what I'm sure will be many up and coming posts, but here goes.
A bunch of us who are actively developing stuff in the Glen have been in contact with the Niagara Parks Service about many issues down there. The Park Service is working on a "management plan" right now that will address many issues for many "users" of the Glen... boulderers included.
Right now, it seems that vandalism is their top priority. Anyone who has ever jumped on problems on the Lactic Acid Boulder, or Balancing rock have seen the massive amounts of glass that constantly appears no matter how much we pick up. Also last year, some one spray-painted graffiti on the Caboose. This is a MAJOR issue for them (and deservedly so). Then there are the ever present fire-rings. I'm sure that none of this coming from the bouldering community, but everyone can make an effort to clean stuff up when your just !
chillen' at the base of a probl
em. Pick up the trash and the glass.
They are also concerned about the bouldering situation. Remember that Niagara Glen is considered a Nature Preserve, which to many people means that there should be almost no impact. So, we (meaning the local bouldering community) need to address some issues as boulderers.
VOLUNTARY Top Roping Ban
The Park's current policy is that there should be NO roped climbing going on at all in the Glen. This is NOT limited to the headwall. There has already been a msg on the message board about this, but this includes: Super Flywall, Flywall, The Fly Part III, The Cube, The O Boulder, and the Stucco Walls. Please Respect this and leave the ropes at home.
Chalk Issues
Unless your basically blind, it's pretty hard to NOT notice the massive amount of chalk on the Danzig Boulder... remember, that this is what the Park Officials are seeing. It's fa!
r from the best "face" that we
as a community can present, so what we are trying to do, is to completely close the Danzig boulder to climbing until further notice. If someone has a good idea about cleaning the existing chalk, please drop me a line. Also, I have personally found HUGE, totally unnecessary, tick marks down in the Glen on numerous problems. These look worse than blantant chalk marks on holds, in my opinion. Be considerate folks, if you need a tick, use a small dot, or look for something on the rock that you can use as a spot. Also, make sure to BRUSH the tick off after you are done working on a problem. This will remove most of the remains.
For right now, this is all voluntary, so don't get pissed at the Park Service or something, we are just making a concerted effort to put our best foot forward. Stay tuned, more to follow.
p.
