A COLLABORATION IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: THE STONE MOUNTAIN PROJECT.

Resource managers are constantly looking for ways to maintain a balance between resource conservation and public enjoyment. Currently, collaboration between management agencies and special interest groups is gaining popularity as a means of managing and protecting our nation's natural resources. The primary goal of collaborative resource management is to enhance and maintain natural resources in ways that support the objectives of interest groups, resource managers, and landowners (Paulson, 1998).

Collaboration is a process in which small groups of local users and interest groups work together with resource managers to help identify and solve resource-related problems and assist in meeting management objectives. Modified versions of collaborative management would be appropriate in environments where there are visitor-use problems in public parks, or concerns surrounding the health of outdoor recreation resources. Collaborative management practices would also be applicable in situations where established or obsolete management policies are in question and need to be changed or revised, and such a change could lead to conflict among interested groups (McAvoy, Schatz and Lime, 1991).

Various approaches to collaborative management have been successfully applied in a variety of outdoor recreation settings including parks, national forests (McAvoy, Schatz & Lime, 1991; Selin, Scheutt & Carr, 1997), rangelands (Paulson, 1998), and river environments (Lime, Roggenbuck, Norman & Berger, 1989).

Collaborative Management at Stone Mountain

Federal, state, and municipal parks have incorporated collaborative practices to help manage and maintain rock-climbing environments. For example, climbers have been working closely with resource managers nationwide to help monitor raptor nest sites. This has been accomplished by individual climbers and climbing organizations helping resource managers monitor nest sites, produce educational information, publicize closure dates, erect signs, and provide technical assistance when needed (Pyke, 1997).

The climbing community has also been working with park managers at Eldorado Canyon State Park in Colorado. The Action Committee for Eldorado, a climbing advisory group, was formed to assist park managers with fixed hardware management, Leave No Trace climbing education, fund raising for education and natural resource protection, and developing management strategies for addressing climbing-related impacts. The group also donates time and money for projects. Since 1993, Celebrate Eldorado, an annual fundraising and volunteer event, has raised more than $70,000 for trail maintenance, construction, and resource restoration projects (1998).

A similar grassroots organization, the Carolina Climbers Coalition (1995), was created in North and South Carolina to:

* Preserve the region's existing environments of rock, cliff, and mountain.

* Support public and private agencies in their efforts to protect and, if possible, reestablish native rare and endangered plant and animal species whose existence is dependent upon the rock and mountain environments of the Carolinas.

* Educate the rock-, ice-, and mountain-climbing community on practicing its sports in ways that minimize disturbance to the rocks, soils, plants, and animals of the Carolinas.

* Promote the use of safe climbing equipment and techniques in order to minimize the inherent dangers of these sports to climbers and other persons.

* Advocate reasonable access to all publicly owned rocks, cliff, and mountains in the Carolinas.

* Work with private landowners to facilitate climbing access on their properties.

Since its inception, the CCC has worked collaboratively with state and federal land managers to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the region. It has provided funds for the construction of two information kiosks as well as initiated volunteer cleanups, road and trail maintenance projects, and research support in state parks and North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest. In 1997 the CCC received an award from the Forest Service for its efforts and contributions to national forest recreation.

Recently the CCC initiated a collaborative project with the North Carolina Division of State Parks to develop and implement a plan to replace the aging rockclimbing anchors on Stone Mountain, one of the Southeast's premier rock-climbing areas and a popular state park. Because of the lack of natural features, pioneering climbers placed pitons and expansion bolts in the rock to safeguard their ascents, and so that subsequent climbers may climb safely and confidently.

Pitons are steel wedges or blades that are hammered into cracks to protect or anchor climbers. Anchor bolts are drilled into the rock to protect climbs where there are no cracks or other types of protection available. A special hanger is attached to the bolt so that the climber's rope can be secured via a carabiner (an aluminum safety pin-like device used to clip two pieces of equipment or rope together). The use of pitons or bolts, collectively known as "fixed protection," can enhance the quality of a climbing experience, and is necessary (much like signs on trails or bridges across wilderness streams) to safeguard climbers. And like trail blazes, these accoutrements can help guide climbers up vertical rock faces. When placed correctly and maintained, fixed protection can last for many years and have limited impact on the environment.

