Final Update on Lawsuit over fatality caused by attack of bear in Utah State Campground

The plaintiff’s suit was dismissed based on Governmental Immunity.

For a background on this lawsuit see:

The State of Utah is now responsible for what bears do

Lawsuit update: Utah Bear Attack 

An eleven year old boy died when attacked by a bear, which is an extremely said situation. However, the State of Utah cannot be held liable because as a government entity they are protected from suits.

See Judge dismisses state lawsuit over fatal bear attack.

In defending itself, the State of Utah admitted that it was negligent in not warning campers of a bear that had attacked other campers was in the vicinity. This lawsuit will not be a win, if the admission is used in other courts to hold someone liable for the actions of a wild animal.

It is still a bear, and you are out in the woods. When the State of Utah figures out how to control bears, let alone the people in its campgrounds, we will be watching both behind bars.

Volunteer’s kayakers needed May 1 for Ford Ironman triathlon

I’m hoping you’ll help me get the word out to the Grand Canyon family about an upcoming opportunity in St. George on May 1st. I’m a member of the local SAR dive team and as such we are responsible for surface support, via divers and kayaks, at all the local triathlons–usually 3 per year. This year is the first year that St. George will hosting the Ford Ironman triathlon on May 1st. In the past, I’ve been fortunate in finding enough paddlers locally to cover the events, but that won’t be possible for a competition this size–hence, the shout out.

As captain of the kayak section of surface support, I’m looking for a minimum of 50 volunteers. Presently, I have roughly 20 volunteers (none that I know!) and 99% of them have very little time in/on a kayak. I need to find some solid boaters for this event.

The start of an Ironman is impressive. There are two start times; the first are the pros–70 athletes followed 15 minutes later by everyone else–2500 athletes! Chaos for the first 75 to 100 yards of the swim. This is where I need some strong paddlers who can move boats in less than ideal conditions. Kayaks and stand up paddle boards will be stationed throughout the 2.4 mile course and will be first line support to the athletes. Motor boats and jet skis will be secondary.

For anyone interested please go to www.sgcity.org and click on the Ironman link and then the “volunteer” tab at the top. There are many areas besides kayaking where volunteers are needed and people can list three choices on the site. Volunteers will contacted via the captain over each specific area with more info.

Thanks so much!

Michael Caifa

 
Keywords: Ironman, volunteer, Ford Ironman triathlon, kayak

Is the Standard of Care changing?

If everyone does it, yes the standard of care has changed.

Swiss prostitutes armed with defibrillators


 

 
Keywords: standard of care, defibrillators,

If you need a laugh read about corporate giant’s attempts to “go green”

An article Greenwashing So Absurd, It’s Almost Funny would be hilarious if it was not so sad. The article points out twelve attempts by big corporate polluters to go green in an attempt to appease consumers.

• McDonalds Literally Greenwashes its Logo
• “Eco Smart” Hummer
• “Even Our Store Bags are Disposable!”
• Cover the Earth with Toxic Paint
• Fox News + Going Green = ?
• CO2 is Actually Good for the Earth
• Buy Local at Your Neighborhood Citgo
• Eco-Conscious Barbie
• ‘Sustainable’ Iceberg Lodge… In the Desert
• Pure & Natural Disposable Diapers
• Big 3 Auto Executives Drive Hybrids to D.C.
• Exxon-Mobil, Green Company of the Year

The last one has a double absurdity. Forbes Magazine did the anointment of Exxon-Mobil as its green company of the year. Another very un-green company led by Steven Forbes, who is a vocal opponent of climate change.

Job: Rocky Mountain National Park Climbing Ranger

Another great job for the summer.

