Public Scoping on Designating the Spacewall Climbing Management Area

Sedro Woolley, WA - The public is invited to comment on a preliminary proposal to establish and open the Spacewall Climbing Management Area (CMA) near the town of Newhalem in the Skagit Gorge.

A virtual public meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 5-7 pm PDT. Additional details are available at the "Meeting Notices" link on the left hand side of the webpage.

The National Park Service is requesting feedback on the scoping questions below. Please see the attached scoping document for background and the alternatives and issues that are under consideration for the environmental assessment (EA).

Comments will be accepted June 1 through June 30, 2021.

Topic Questions Instructions:

PLEASE READ THE SCOPING DOCUMENT BEFORE PROVIDING FEEDBACK. THIS WILL ENSURE YOUR FEEDBACK IS WELL INFORMED AND THE MOST HELPFUL.

Topic Questions:

1. What should the boundaries of the Spacewall CMA be?

2. Are there other adjacent walls that should be considered for inclusion in the CMA?

3. Should new route development and bolting be allowed within the CMA boundaries?

4. If new routes/bolts are allowed what is the best permitting/administrative process for ensuring development occurs without unacceptable impacts to resources?

5. How should human waste be managed at the Spacewall? Given the nearest public restrooms are about 1 mile away in Newhalem, would climbers use blue bags if provided on site?

6. What are the best methods to communicate information such as boundaries and closures about the CMA? For example, should a bulletin/information board be placed on the access route to provide current information for climbers?

7. What alternatives should be analyzed in the EA?

8. What issues need to be evaluated and analyzed for effects in the EA?

9. What other ideas do you have for managing sport climbing use in order to avoid unacceptable impacts to natural and cultural resources?

Document Content:

Spacewall Scoping Document.pdf   (2.7 MB, PDF file) SpaceWallEA_layers_2021.kmz   (3.4 KB, .kmz file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.