my name is dana fries, and i am a senior in the environmental studies program at suny-esf. i am an avid bird watcher because i grew up in front of a cemetery in ohio that was a famous bird-watching spot. the poem below is a warning message, not about a particular currently endangered species, but a lesson that many people in north america have yet to learn about conservation.

in my opinion, “too big to fail” is an idea held in the public imagination about species populations. the shock of the extinction magnitude of the passenger pigeon still haunts this continent, and i see some modern parallels in the story of the snow goose (latin name: anser caerulescens), a wetlands bird native to north america.

according to the american bird conservancy, climate change will negatively affect wetland habitats, which the snow goose relies upon. the snow goose breeding range might be cut by up to 73 percent if average global temperature rise by 2-degrees fahrenheit. the image above abstractly depicts the cost of losing this species due to climate change. no population is too big to fail, and although the endangered species list is a powerful tool for conservation, listing in itself is not enough.

i had to pull over

to catch the snowstorm

the beauty of the common snow goose

there is no other way to say it

north america better not ruin this

the track record hasn’t been so great (passenger pigeon)

so yes, i will poetically wax on about a

bird so common

no one is safe.

i had to pull over

for a moment the sky turned into an ocean with rippling waves

white caps on a windy day.

from siberia to mexico

the harbingers of the seasons dance

the snow goose is not on your list

but they fill my sky

a blue morph was shot in idaho at 30 years old

that bird was older than me.

while the waters may look idyllic, a century-old sewage system and dangerously high levels of bacteria have made the urban national park unswimmable for decades. now, a team of volunteers is working to change that, one water sample at a time.

no-swim zone

d.c. residents know that swimming in the city’s waterways is not the best idea — in fact, it’s been illegal since 1971. lorde shocked concert goers and made national news last year when she claimed to float in the potomac before her show. there’s a stigma around the cleanliness of these rivers from decades of pollution, but in recent years, the waterways have been slowly improving.

the environmental protection agency has been trying to make the city’s waterways swimmable and fishable since the clean water act of 1972. while the original ten-year timeline for that goal passed forty years ago, the act set in motion a clean water agenda the city is hoping to reach in the next few years.

in 2019, city officials began floating the idea of relaxing or lifting the swim ban. but even after decades of cleaning up the waterways, environmentalists question whether the water is safe enough to open to public swimming. data from the d.c. volunteer water quality monitoring project is helping shed light on the state of the city’s rivers and streams.

watching the waterways

on a cool day in early may, the ground is damp and the water is high in rock creek park. it’s the first day of the 2023 water monitoring season, an overcast morning after several days of on-and-off rain.

landrum beard, community engagement coordinator at rock creek conservancy, sits under a picnic pavilion at a table lined with small red coolers for volunteers to pick up with their water testing kits. they’ll head out toward their assigned sites, marked with ribbons, along the creek and return with the coolers filled with water samples, which are taken to anacostia riverkeeper’s lab for testing.

anacostia riverkeeper launched the d.c. volunteer water quality monitoring project in 2018 to measure and track contamination levels in d.c.’s main waterways: the anacostia river, the potomac river, and rock creek.

with a $140,000 grant from the d.c. department of energy and environment, the project has grown into a collaboration between anacostia riverkeeper, alliance for the chesapeake bay, rock creek conservancy, and nature forward. the groups have trained almost 400 volunteers from all eight wards of the city, collecting more than 2,000 water samples from 2019 to 2022.

each wednesday morning from may to september — considered the outdoor recreational season — teams of volunteers take water samples at two dozen sites across the city and test for ph balance, e. coli levels, water temperature, air temperature, and turbidity, a measure of water clarity. they also note if they see anyone in the water, as many people and their pets still wade in the creek despite park signs warning against it. the results are posted each friday and updated in the swim guide app, which lets users check the water quality of nearby beaches.

most of the volunteers are consistent, beard says. there are some newcomers on this first day of the new season, but others have been a part of the program for years.

benita veskimets is one of those veteran volunteers. veskimets, who used to work in fundraising for rock creek conservancy, is in her fourth year of water sampling. “i’m really curious to see what happens this year,” she says. “last year, i feel like it was worse than the year before.”