Job Title: Park Ranger (Climbing), GS-0025-05/07

Department: Department Of The Interior

Agency: National Park Service

Job Announcement Number: SROC-ROMO-10-319716

SALARY RANGE:

    16.10 – 19.95 USD /hour

OPEN PERIOD:

    Tuesday, February 09, 2010 to Tuesday, February 23, 2010

SERIES & GRADE:

    GS-0025-05/07

POSITION INFORMATION:

    Full TimeTemporary NTE 1039 hours

DUTY LOCATIONS:

    few vacancies – Estes Park, CO

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:

    United States Citizens

JOB SUMMARY:

Do you want to work and play in the great outdoors? Become a Park Ranger for the National Park Service. Park Rangers play an essential role in managing the use of park resources and facilitating visitor enjoyment, patrol backcountry areas, provide emergency services, manage wildlife/human interactions on the roadways or in campgrounds, and encourage visitors to develop a sense of stewardship for park resources.

The seasonal recruitment operations center is currently accepting applications to fill few temporary positions at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Appointments made under this announcement are limited to 1039 hours (six months) in a service year. Appointments may be terminated at any time and can be extended if workload and funding allow. ANTICIPATED EOD: Spring 2010

Few vacancies located at Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado.

The Department of Interior is the guardian of the Nation’s most precious natural and cultural resources and the steward of its trust responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives. If you are interested in helping us manage the nation’s resources to benefit the American people and preserve the rich and precious heritage of this country, you can build a fulfilling career by joining the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Established on January 29, 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park is a living showcase of the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. The park embraces 415 square miles of pristine, uninhabited mountains in north-central Colorado and, as such, is one of the most spectacular, yet easily accessible high mountain areas in North America. With elevations ranging from 7,800 feet at park headquarters to 14,259 feet at the summit of Longs Peak, the Park has glacier-sculptured valleys, rugged gorges, alpine lakes, and the vast areas of alpine tundra. Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved continuous road in the United States, stays above tree line for 11 miles and reaches 12,183 feet in elevation. Elk, deer, bighorn sheep, moose, coyotes, and smaller animals are found throughout the Park; as well as, threatened and endangered species, such as the Greenback Cutthroat Trout and Boreal Toad. Due to the Park’s easy accessibility to the Front Range communities of Colorado, visitation exceeds 3 million visitors annually, which results in significant resource protection and visitor management incidents.

To find out more about the job and apply go here. Good Luck

Copyright 2010 Recreation Law 720 Edit Law, Recreaton.Law@Gmail.com

Keywords: climbing ranger, national park service, ranger, rocky mountain national park

An Article I wrote was published in Recreation Management

Risk Management Magazine asked me to write an article for their February edition. The article can be found on the web at Risk Management: Preventing Injuries or Preventing Lawsuits?

Copyright 2010 Recreation Law 720 Edit Law, Recreaton.Law@Gmail.com

Keywords: risk management, risk management magazine, risk homeostasis,

Canyon Explorations is accepting applications for an Assistant Manager

CanEx as it’s known in the Grand

Canyon Explorations is accepting applications for an Assistant Manager. The role includes duties & responsibilities in a broad range of areas including logistics management and support, administrative work related to guide management, customer service, and sharing the Manager on Duty (MOD) role with the rest of the management team. The Assistant Manager will work most often side by side with Garrett Schniewind in guide management but will also work closely with the Operations, Reservations and General Managers at times.

This position requires excellent people, organizational, writing, communications, and computer skills (WORD, Excel, & Access). We anticipate this person working annually March 1 to December 15, with time on the river (TBD) and time off during the season as the ebbs and flows of the season allow. Average workweek will be 30 hrs. Wages/Compensation TBD.

To request the full job description call Garrett or Cam @ Canyon Explorations (928-774-4559). Resumes should be emailed to cameron@canyonexplorations.com. Interviews will begin February 24 with the goal of filling this position by March 10.

Keywords: employment, job Grand Canyon, Canyon Explorations

Defendant is right this is a confusing jury verdict

No matter what this is a sad case, but it is a sport, not nerf tiddlywinks. Moreover, anytime you have a deceased child you get verdicts that do not make sense.

