Imagine for a moment you are a rancher. You own a decent-size ranch but have only one watering hole on it. Your cattle drink the water and get fat off the land. Traveling out and about one day, you realize the cattle are unable to get to the watering spot because climbers are camping directly in front of it. These campers also have dogs that chase off your cattle when they attempt to quench their thirst. When you ask them to let the cattle drink, they inform you that they will camp wherever they want to, then they send their dogs after the cattle.
It takes only one incident to sour a landowner on outdoor recreationists. In this case, the rancher who owns land around Twin Sisters at City of Rocks closed his 1,100 acres to climbers and campers. Of the 16 private landowners in the reserve, only two are adamant about trespassing, and their ethos is a product of experiences like the above.
Private landowners, recreationists, and historians have their reasons for wanting to control land. The City of Rocks is a national historic area that has seen many visitors since the West first opened. The Oregon Trail, Mormon Battalion Trail, California Trail and stage line through Utah went directly through this climbing mecca. Several sites in the park are closed to preserve the historical value of these areas; some believe more of the park should be closed for this reason.
The park management works with all groups while keeping in mind the preservation of the resource. On the bright side for recreationists at the City, Superintendent Ned Jackson said he has a good relationship with climbers. "I've never found a group that is easier to work with," he said, "None of our rangers has reported personal clashes with climbers." The number of climbers has remained constant over the past four years as the park has improved camping and sanitation facilities.
With the help of the Access Fund, National Park Service and others, the future of climbing at the City seems positive. Jackson explained that they are constantly trying to acquire land from private owners. According to Jackson, up to this point they have come up with the money to buy all land that has been offered for sale, purchasing 1,500 acres in the last two years. The park is also posting climbing rules and safety tips to help educate climbers.
In City of Rocks as in any other climbing area, common courtesy and good will go a long way in keeping the crags open to climbers. If you take a different view, it's not hard to understand how problems have occurred and could continue to develop if we're not careful with the privileges we've been given. Mutual respect and courtesy are needed on all sides of every story.
Lori Lee-Howell is a concerned Access Fund member who resides in Salt Lake City. The Access Fund encourages members to submit opinions and reports on local climbing issues. As climbers, we enhance our public image and preserve access by respecting rules and the rights of others.