only a few of the rock creek sites passed with safe bacteria levels last year, beard confirms. those were mostly on dry weeks, when there was little or no rainfall impacting the stormwater sewage overflow. this morning is not one of those times. after a rainy week, the creek is likely swimming with bacteria from runoff. not the best way to kick off the season, he admits.

rock creek park’s sewage problem

the root of this problem lies with infrastructure, and if you’ve ever walked through rock creek park after a rainstorm, you can smell why. 

after just half an inch of rainfall, hazardous waste and sewage flood into the creek from the city’s old combined sewer infrastructure. in this system, stormwater and sewage flow through the same pipes — and when it rains, they quickly fill up and overflow into the rivers. rock creek is considered dangerously contaminated when that happens, and recreators are advised to avoid the waterway for up to three days afterward.

volunteers have tracked that trend at the sampling areas. “all these sites, for the most part, have a storm drain a few hundred feet or so upstream from where the sampling site is,” beard said. “so after big rain events, we always see that the sites have extremely high bacteria.”

d.c. water is now working on a $2.6 billion overhaul to the city’s sewage system with the goal of redirecting some of these sewage lines away from the city’s waterways and back toward treatment plants. this plan, the clean river project, is set to be completed in 2030. 

in the current phase of the project, the national park service is teaming up with d.c. water to take on piney branch creek, one of rock creek’s main tributaries and victims of contamination. an estimated 39 million gallons of sewage and stormwater pour into the creek each year.

“the way to do it is to build bigger pipes under the ground that can handle all the sewage and the stormwater and keep it in the pipes and get it down to the treatment plant,” said steve dryden, a local conservationist who has worked in the piney branch area for years.

the city is expanding these pipes, aiming to reduce the amount of sewage flowing into the three waterways by 96 percent. it’s part of a hybrid plan for rock creek that includes both traditional “grey infrastructure” — like basins, drains, and pipes — and new “green infrastructure,” such as rain gardens and permeable pavers in 365 acres of the surrounding urban areas. a pilot program for this green infrastructure plan reduced runoff into the creek by nearly one fifth, surpassing d.c. water’s goals.

but sewage overflow and runoff after rainfall is not the only contamination source in rock creek. the water quality monitoring project reports that some sites have had persistently high levels of bacteria even during dry weather, which may be caused by “outdated infrastructure, leaking sewer pipes, or uninvestigated point-source pollution.”

jeanne braha, executive director of rock creek conservancy, said this may also come from pet waste and houses or businesses with sewer pipes that are accidentally hooked up to storm drain pipes that flow into the creek. construction in the urban area is another contributor, veskimets adds. while the potomac and anacostia bacteria levels are a direct result of combined sewer overflows, rock creek’s contamination comes from several sources — making solutions harder to find.

one sample at a time

while solving rock creek’s water contamination problem is a long process, participants in the d.c. volunteer water quality monitoring project are ensuring that city officials and environmentalists have the data to help. 

the potomac and anacostia rivers have been slowly improving in water quality since the anacostia was once dubbed “one of the most polluted waterways in the nation.” people debate whether the rivers have recovered enough to be swimmable.

“i think we’re getting there,” said louis eby, a longtime water quality volunteer and former attorney advisor in the epa’s office of water. he’s seen a lot of progress in the two rivers, but remains cautious about rock creek.

“i wouldn’t swim in rock creek,” he said. “we’ll get there some day for rock creek, but not soon.”

sure enough, the rain in early may was a forecast of remaining challenges. both upper and lower rock creek sites reported unsafe e. coli and ph levels in the first week of monitoring.

still, citizen scientists will continue to keep tabs on the water quality each week. as soon as rock creek is finally swimmable, they’ll be the first to know. 

as the summer recreation season kicks off, people flock to d.c.’s waterways for kayaking, paddleboarding, and sightseeing — and one day soon, they might be able to safely swim in them.

the ross specializes in watershed ecosystem science, where they use large datasets to produce actionable insights that their partners can implement. one of the ross’s most important partnerships is with the biogeochemistry lab at rocky mountain research station (rmrs), which helps the ross collect and analyze stream chemistry for some of their key study watersheds.

