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From: Steve Marriott (s.marriott@blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: Sat Dec 07 2002 - 16:20:06 GMT
Next message: Steve Marriott: "Alps highest hut meets highest environmental standards"
>
> The American Alpine Club symposium on access and conservation held in
> Flagstaff on 4 October had a star cast of American land management
> experts. The symposium, being held as part of the UIAA’s activities for
> the International Year of Mountains, heard the same strong message of
> the importance of education and good communication as the most effective
> means to achieve protection for the climbing and mountain environment.
> In a series of expert presentations by senior managers of the National
> Park Service (Denali, Grant Teton, and Yosemite), the Mohonk Preserve
> (Shawangunk area of New York) and the Bureau of Land Management (Eastern
> Sierra Nevada) it was clear that the Americans have found the key to
> protecting wilderness and managing large numbers of visitors."
>
> Each of the mountain regions reported the steady growth in user visits
> and the associated pressures on the environment. Perhaps the most
> dramatic of these was the growth in an area of the Eastern Sierra which
> following the recognition of the excellent bouldering went from zero
> visits in October 1998 to over 45,000 annual visits by March 2002. Jim
> Jennings the Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Eastern Sierra reported
> on how the new visitors had been managed in a way that protected the
> environment and promoted responsible outdoor recreation. He also
> stressed how important the new growth of climbing is to the local
> community and the tourism economy.
>
> Each of the land managers explained their approaches to solving the
> impact issues raised at popular venues but these were all based on
> working with recreational visitors to find the most appropriate
> solutions to promote responsible access with protection of the
> environment and sustainable development.
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