Earlier this month, the Bureau of Land Management issued a last minute closure of Trout Creek, one of Oregon’s most beloved rock climbing destinations.  The climbing community absolutely shares BLM’s interest in protecting habitat for golden eagles, but the lack of public involvement, environmental analysis and transparency had many people confused and worried about the future of public access to this incredible recreational resource.  In our last alert, we asked you to contact BLM to let them know about your concerns.  We’re happy to report that it worked!

Today, BLM announced that it will conduct a public scoping process, publish an environmental analysis and take public comment before making any final decision on access to Trout Creek.  BLM also revised its earlier order and implemented a voluntary closure during the nesting season for this year.  Thank you to everyone that emailed BLM with your concerns – your input made a big difference!

Trout Creek is still closed! It is more important than ever to respect the closure and the need to protect habitat for golden eagles.

Today’s announcement followed a recent three-hour meeting involving Eric Sorenson of the Access Fund, John Connor of the American Alpine Club and Chris Winter from the Crag Law Center.  They met with officials from the Prineville District BLM office, who expressed a strong interest in working with the public and involving climbers in the future of Trout Creek.

This is an important gesture of good faith from BLM, as they responded to our concerns and invited the climbing community to work with them to manage Trout Creek and implement an appropriate closure.  It is critical that the climbing community now take advantage of this opportunity to establish a good working relationship with BLM moving forward.  Please respect the closure.

For more information, check back here for updates and or stop by Friends of Trout Creek on Facebook.  You can also read the letter that was sent to BLM following the recent meeting.  We’re also awaiting a response to a Freedom of Information Act request, and we’ll post more information once its available.

When the scoping process opens, we’ll post information on how to participate.  In the meantime, feel free to contact us or leave a comment here if you have any questions or want to provide input.