another exciting aspect of the ross’s work is the harmonization of water quality data (from partners like rmrs) with satellite imagery to help estimate water quality from satellites, which helps fill in data gaps. critical to their open science mission, they keep all code open and accessible, providing publically available reproducible workflows for others to use their tools.

along with being a leading voice in watershed ecosystem management, the ross wants to make science welcoming to everyone, with the goal that their work “fosters a better, just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive scientific community.”

and yet somehow i hadn’t seen a native wildflower until i turned 15 and even then it was one singular beautiful yellow flower with greenish red leaves blooming on a cold march day. this trout lily, erythronium americanum, was my first experience with a wildflower. how could it have taken me that long to see a wildflower? this question sent me on a crusade of research to find out the answer.

a wildflower journey

the united states is home to a large variety of wildflowers that provide a vast array of services such as habitat and food for many native insect and animal species. unfortunately, due to the vast decline of important wildflowers such as milkweed, many populations of specialist species of insects that depend on these flowers have also declined as a result.

one staff member at suny college of environmental science and forestry, molly jacobson, a pollinator ecologist at the school, has helped restore some of these plants by helping esf become an affiliate with bee campus usa. the initiative at esf is part of a larger national initiative to help conserve native pollinators.

the bee campus is just one part of the bee city usa initiative created by the xerces society for invertebrate conservation. this is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. when i asked jacobson about what it means to be a “bee campus,” she said it’s a pledge to create pollinator habitats, decrease pesticide use, and perform community outreach each year as well as a variety of other things. esf became an affiliate in 2022, continuing a long history of commitment to the environment. 

clearly it’s important to protect wildflowers and spaces for the pollinators, but the pollinators themselves must also be proactively protected. according to jacobson, pollinators are incredibly diverse and the term pollinator can include bats, birds, bees, flies, and even beetles depending on where in the world you live. 

however it’s also important to know that no pollinator purposely pollinates plants, but it’s more of an “accident” through evolution and some species are better at pollinating than others. for example, a bee with a lot of hairs is better than a wasp with few to no hairs, however without any of these species, many of our flowering plants and flowering crops would struggle. 

furthermore, without many of these native flowers certain more specialized insects would also struggle to survive. in fact, jacobson even mentioned that the biggest threat facing pollinators is a loss of habitat, meaning that planting even a five foot area of native flowers could make a huge difference in the ability of pollinators to survive in your local area.

she went so far as to say, “restoring habitat on any scale makes a difference.” but, was the reason for me not seeing many native wildflowers due to a lack of diversity in native pollinators or was it due to me not knowing where to look?

planting flowers to protect the “specialists”

this question led me to talk with jeffry petracca, an entomologist from long island, ny. petracca explained that native plants are irreplaceable, as you decrease the biodiversity of native flowers and plants, you lose the amount of native pollinators whether they are insects or other animals, especially in animals that are “specialist” species, those that may only get their nectar from one species of flower. this relationship works both ways and some plants are only pollinated by a few or even one species.

according to petracca, the biodiversity of pollinators on long island, whether they are bees, wasps, flies, beetles, or butterflies; has overall decreased significantly over time. there are subsequently less and less native flowers being seen as well, which he believes is mostly due to habitat destruction through the development of housing, roads, and shopping centers.

but why is biodiversity and the presence of flowers so important? petracca explained that the more biodiversity a region has, the more stable and resistant to changes the local environment and ecosystem becomes. for example, in an area of low diversity, a flower may only be getting pollinated by one species of beetle, but if there is a cold snap that devastates the population of that beetle, then the flower is no longer going to be pollinated that season. 

conversely, in an area of high biodiversity, that flower may be getting pollinated by 10 or 20 species of bees and beetles. so while a few of those species may suffer due to the cold, the ecosystem as a whole is less affected. 

similarly to jacobson, petracca believes that planting native plants in your garden and yard is a great way to help native pollinators in your area. however, when buying plants you must be careful that the plants you are buying are a wild strain and haven’t been specially bred to to not make pollen or nectar.