A jury in Montana handed an $850,000 verdict against Louisville Slugger over the death of an American Legion ball player. The deceased player was struck in the head by a ball coming off an aluminum bat. The deceased was pitching at the time.

The plaintiff argued the bat was dangerous because the bat caused the ball to travel off the bat faster. Duh, that is why you use an aluminum bat. You can hit the ball farther because the ball has greater velocity. The plaintiffs argued the pitcher did not have time to react. That is correct, those people who do have time to react are easy to identify. They are paid a lot of money; their name is on the back of their uniform, and they are on TV all summer. The rest of us learned to duck!

The defendant argued the bat had been approved by the American Legion program and did not need a warning label.

This is where it starts to get confusing. How many times have you seen the pitcher call time and walk up to the batter and say I need to read the warning labels on your bat. Warning labels are for the user and the pitcher is not the user!

I wonder if the pitcher had used an aluminum bat before. Wouldn’t you know why you were using an aluminum bat, to hit the ball farther and faster, to get the ball past the infield? What if the pitcher had never used an aluminum bat, or the team did not have any, how would a pitcher ever read a warning label. If the pitcher had used an aluminum bat, would he have needed a warning label after he hit the ball once?

Then the issue of a deceased child comes into play. The jury found the bat was not defective and was not required to have a warning label. Then they awarded $850,000 to the plaintiffs. This is not a statement on the value of the loss of a child. Jury verdicts should reflect the loss of something more than emotion and a child is not producing income to justify that large of an award.

The defendant in a post verdict press release made a great statement. The object of the game is to hit the ball hard. If you do not want to play that type of game and face those risks, you play softball or wiffel ball, or you stay at home!

See Montana jury finds H&B at fault in baseball bat lawsuit

 
Keywords: Louisville slugger, little league, aluminum bat, American Legion,

Wow, this could mess up a lot of studies and ideas

It also contradicts to some extent the management theory that all employees want to take advantage of a work injury and sit at home!

Risk and Insurance is reporting that the GAO (Government Accountability Office) found that many employers are failing to report workplace injuries and illnesses. They do so out of fear of increasing worker’s compensation insurance costs.

The study also found that 53% of “health practitioners” had experienced pressure to downplay or not report workplace injuries.

Another issue was employees did not want to report injuries because they felt they would be considered wimps. This issue was appropriately titled the “wimp factor.” I have seen this at numerous outdoor recreation businesses were young and tough is a better “cred” than injured and sitting at home not working.

The article is titled America’s Soft on Safety. The study can be found at Workplace Safety and Health: Enhancing OSHA’s Records Audit Process Could Improve the Accuracy of Worker Injury and Illness Data

Update: TNF lawsuit against the South Butt

The article described the lawsuit then quoted from the brief filed by the South Butt in its response to the TNF lawsuit. “The consuming public is insightful enough to know the difference between a face and a butt.“

New Pair of Garmont Axon Size 29 boots for sale.

I ended up with an extra pair of Dynafit compatible boots for the season. I have a pair of brand new Garmont Axon boots. New, never been molded or skied. These boots have never been in bindings. I have the original box. For information on the boot go to http://www.garmontusa.com/921024211.html

These are size 29.0 which is roughly a size 11 to 12.5 boot. They are a high performance mountaineering/sky boot for Dynafit or most alpine bindings.

New they sell for $749.00. I’m selling this pair for $550.00.

From the Garmont website:

Ski aggressively in the backcountry in this new freeride boot, while keeping it light on the climb. The new Axon features the same downhill performance as the popular Endorphin with both Dynafit® and ski mountaineering binding compatibility.

