NORTH BEND, Washington — A popular rock climbing area near North Bend is off limits after a pair of nesting Peregrine falcons moved in.
The falcons are caring for two chicks on the Deception Crag Wall just east of town.
A public meeting was scheduled for Tuesday night in North Bend, where park rangers were scheduled to explain the rationale for the closure and hear from climbers.
Peregrine falcons, like those that nested on the Interstate 5 Ship Canal Bridge last year, were once on the endangered species list. Now, their populations have rebounded enough to be removed from the list.
However, the U.S. Forest Service has the Peregrine falcon listed as a sensitive species, which means it could potentially end up back on the endangered species list if its numbers were to drop again.
The Forest Service has closed off the climbing wall until the fledglings leave the nest. That’s expected to be about at the end of the month, but it could be longer, depending on when the chicks are capable of flying on their own.
Chris Van Dusen and Scott Milliman of Seattle have been climbing partners for years and said they hate to see any climbing areas put off limits – especially this one.
“It’s kind of a shame that they chose this wall to do it – not for them, not for the climbing, because there’s plenty of other climbing you could do – but this just happens to be one of the most popular spots because it’s so close to Seattle,” Van Dusen said.
But they said they both agree that protecting the falcons should come first.
“I’m definitely happy the Forest Service is making a good effort to make sure people don’t disturb the falcons up there,” Milliman said.
KIRO
