Comment from Kenji Haroutunian

There are two important points I wish to convey to NPS officials as climbing management comes to the fore in policy-making (EXPLORE and PARC Act 2025). My assumptions are that you already know that climbers are 'pinnacle' visitors who also hike, camp, care about and intimately engage with the natural world inside our protected public lands. There is a growing body of evidence to show that climbing visitation also supports gateway communities and contribute to the growing and sustainable 'experience economy' that takes only memories, and leaves only footprints and minimal impacts. 1) Enjoyment via responsibly recreating in wilderness areas does not stand separately from protecting these amazing public lands. We know that areas neglected in awareness, maintenance and visitation suffer and can eventually close to public recreation. There is no magic protection designation that prevents invasive species, pollution plumes and wildfire from endangering ecosystems in areas with zero visitation. Conversely, visitation and well-managed recreation (esp. climbing) help to identify key resources and offers ecosystem awareness, education and volunteerism useful for land management. 2) Recreation in wild areas is increasingly seen as a wellness practice with measurable benefits to those who spend time in nature. Increasing opportunities for Americans to get into wild outdoor spaces is a public health imperative, not just a nice-to-have feature of wealthy people/communities. 'Outdoors For All' is a growing movement in the country as evidenced by many state's developing offices of Outdoor Recreation and policies that emphasize wild area management via increased maintenance of trails, signage, and infrastructure such as parking lots, bathrooms and campsites. 3) the growing movement of indoor climbing facilities throughout the US (over 700 now and still growing) is an unusual and important opportunity for preventative education before new climbers embark on a trip to visit our nation's federal lands. Millions of gym climbers (from diverse communities) are interested to visit federal lands and practice their sport, but need to know what to expect before departing. Local climbing organizations play an increasingly important role in motivating, educating and protecting visiting climbers ahead of time; think of it as PSAR (Preventative Search and Rescue) but to protect the natural and cultural resources of Parks. Supporting this movement and connecting climbing orgs to local NPS units will go a long way toward achieving the mission of the NPS; to protect our parks for future generations. Encouraging responsible recreation on our public lands keeps areas open and available to all Americans, contributing to positive health outcomes and reduced spending on historical/traditional medical and mental health solutions. It engages a large force that increases care and love of our wild places, and encourages a workforce of passionate volunteers and future park and public lands managers. Planning for climbers to come and enlisting their help will pay great dividends and put in the rear view mirror the era of land management antagonism, distrust and animosity toward the climbing community.