Rock climbers are not the only acrobats that frequent
cliffs. Raptors such as peregrine falcons nest and roost on lofty
rocks and can be scared away from their chicks by careless
climbers. Nationwide, nearly 60 crags have temporary climbing
restrictions to protect these birds, but in many cases, raptors and
climbers can coexist peacefully, says Kathryn Pyke with the Boulder
Colo.-based Access Fund. Pyke is the author of a new report,
Raptors and Climbers: Guidance for Managing Technical Climbing to
Protect Raptor Nest Sites, which offers suggestions on protecting
the birds without banning climbing altogether. Raptors &
Climbers is available for free to resource managers, climbing
representatives and educators; others may purchase the 27-page,
illustrated booklet for $10 from the Access Fund, P.O. Box 17010,
Boulder, CO 80308, by telephone 303/545-6772, or on their Web site
at www.accessfund.org.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Protecting raptors.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