View Tech Features

* Use: Off-Piste, Freeriding, Booting Up
* Compatible with AT frame and Tech bindings
* Rapid Thermoformable Liners
* Anatomically shaped shell
* Field-replaceable buckles
* Factory modifications recommended by the best boot fitters
* Weight: 2050 grams (size 27.5)
* Sizes: 25-30.5
* U.S. MSRP $749.95
* Canada MSRP $829.95

If you want to buy them, email me at recreation.law@gmail.com

River Ranger, Snake River: US Forest Service, Jackson Ranger District, Jackson, Wyoming

Summer Season 2010

Positions: Multiple positions are available!

Start Date: End of May End Date: minimum of mid-August, usually mid-September latest

Work Schedule: This is a 40 hr/week position, with every member of the crew working at least one day of the weekend.

Pay: GS-4 or GS-5 which is dependent on experience and education

Housing: Forest Service housing is available south of Jackson near Hoback Junction

Daily duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Make professional visitor contacts to provide and gain information

Enforce non-commercial and institutional group permit program = education first & citations if we must

Maintain all recreation day use sites in the Snake River and Hoback Canyons – this includes cleaning bathrooms, picking up garbage and pulling recycling

Assist on any projects as needed (fence repair, minimal trail work, boat ramps, weeds, aquatic nuisance species facility maintenance, facility repair)

Patrol canyon corridors via vehicle, including boat ramps, dispersed sites and trailheads. Clean, maintain sites, educate visitors, enforce FS regulations.

Accurately monitor all outfitted use to ensure following permitted activities

Occasionally patrol on-river in USFS rafts and duckies to make visitor contacts, enforce rules, monitor visitor and outfitter use, pick up garbage, do camp inspections. (Typically, on-river patrols occur once a week – this is greatly dependent on crew skills.)

Work closely with the Snake River Fund to implement projects and education programs along the river and in the community (Summit on the Snake, 5th grade float trips, Snake River Days camp)

This position is mainly an on-land river position with infrequent on-river patrols, which are largely dependent on boating skill levels of crew members. The priorities are working with the public on boat ramps, outfitter monitoring, and maintaining day use sites. Being a river ranger on the Snake River in Jackson WY requires a person with great communication and people skills, the ability to be flexible with daily job duties (every day is different on the river), and knowledge in resource/recreation management is preferred. This position challenges rangers to improve their communication skills when working with the public and will give rangers a good foundation to understanding the world of outfitter/guide management, permit systems, and recreation management in general with the Forest Service. River navigating/boating skills are preferred for this position, but are not a requirement.

For more information on the river program go to:

http://www.fs.fed.us/btnf/teton/river/ngcuse.shtml

For more information about the Snake River Fund go to:

http://www.snakeriverfund.org/

To find out how to apply,

Please contact:

Jeanette Langston

Lead River Ranger

Jackson Ranger District

jeanettealangston@fs.fed.us

307-739-5435

Grand Teton National Park (WY) GS-0025 Seasonal Climbing Rangers

If you are a climber, it doesn’t get any better than this!

This is a major stepping stone in a career climbing and guiding in the US.

The Jenny Lake rangers in Grand Teton National Park are accepting applications to fill several summer seasonal climbing ranger positions. Interested individuals need to have a well-rounded background in different climbing disciplines and have a great interest in land management and resource protection, as well as emergency services.  All applicants must be US citizens, climb at the minimum level of Grade IV, 5.7, A2, obtain or possess a First Responder certification or higher by the entry on duty date, and be available for work between May and September. 

To learn more about these positions and apply, please click on the link below. The positions are being announced as:

• Park Ranger (LE/Climbing), announcement SROC-GRTE-10-306927
  
• Park Ranger (Climbing), announcement SROC-GRTE-10-307461 
  

Click on the link below, then enter the announcement number in the search field.

All application materials must be submitted by midnight EST on the closing date, January 18th.
[Submitted by Ed Visnovske, Jenny Lake Area Ranger]  More Information…

Copyright 2010 Recreation Law 720 Edit Law, Recreaton.Law@Gmail.com

Senate Bill would require a CDL to drive 9 to 15 Passenger Vans

Senate Commerce and Transportation Committee Approves Bill to Require <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s for 9 to 15 Passenger Vans Operating Interstate – Your Urgent Action Required!

