ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah — Climbing routes on cliffs used by nesting peregrine falcons in Zion National Park reopened in August after being closed March 1 to protect these once-endangered birds.
“We depend on every visitor to do their part to help us protect the landscapes, plants, animals, and history that make Zion Park special,” said Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh.
“We want to recognize and thank the climbing community for their willingness to work with park rangers and researchers to protect these sensitive nesting areas.”
Zion National Park's cliffs are home to a high concentration of breeding peregrine falcons each spring and summer, predators that can catch birds and bats mid-flight.
After being listed as an endangered species in 1970 under the Endangered Species Act, they rebounded in number after the U.S. ban on DDT and captive breeding efforts, and were taken off the list in 1999.
Since the closing in March, National Park Service wildlife biologists, climbers, and other volunteers from the community have monitored nesting activity.
These teams confirmed pairs of adult raptors occupied nesting sites across the park, with volunteers spending hundreds of hours to support this effort.
Cliffs that reopened to recreational climbing are as follows:
- Angels Landing
- Cable Mountain
- The Great White Throne
- Isaac (in Court of the Patriarchs)
- The Sentinel
- Mountain of the Sun
- North Twin Brother
- Tunnel Wall
- The East Temple
- Mount Spry
- The Streaked Wall
- Mount Kinesava
