Comment from John Ryan

I am writing to comment on some aspects of the Explore Act. Specifically I have concerns about wording regarding fixed anchors used for climbing purposes. I am the President of the Arkansas Valley Climbers Coalition, and have been involved in replacing old, outdated, and at times unsafe anchors. Climbers rely on these anchors to not only safely descend via rappelling but they also prevent damage to other resources including trees and rock features themselves that would have to be used without fixed anchors. Replacement of outdated fixed anchors is an important part of climbing stewardship. To date this has nearly exclusively been handled by small groups of volunteers, and has prevented many climbing accidents. Using modern power drill technology often allows one to cleanly remove old worn out bolts, and install a modern stainless steel replacement in the same hole. This creates zero additional impact on the rock, and ensures safe enjoyment of this natural resource. To climbers, climbing routes are their trails. Trails are a very established impact to nature that is completely accepted by our culture as it allows enjoyment of nature as well as exercise opportunities. To us climbers, our routes are the same zone, please let us continue to enjoy these resources. Climbers believe in Leave No Trace, and minimizing it when that is an impossibility. Allowing local volunteer-based organizations, who have the most knowledge, awareness of local expectations and cultural considerations, to continue to steward climbing resources is the best solution, in my opinion. Adding more administrative load, applications and more oversight organizations will only slow the process and potentially result in inconsistent policies from area to area. I believe the terminology "replacement" requires more specificity. Replacement is necessary to keep climbers safe. There are still fixed anchors out there that are archaic relics that will fail the moment anyone puts weight on them. Anchor replacement specialists can recognize suspect anchors, and replace them without any additional impact. Modern anchors utilize strong stainless steel that was not used until relatively recently. At times, the replacement anchors will need to be larger, as historical anchors can still be found using dangerous 1/4" hardware.