ESWA position - PARC/EXPLORE Act

ESWA is deeply disappointed that the PARC (misleadingly named “Protect American’s Rock Climbing”) Act was included in the EXPLORE Act and signed into law near the end of 2024. The law amends the 1964 Wilderness Act in favor of sport climbers by providing that bolts and other permanent anchors can be drilled into pristine rock faces in America’s Wilderness Areas. This article from our friends at Wilderness Watch includes a useful explanation of exactly why PARC will negatively affect our Wilderness Areas - click HERE.

Section 122 of the Act provides that:

• By June 2026 the Secretaries of Ag and Interior must issue guidance for recreational climbing activities on Federal land, including Wilderness Areas.

• The guidance must recognize that recreational climbing (including use, placement, and maintenance of fixed anchors) is an appropriate use within Wilderness Areas if undertaken (1) in accordance with the Wilderness Act, and (2) subject to any terms and conditions determined by the Secretary concerned to be appropriate.

• The guidance must describe requirements, if any, for placement and maintenance of fixed anchors in Wilderness Areas, including any terms and conditions determined by the Secretary concerned to be appropriate, which may be issued programmatically or on a case-by-case basis.

• The guidance must include direction for the continued use and maintenance of recreational climbing routes (including fixed anchors along the routes) in existence as of the date of the Act.

• Opportunities must be provided for public comment on the guidelines before they are finalized.

Many critical issues will need to be addressed on the required guidance, including what (if any) permits will be required to place such bolts, whether use of power drills will be allowed, how (if at all) new trails that are desired to access such new routes will be restricted, what (if any) protection will be afforded to the wildlife and plans that make such rock faces their home, and how to deal with the resulting human waste and environmental degradation. ESWA will be monitoring development of these guidelines and working with other like-minded groups to insist that the guidelines are as protective of our Wilderness Areas as possible, including not allowing any such use in areas of critical habitat.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Write or call your Senators and Representatives to indicate your displeasure with the PARC Act provisions and ask them to put pressure on the Secretaries of Ag and Interior to make their guidance as protective of our Wilderness Areas as possible.

2. Look for alerts from ESWA when the time comes for public comments on the proposed guidance.

3. Donate to ESWA to help protect our Wilderness Areas from this latest threat.

USEFUL LINKS

1. Section 122 of the EXPLORE Act

2. 9/28/24 Get Wild Column:  To Bolt or not to Bolt