Growing interest in commercial and private canyoneering and rock climbing activities in Arches National Park has spurred the park to develop a management plan to examine the impacts those activities have on park resources, and how the NPS should manage or possibly limit climbing and canyoneering, NPS officials said.

Arches National Park will seek public input on the proposed plan during a public scoping workshop and open house scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 5, at the Grand Center, 183 North 500 West in Moab. The open house will be held from 2-7 p.m., said Sabrina Henry, planning and compliance coordinator for Arches.

Currently, rock climbing and canyoneering – exploring canyons by climbing or rappelling - have been allowed in some areas of the park, but are prohibited on arches and bridges that are named on U.S. Geological Survey maps, Henry said. Slacklining – walking on flat webbing that is anchored between rock formations or other natural features – and installing new climbing hardware into the rock are prohibited, Henry said.

“Climbing and canyoneering activities have been occurring in the park for many, many years. But we only had a superintendent’s compendium that covered those activities,” Henry said. “We feel we should be developing a plan to assess these climbing and canyoneering routes for their impact on park resources.”

A superintendent’s compendium is a list of special regulations, issued by a park superintendent for the management, protection and public use of a specific park. Such regulations are enforced in addition to existing federal regulations governing national parks.

Despite regular use, climbing and canyoneering in Arches have remained largely unmanaged, leaving climbers and canyoneers essentially self-regulated, NPS officials said in a news release.

Henry said the increase in activity and interest from commercial and non-commercial climbing and canyoneering enthusiasts is straining the park’s ability to effectively manage those activities in Arches.

According to the project scoping document issued earlier this month by Kate Cannon, superintendent of the NPS’ Southeast Utah Group, park employees will study the effects of increased climbing and canyoneering use and will evaluate a number of issues, including the development of approach trails and new routes, the use of fixed hardware, and the effects climbing and canyoneering may have on the safety and experiences of park visitors.

Park managers will also evaluate commercial guiding within park boundaries and the need for a possible permit system, group size limits and a policy on installing or replacing bolts, anchors and software, the report states.

“A climbing/canyoneering management planning effort will consider a full range of alternatives to protect resources, visitors and visitor experience while providing for recreational climbing activities,” the document states. “Arches National Park will seek to involve as many individuals as possible who have an interest in or concerns about climbing activities at Arches.”

Matt Moore, owner of Desert Highlights, a canyoneering and climbing business in Moab, for many years had the only permit for commercial canyoneering trips into Arches. Moore said his permit was not reissued in 2010 because park officials had decided to begin the canyoneering and climbing planning effort.

“It’s not always the case that a permit is pulled while planning is being done. That was a bit unusual,” Moore said. “But I fully support the development of the management plan up there. There’s definitely a lot of concerns we have about the way many things are done in the park, and we’re glad the park is addressing our concerns.”

Moore said the loss of his Arches permit has had a significant impact on his business this year. Canyoneering trips into Arches amounted to 60 to 70 percent of his commercial business in previous years, he said.

“It’s had a tremendous impact on use,” he said. “Not only has it had a negative impact on our revenue, it’s also had a negative impact on visitors who want to have that kind of experience in Arches.”

Moore said he hopes his permit will be reinstated after the park completes it’s management plan for canyoneering and cork climbing.

“We’re hoping we’ll be allowed to go back into the park,” he said.

Henry said Arches officials are hoping to have a new policy in place by the beginning of the 2011 climbing season, but the process often takes time.

“If not by the start of the season, we hope to at least have something in place by next spring,” she said.

Comments will be accepted through Aug. 10 and can be submitted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/arch, or by mail to the Southeast Utah Group, Planning and Compliance Coordinator, 2282 S. West Resource Blvd., Moab, UT 84532.

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The project document for Arches National Park’s new climbing and canyoneering management plan is available online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/arch. Comments may be submitted online, or written comments may be sent to the National Park Service, Attn: Planning and Compliance, 2282 W. Resource Blvd., Moab, UT, 84532. Comments will be accepted until Aug. 10.