Bolts have been Stone Mountain climbers' protection of choice since climbing came to the park more than 30 years ago. Over the years, climbers have added more bors by replacing existing ones, or placed new bolts as climbing routes were developed. However, bolts do not last forever and, like hiking trails, need periodic maintenance and replacement (rerouting). Exposure to the forces of nature (water, freeze/thaw) and other environmental conditions combine to degrade bolts, thus rendering them unsafe.

Much of the fixed protection on Stone Mountain was replaced in the late 1970s, although some remained untouched. With this knowledge, the CCC proposed a rebolting plan to the NCDSP that would benefit both the park and the climbing community.

An Offer You Can't Refuse

The proposal focused primarily on replacing the aging fixed anchors on the south face of Stone Mountain using state-of-the-art materials and techniques. The CCC plan raised a number of liability concerns among resource managers, which required an extra measure of scrutiny by the NCDSP (Table 1).

Table 1. The Process

Step 1. Proposal received by Resource Management Program, which is responsible for reviewing projects dealing with natural resource management. During this stage of the review process, the RMP composed a summary of climbing safety and resource protection issues.

Step 2. Summary of safety and resource issues sent to the park superintendent, district superintendent, and parks chief ranger, who handles safety and liability issues. The parks chief ranger raised a number of liability issues.

Step 3. Proposal sent to the division's legal counsel in the state attorney general's office. The superintendent of state parks was involved in discussions with the division's attorney. Following extensive review and discussions with the division's attorneys, the current system of using volunteer climbers was adopted.

Until this proposal, the Division of State Parks exercised a hands-off position on rock climbing, choosing not to involve itself with the technical aspects of anchor installation, maintenance, and inspection. All climbing-related issues were placed firmly in the hands of the climbers. In addition, the state parks made no claims on any fixed anchor's condition or reliability (McKnelly, 1997).

However, during the review process, state attorneys made it clear that the NCDSP had an obligation to be aware of what was going on in its parks. If it were informed of or knew about dangerous situations, either verbally or in writing, it had to intervene. Basically the NCDSP owed visitors a minimum standard of care, even if state park personnel were not conducting the maintenance. In this case the NCDSP didn't have any choice but to work with volunteer climbers to get the work done and keep the areas safe.

A second liability issue was how to determine the qualifications of the individual climbers who were working on the rebolting project. Consideration was given to developing technical standards for volunteers based on climbing experience, highest grade climbed, and prior experience installing and maintaining anchors.

However, this approach was replaced with one that was more appropriate and included soliciting technical advice and volunteers from established organizations that regularly deal with climbing issues (Access Fund, CCC, and the North Carolina Outward Bound School). This solution guaranteed that state parks would be dealing with experienced climbers who possessed high levels of skill, experience, and commitment to the sport.

After a lengthy review, the proposal was accepted and permission was granted to go ahead with the project. As a result, a system was initiated by the NCDSP requiring that all rebolting proposals be submitted directly to the park superintendent, who would then supply copies to the district superintendent, the resource management program, and the parks chief ranger. All parties were required to make comments. If the project was approved, the superintendent would respond with a letter detailing what would occur. Guidelines (Table 2) for this proposal were established by the NCDSP and were later incorporated into the division's rock-climbing management plan (McKnelly, 1997).

Table 2. Proposal Guidelines

* All climbing equipment, tools, anchor hardware, and any other costs associated with anchor replacements are to be provided by the climbing community.

* Park staff must be notified before the initiation of the project, and all work must occur during posted park operating hours.

* Old anchors are to be completely removed and carried out. When possible, old anchor holes will be redrilled and reused. Otherwise, old anchor holes are to be filled with a mixture of rock dust and epoxy, caulk, or other suitable filler. The replacement must occur as close as practical to the old anchor site.

