Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest announced it would postpone its long-awaited management plan for Ten Sleep Canyon. A ban on new routing in the uber-popular sport climbing area is still in effect.
On Monday, the U.S. Forest Service suspended its anticipated climbing management plan for Ten Sleep Canyon after its lead ranger resigned. Powder River District Ranger Traci Weaver guided the plan’s progress until leaving her position in June. Now, the USFS says, the program has no timetable to resume.
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“There were some items that were coming up through the data collection and some questions, and we just can’t really answer those yet until we get our permanent district ranger in place,” Sara Evans Kirol, Bighorn National Forest public affairs officer, told WyoFile.
Previously, the agency expected to release an environmental impact statement this fall.
Unregulated Climbing Causes Tension in Ten Sleep
With 1,200 sport routes on canyonside limestone and seemingly endless potential for more, Ten Sleep Canyon is one of the United States’ premier sport climbing destinations. For years, climbing in the canyon has been self-regulated, an ethic that reflects the local area’s frontier approach to life.
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New Management Plan Proposed, Then Dropped
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