I enthusiastically welcome…

I enthusiastically welcome the formal approval of rock climbing in Devil's Glen. It is vital for the protection of the environment that a diverse populations access and enjoy the outdoors and rock climbing is an activity that draws a diverse range of people different from hiking (age, ethnicity, income, geography etc).

Climbers spend a lot of time in the wilderness and are generally more careful custodians of the environment that the average citizen. However, any activity in the outdoors has some impact, and indeed while hiking has a far more extensive and significant impact than climbing given the extensive paths it requires, climbing does impact the base of the cliff and the cliff itself.

My concern is that the intention to prioritize the geological and biological heritage of the environment will be co-opted and abused by local residents who oppose climbing for their own ideological biases/prejudices. The climbing community has been the target of aggressive targeting from such parties under the guise of environmental protection, but at the same time the impact of hiking and other activities is ignored.

So I think the the environmental provisions need to be specific and recognize that large swaths of rock and cliff faces in Devil's Glen are left untouched and the flora and fauna are undisturbed there. So I think it is worth clarifying that environmental protection in climbing routes should be an issue where there is a clear evidence of:

- Endangered flora with unique characteristics is threated- for example if an ancient cedar is identified as affected by the route it could be closed.
- A route is identified as an active nesting site- this route can be tagged with a red ribbon and left unclimbed for the duration of the nesting season- climbers already do this.
- Where erosion of the cliff base is identified as worsening over time, OP and OAC could collaborate on trail reinforcement as climbers have done before.

While climber's safety is their own responsibility. Local residents opposed to climbing have been actively endangering climbers by chopping bolts- it would be good to explicitly name this as a prohibited and illegal activity.

Thanks for considering my comments.