when buying these “native” flowers you must also make sure they are a species native to your area or state, as some species of native flowers may be native to the united states but not necessarily your area and would provide less of a beneficial effect. 

there are many state government environmental agencies that have sheets and information online to help people locate information about which plants are native to their region. many participants in the bee campus program are also putting out information online and, of course, there are a wide variety of books that are available that have native plants local to your area.

while abundant, inspiration can be fleeting and ungraspable. i lived in south texas, a region diverse in culture and ideology, but eternally linked to mistakes of the past; thus persists a narrative that leads some circles to resent science, even fear it. particularly within the latinx community in the region, against whom science and twisted methodologies have been weaponized.

making an impact

it is hard to be inspired to change the world for the better when the tools you are given are enshrouded with fear. but as a latina of that community, it fell upon my shoulders to erode that trauma that still resides deep in our daily lives, so my inspiration emerged as two objectives: 1) create pathways for students to become familiar with conducting research and normalized to the advantages and limitations of science, and 2) to create something impactful. 

in 2018, i developed a strain of bacteria capable of detecting the explosive tnt, and when it decomposes, dnt. in 2019, i founded herodotus research and development for my 17th birthday. the goal is to implement domestically in the united states to make a fool-proof highly resilient and uncompromisable product that can be shipped around the world to regions afflicted by war-related hazards. why? because of the number 17,000; that’s about how many people around the world are killed or injured by landmines and “remnants of war” each year.

also, because of the number 15 million; that’s how many acres of land in the united states are polluted by those “remnants of war” or munitions-related chemicals. i encountered these statistics as a descendant of veterans. these statistics are haunting, and they present a profound conclusion that innovation cannot right the wrongs of history, but innovation can right the future. 

an innovation for the earth and for community

i founded a program in which high school students accompanied me to the university to conduct their research on topics applicable to their interests. this grew into a class in which middle schoolers shadowed the high schoolers and conducted research. my community was eager to learn, but nobody tried to learn with them, and science became inaccessible. there was hope for technology changing lives for the better, and there was a desire to lead those discoveries. i went from presenting alone at the state science fair to accompanying a team of proud latinx students to their blue ribbons. 

the innovation in this video is not just a way of detecting and removing dangerous chemicals in the environment. this video was recorded in the av closet of my high school with my business partner and a few friends who all believed they were contributing to something impactful. my community felt the value of increasing accessibility to science education. this is a true innovation, empowering others to innovate, and it can be applied everywhere on the globe. 

this film was created with the goal of inspiring nuance in whatever stance you take on animals in the captivity of zoos & aquariums.

to watch the full short film, please click here.

for me, being able to use this creative outlet to share such a powerful narrative shows that anyone, using any of their interests/talents, can raise awareness about environmental issues. my art is a reflection of myself and the issues that are of importance to me.

i want to inspire others to partake in environmental activism in any way that they can. this video not only includes inspiring stories of conservation successes (such as that of the gray wolf and the bald eagle), but also showcases statistics of extinction that will hopefully display the dark reality of the situation we face.

many seem to forget that we are currently in an age of mass extinction, and that a threat to one species is a threat to all. we must learn to respect the flora and fauna that we share this land with, and protect the wildlife that we have already caused harm to. this video aims to achieve this by presenting viewers with an emotional and artistic chronicle of the holocene extinction. 

while it can be difficult to reverse what’s already been done to the environment, preserved areas like patagonia show us a model for serious conservation that is possible and inspiring.

coastal chile

slideshow by carter weinhofer

the first two pictures depict just a small aspect of life by the water in the cities of valparaíso and viña del mar. cargo ships are nonstop, the waves of the pacific ocean crash violently against the rocky coast and the scent of fish markets are recognizable every time you pass them in a “micro,” or bus. further north, the beach town of horcón attracts tourists to the bridge of dreams (slide 3), where visitors can write their wishes on a piece of biodegradable fabric and tie them to a colorful bridge by the coast.