* Upon completion of the project, the Carolina Climbers Coalition will provide the park with written documentation on each anchor's location, condition, type, and date of installation, and who performed the work.

The Project

A specialty retailer and a climbing equipment manufacturer donated more than 400 anchors and drill bits for the project. A handful of climbers volunteered their time and equipment to complete the project over a three-day period. The new anchors were a vast improvement. Climbers could now utilize a safer, stronger, and maintenance-free bolt designed specifically for rock climbing (many of the existing bolts came from the construction industry).

The fixed anchors and other materials removed from the mountain were collected and used to create an interpretive display for climbers and other park visitors.

The display is adjacent to the climbers' register and contains information on fixed protection, safety tips, and an overview of the project.

Implications for Managers

The outcome of this project has a number of implications for park managers. Overall, the project encouraged problem-solving, planning, and decision-making by establishing a positive rapport with the managing agency. This was advantageous to both groups since it allowed park managers to meet the challenges of increasing use, issues of liability, resource degradation, and the maintenance of fixed anchors. It also changed the role of management from direct control to facilitative and proactive (Friedman, 1973; McAvoy et al., 1991).

Second, the Stone Mountain project allowed both parties to communicate effectively, providing a setting where the climbing community was able to share its knowledge and technical experience with resource and park managers. This cultivated a working relationship with state park officials that will continue. In fact, the project was so successful that the replacement of fixed anchors will continue in two of the three remaining North Carolina state parks where climbing is permitted.

Mitigation of significant resource and visitor impact was also addressed through the project. Viewing Stone Mountain is the main objective of many of the park's visitors. While some visitors enjoy watching climbers, some may be disturbed by their presence and the visual distraction of colorful web slings and anchors left behind by climbers.

Because modern, specially designed anchors were selected for use in the project, climbers can now eliminate the practice of leaving behind colorful nylon slings (on bolts and trees), which are visible to hikers and sightseers. Eliminating the need to place ropes around trees for rappelling also enhances tree health. In addition, maintaining a record-keeping system has given resource managers an inventory of each fixed anchor on the mountain as well as a better understanding of anchor locations and conditions. Both park managers and the climbing community deemed the project a success. Hopefully this project will be considered as a model for other climbing areas with similar problems.

References

Carolina Climbers Coalition. 1995. A resolution creating the Carolina Climbers Coalition. Unpublished manuscript.

Friedman, J. 1973. Retracking America. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday.

Lime, D., J.W. Roggenbuck, W.C. Norman, and J.L. Berger. 1989. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area: Exploring the Potential Partnership Role of River Outfitters in managing Public Rivers. National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Region, Philadelphia: Research/Resources Management Report 41.

McAvoy, L.H., C. Schatz, and D.W. Lime. 1991."Cooperation in resource management: A model planning process for promoting partnerships between resource managers and private sector providers." Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 9(4): 42-58.

McKnelly, P.K. 1997. Policy for: Rock Climbing Management Within the State Parks System. Unpublished manuscript. North Carolina Division of State Parks, Raleigh.

Paulson, D.D. 1998. "Collaborative management of public rangeland in Wyoming: Lessons in co-management." Professional Geographer 50 (3): 301-15.

Selin, S.W., M.A. Scheutt, and D.S. Cart. 1997. "Has collaborative planning taken root in the National Forests?" Journal of Forestry 95 (5): 25-8.

The primary goal of collaborative resource management is to enhance and maintain natural resources in ways that support the objectives of interest groups and resource managers, writes Aram Attarian, Ph.D., an associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State University. This type of collaborative relationship between agencies and special interest groups is gaining popularity as a means of managing and protecting our nation's natural resources. As chair of the Carolina Climbers Association, Attarian helped coordinate the Stone Mountain project, an exercise undertaken by the grassroots CCA and the North Carolina Division of State Parks to replace the aging rock-climbing anchors at one of the Southeast's premier climbing areas (p. 74).