NEW SUPERINTENDENT IN YOSEMITE NP

[guest]

This is from the NPS Morning report, which I suggest everyone bookmark and read every day to be aware of new legislation and law enforcement actions in the parks.

Yosemite NP - Dave Mihalic, currently superintendent at Glacier NP, will
become the superintendent of Yosemite on October 25th. Stan Albright, who is
now superintendent of Yosemite, will become an advisor to the director on
"strategies for accomplish the goals of the Natural Resources Challenge, the
Service's plan for revitalizing natural resource programs in national parks."
[Public Affairs, WASO]

I suggest writing him lots of letters asking politely for permits to BASE jump in the park. Send all letters by certified mail-return receipt requested. Please everyone, do this ASAP. He will have to answer the letters at least to deny the permits.

Earl Redfern

[guest]

Great Job Earl! In answer to your question,
"What can I do to help?" That is the kind of research that helps us all.

Again, Great Job!
Bazil

[guest]

To request a permit to jump in Yosemite write your letter and send it via certified mail to:
Superintendent David Mihalic
P.O. Box 577
Administration Building
Yosemite, CA 95389

If you just want to voice your opinion try this E-mail address:
YOSE_Superintendent@nps.gov

You can even Fax the Superintendent at:
Fax: 209-372-0220

If you want to go straight to the top you can make yourself heard here as well:

National Park Service Headquarters
Superintendent Robert Stanton
1849 "C" St., NW
Washington, DC 20240
E-mail: Bob_Stanton@nps.gov
Fax: 202-219-0910

What you say in the letter is up to you. However you may not do yourself much good if you begin with "Dear Nazi Punks."

There are many reasons you could voice in order to present your case. However I've always felt the strongest argument is the one they can't discount without at least thinking a little about it.

The NPS is always quick to explain holding the half-wits at bay is part of their job. (Yet Slack Roping is okay)? This, they will say, is how they protect the park's environment. (And I personally think they are doing a fine job if you like the smell of diesel fuel, eat hot dogs and need film for your disposable camera).

A more valid argument for us may be this:

There is simply no other site in the United States that suits our purposes as well as El Cap and Half Dome.

This one indisputable fact separates us from other special interest groups as it can be argued it causes us an undo hardship as a group.

There are other places to climb, there are other places to hang glide, and to camp, and to fish, etc. There is however only two places in the entire continental United States where an experienced BASE jumper can foot launch a cliff jump and reach terminal velocity and still have a good landing area. Both of these sites are in Yosemite Valley. (This could be argued, but in terms of ease of access, safety, beauty, etc, these two sites are hard to beat).

Our French Sub-dealer (for Basic Research) visited us in California last year. He came with about 800 cliff jumps in his French hometown. Like most BASE jumpers the draw of Yosemite was too much and he decided to take a chance. He was arrested and so was his girlfriend. I'll never forget him walking in the door here at Basic Research mumbling (with a deep French accent) "America, land of the free . . . "

The saddest part, is he's right.

Nick-BR

[460]

I can probably get a copy of Jean Boenish's
MA Thesis on the environmental impact of BASE
jumping in Yosemite.

It was ignored the last time it was given to them
because of Susan Oatley. It was given to the
Yosemite NPS on Friday. During the weekend, Susan
hit the wall on El Cap and died. Jean's report
subsequently went into the trash.

Whadda ya think guys??!!??

-Chris

[guest]

Yea ! Let's do it all. Send the impact report. Send the requests for permits and send copies of them to Washington and send copies of them via both the Yosemite and Washington e-mail addresses. Come on brothers and sisters. Now is the time for us all to unite and try again to get BASE permits issued in the parks. There are other sites in other parks where one can do tall cliffs and land in relatively good landing areas if you're willing to take a long hike, but you are right in that all the really tall sites and the relly safe sites are in the National Parks.

Please save all letters to and from the NPS to be compiled and sent to Congress and the Senate if this does not work, and I can assure you that this first step will not. However, we must be like the bite of the turtle and never let go. I would like you all to encourage other BASE jumpers and friends of base jumpers to get on line here and get together on this. Remember when 100 of us was going to jump El Cap on the forth of July and take the heat. Everyone, including myself, turned into a chickenshit. Let's not let it happen this time. Writing letters and taking this approach is not illegal. It will even work if we are persistent enough. And would somebody come up with some regular times to get in the chat room here and have some one on one on this. Please ! ! !

Earl

[guest]

The reason the "Hundred Man March" off the edge of El Cap never happened is we realized there are worse things in life than having the NPS made at you.

Try the Sierra Club.

If we put a hundred jumpers into the meadow we'd get our gooses cooked by every environmental group in the world.

The only way to stage a demonstration would be some type of sit-in with signs, bull horns, and near naked woman (you want on the news or what) outside one of the park entrances.

Nick-BR

[guest]

On any day during wall season(Sept.-Nov.) there are more than 100 people in El Cap meadow during any time of day. I would estimate there are more than a thousand people tracking all over the meadow during the entire day at this time of year looking through telescopes and gawking at climbers on El Cap. I like the half-naked girl idea though. I have several who are willing to volunteer. What day did you have in mind and how many girls are you bringing ?

Earl