Yesterday, without a hearing on the bill, S. 554, the <a title='Click here to replace with:
Motor coach, Motorola, Motorcar, Motorcade, Motor, Motorboat, Motorcades’>Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2009, was approved (marked-up) by the full Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.  This bill will require a commercial driver'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s license (<a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL) endorsement for outfitters and other businesses using 9 to 15 passenger vans when they operate across state lines.  The bill does not appear to require event monitors which are only required for <a title='Click here to replace with:
motor coaches, motorcades, motorcade, motorcycles, outreaches, Motorola, monocracies’>motorcoaches.   However, the enhanced <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL requirement could make it difficult for outfitters with large fleets of 9 to 15 passenger vans to find a sufficient number of seasonal employees with <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s.

Sec. 10. (<a title='Click here to replace with:
B, Kb, Mb, bb, be, bf, bi’>b) of S. 554 states:  “(<a title='Click here to replace with:
B, Kb, Mb, bb, be, bf, bi’>b) Modification of Requirements for Commercial Driver'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s License Passenger-Carrying Endorsement- The Secretary shall establish by regulation a requirement that a driver shall have a commercial driver'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s license passenger-carrying endorsement in order to operate a commercial motor vehicle and transport not less than 9 and not more than 15 passengers (including a driver) in interstate commerce for compensation.”

States will have the option to adopt the federal standards, which also includes an inspection program for vans.

<a title='Click here to replace with:
AA, AGORA, ALOHA, AROMA, AAA, FAA, GAO’>AOA opposes the <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL requirement for outfitters and guides where transportation is incidental to the purpose of the business.

Call your Senators and Representatives today.  Click here for their contact information. Type in your zip code to retrieve their phone and fax numbers.  Fax letters to members of Congress  (The House bill number is H.R. 1396.). Call their offices and tell them that the <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL requirements for drivers of 9 to 15 passenger vans are unnecessary and is a burdensome regulation for outfitters and guides.  Some companies in rural areas will be forced out of business.  Our industry has a good driving record and is not the target of this legislation.

See the model letter below.

The Honorable (insert name)

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator ________________

I am writing to express concerns about provisions in S. 554 which require enhanced Commercial Driver'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s Licenses (<a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL) for drivers of 9 to 15 passenger vans operated by small businesses that cross state lines. The proposed legislation requires a <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL and vehicle inspections even if transportation is incidental to the purpose of the business.  This new regulatory requirement will make it very difficult for small, seasonal businesses like mine to find drivers with <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s.  The legislation also requires increased training and testing requirements for <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL drivers.  Ironically, a business providing similar services in competition with mine whose vans do not cross state lines will not be required to obtain <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL'<a title='Click here to replace with:
S, Ms, as, is, ms, ns, sc’>s for van drivers.

We believe many small businesses such as ours are being caught in a regulatory net cast for other transportation providers, where transportation is the primary purpose of the business.  The <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL requirement, with its more stringent testing requirements, may force some outfitters and guides providing seasonal recreation services out of business.

Therefore, I am urging you to support provisions that exempt outfitting and guiding businesses from the <a title='Click here to replace with:
CD, DL, BCD, JCL, LCD, OCD, CAD’>CDL and inspection requirements where transportation is not the primary purpose of the business.  For example, our primary service is providing outfitting and recreation services.  We transport our customers to an area where the services are provided and cross state lines to do so. 

Below, please support inclusion of the following modifications to the legislation.

MODIFICATION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE PASSENGER-CARRYING ENDORSEMENT.

At the end of the paragraph insert: In establishing such regulations, the Secretary shall not require a driver to have such an endorsement where the transportation of passengers by motor vehicle for compensation is not the principal line of business of the motor carrier providing the transportation service.

COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY INSPECTION PROGRAMS (a) (1) at the end of the paragraph insert (a)(1) Annual Inspection Program please add: In establishing such regulations, the Secretary shall not require a motor carrier to have such an inspection where the transportation of passengers by motor vehicle for compensation is not the principal line of business of the motor carrier.

Most states have inspection programs now for vehicles.

The outfitting industry has a good driving record.  Many outfitters offer services on rivers or at resources that make up state borders.  Therefore, they cross state lines but only provide transportation as a service that is incidental to their operation.

Thank you for your support for small business.  I look forward to hearing from you about this matter.

Sincerely,

Copyright 2010 Recreation Law 720 Edit Law, Recreaton.Law@Gmail.com

Charlie Meyers, the great outdoors writer, dies at 72

Charlie Meyers, the great outdoors writer, dies at 72

Charlie was outdoor journalism for those of us in Colorado.

Copyright 2010 Recreation Law 720 Edit Law, Recreaton.Law@Gmail.com

Wow, a lot of money for what appears to be an inherent risk of the ocean

Several personal injury attorney blogs are reporting a $5.75 million settlement over two drowning deaths. The first decedent received $5 million for the death the decedent drowned in a riptide while trying to rescue the second decedent who received $750,000.

Supposedly, the Florida Supreme Court ruled earlier that cities have a duty to warn beach goers of dangerous conditions.

So expect big signs on Florida’s beaches that say. You can Drown in the Ocean.

See Drowning Victims Win $5.75 Million Lawsuit

7 days left to bid on artwork to Support John Bachar’s son

If you wish to bid on some stunning artwork to benefit John Bachar’s son Tyrus go bid on these paintings.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1046176

Two original watercolor works depicting legendary climber John Bachar on two of his most famous climbs will be auctioned off as a benefit for the Tyrus Bachar Living Trust.

Everyone who knew John knew of his devotion to his son Tyrus, this small gesture is our way of helping John carry on in his care for Tyrus.

The works, commissioned by Jeff Vargen and created by San Francisco based artist Adam Holzrichter, are based on iconic images by photographer Phil Bard of John climbing “OZ” and “MIDNIGHT LIGHTNING. ” The new works were created with the permission of Mr. Bard.

Please let’s rally our community and help one of our own.

THERE WILL BE NO PRINTS OF THESE PAINTINGS AVAILABLE. THESE 11 X 14 PAINTINGS ARE ONE OF A KIND ORIGINALS.

The digital images are representative but the real paintings are truly incredible. Look closely, the more you look the better they get

The paintings are located on eBay and can be found here!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110476340852&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123#ht_500wt_1182

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110476338311&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123#ht_500wt_1182

This is starting to become stupid

The Personal Locator Beacon that was going off on Berthoud pass is now in Gunnison County

Here is the update I received! About the Personal Locator Beacon I mentioned in Alpine Rescue Team needs your help – PLB false alerts in Berthoud Pass (Colorado) area

The PLB is now in Gunnison County – 38° 56.8 min N x 107° 00.7 min W . . . 3.92 miles on a heading of 316 deg fm Crested Butte summit . . . as of 5:30 PM New Years Eve. Info from CSRB and AFRCC.

What an idiot!

Copyright 2010 Recreation Law 720 Edit Law, Recreaton.Law@Gmail.com

Happy New Year

More Government Intrusion into Outdoor Recreation

The governator is anti-sunscreen in california.

The california Supreme Court recently upheld a lower court ruling that allows the state to ban nudity at state beaches.

The governator revoked a policy that had been in place since 1979 that prohibited ticketing nude bathers until after someone had filed a complaint. No reason is given as to why the old actor decided that nudity was now a problem on state beaches after 30 years.

The decision is Naturist Action Committee vs. Department of Parks and Recreation, S174821 2009 Cal. LEXIS 10988 decided October 14, 2009. The decision the Supreme Court left unchanged was Naturist Action Committee et al., v. Department Of Parks And Recreation et al., 175 Cal. App. 4th 1244; 96 Cal. Rptr. 3d 620; 2009 Cal. App. LEXIS 1169. See State lets parks crack down on nude beach goers beachgoers for more information.

Nudists are a threat to government. They carry concealed…….Ok, well they are obviously plotting a revolt just laying there in the sand…….Ok, well then, damn most of them are just plain ugly, and if you are that ugly you should have to wear clothes…….darn that means I have to wear clothes. What reason is there to ban nudity besides melanoma issues?

There is no federal law banning nudity on federal land but don’t tell anyone.

UIAA has issued a warning for Anchors in Tropical and/or Marine Environments

The UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme) has issued a warning to be vigilant in checking for corrosion on anchors in tropical and/or marine environments. See Extreme caution advised for anchors in tropical, marine areas.

The UIAA study shows that 10 to 20 percent of fixed anchors will fail in marine/tropical environments. The study also showed the force to break some of the anchors was as low as 1 to 5 KN. Those loads are so small in some cases that is the weight of a climber.

The anchors were stainless steel and the corrosion appears to be accelerated by the closeness to the sea and a year round warm wet climate. The UIAA is recommending:

• Before climbing, talk to local climbers and with local people who equipped the routes about the quality of the anchors in place.
  
• Find out if a climbing area is regularly re-equipped. Experience to date shows that if anchors are less than three years old, they are less likely to be weakened.
  
• Look for tracks of rust on anchors. If you see such marks, do not load the anchor and stop the climb, as it is just these sorts of anchors that have been dangerous in the study. Alert locals so they can deal with the situation. You can also change the weakened anchor.
  
• As a precautionary principle, the UIAA highly advises climbers to not climb on routes in tropical, marine environments that show rust, or for which you don’t know who maintains the routes or when the equipment was put in place.
  
• Even with positive knowledge about the climbing routes, know that you ultimately must verify for yourself the quality of the anchors in place.
  

To see the full report see: Safety Commission report

UIAA Mountain Ethics Officially Published

This is an update of an earlier post UIAA adopting new ethics code and best practices for mountaineering.

The Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme (UIAA) has officially published its new mountain ethics. I have posted the new ethics at UIAA adopting new ethics code and best practices for mountaineering. To see the press release announcing the publication see. Officially published – Mountain Ethics Declaration. To download a copy of the ethics go to Mountain Ethics Declaration.

The new ethics cover areas such as the ethics of sportsmanship, respect for cultures and care for the environment as well as issues with first ascents and oxygen. The ethics are 12 maxims that provide an easy way to organize and remember the issues.

AFFTA and Outdoor Retailer/Fly Fishing Trade Show Split

Nielsen/Fly Fishing Retailer had been running the Fly Fishing Retailer Trade Show in Denver Colorado for many years. After the show had dwindled, Nielsen announced they would merge/move the show to the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Utah in August. This obviously not what American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) had planned.

AFFTA announced they were going to create their own trade show in Denver in the fall. See Independent Fly Fishing Show to Debut in Colorado

Along with the announcement of the show AFFTA announced a new marketing director who will run the show and a long list of exhibitors who have committed to the show. The show is expected to be held in the third quarter of 2010.

UIAA has a New Website to check on product Recalls

If you are worried about your climbing equipment being the subject of a “recall”, you now have a place to check. The UIAA has a new website where you can check on your climbing gear. The site is Certified Equipment and Recalls. On the same page, you can check and see if your equipment has received the UIAA label.

An article about the new site can be found at Recalls function one-stop shop for climbing community.

A note: A “recall” as defined by the UIAA is not the same as a recall here in the US. The UIAA is a European Organization and operates under EU laws.

The UIAA is the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme or known here in the US as the International Mountaineering and
Climbing Federation.

Happy Holidays