even further north, you can find the upscale beach of zapallar (slide 4), popular during this time of summer and home to the upper-class. without a doubt, anywhere along the central to northern coast of chile you can notice the impact humans have on the environment, whether it’s through the litter on the streets or graffiti on the walls.

the “in-between”

slideshow by carter weinhofer

while not always geographically “in-between,” these locations are heavily influenced by humans but also demonstrate the beauty of chile’s diverse environment. first, the dunes of concon (slides 1 and 2) attract locals and tourists alike for their uniqueness. you can find people sandboarding down the massive dunes, while also taking in the views of the cities around it. but, immediately surrounding the dunes are skyscrapers creeping up. while the site was named a national sanctuary in 1993, the protected part of the dunes was restricted to only 12 of the 45 hectares in 1994.

this allowed for large buildings to be constructed all round the dunes, appealing to a more touristy feel. as you get deeper into the country going east, the true hidden beauty begins to show itself. another popular tourist attraction, cajon del maipo (slides 3-5) allows for ziplining, rafting and hiking through the well-preserved land. hiking and nature walks connect people with the environment, facilitating sightings of native and non-native chilean species, like the california quail in slide 4.

during the summer months, you can admire the waterfalls shown in slide 9. throughout this destination, recycling bins and environmentally-conscious signage indicate that respect for the environment is a mutually held value, shared by tourists, workers and locals.

la patagonia

slideshow by carter weinhofer

take a plane to punta arenas in the deep south of chile, then go by rental van or bus through puerto natales into one of the main destinations of patagonia: torres del paine national park. it’s difficult to encapsulate the true feeling of being in a place like this, and photos barely do it justice. aside from a few lodges and eating spots scattered around the whole park, the area remains in great environmental condition, allowing for the flourishing of wild fauna, such as the chilean flamingo (slide 5). 

designated as a biosphere reserve by the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization, the park is known around the world and attracts more than 250,000 visitors every year. even with the common principles of “leave no trace,” the mass amount of visitors to the national park takes its toll, mainly in the form of erosion to the trails and surrounding areas. to combat this, non-profit organizations such as the torres del paine legacy fund strive to support the longevity of the park.

the organization spearheads projects focused on ecosystem restoration and improving the infrastructure throughout the park, such as trails and bridges. the work of nonprofits such as the torres del paine legacy fund can make huge impacts, but is only one piece of the puzzle in total conservation – luckily, the national forest corporation (conaf), overseen by chile’s ministry of agriculture, works closely with nonprofit organizations such as this to promote conservation. 

one of the main hikes completed by visitors is to the viewpoint looking out at the famous torres del paine. this is a somewhat challenging hike and is nearly 13 miles roundtrip. the last hour of the hike is almost all uphill and, without a smooth path, hikers need to climb on rocks while simultaneously trying to stand steady against the heavy wind. but, the view (slide 3) makes it all worth it. even with the viewpoint relatively crowded on the day i made the journey, the sentiment shared among people was unlike anything i had ever experienced. after such a journey, everyone just looked on at the famous torres and admired it for what it was. 

at one point, a wind gust took papers from a person’s bag and scattered them throughout the clear blue lake. some hikers close to the water rushed to get there, sharing hiking sticks to grab the trash that had been accidentally taken into the water. and that’s the amazing thing – with no trash cans anywhere on the hiking trail or throughout the park at all, really, the area remains well taken care of with rarely a speck of trash in sight. the level of respect for the environment i experienced in patagonia was truly unique.

rock climbing might be a new tool for conserving the public land that bolsters michigan’s annual $20 billion tourism industry.

the sport is gaining traction as outdoor enthusiasts look to experience nature differently, especially after indoor climbing gyms closed during the pandemic.

already, there are 7 million climbers in america, and the sport’s popularity is growing.

for the first time, sport climbing appeared in the august 2021 tokyo olympics. the word “climbing” peaked in popularity on google during that event.

“the nature of the outdoors user continues to evolve over time,” said brad garmon, the director of michigan’s office of outdoor recreation industry.

“we shouldn’t get stuck in certain ways, where certain activities are legitimized and others not. let’s figure out what people want to be doing in the outdoors and how we can support it,” garmon said.

rock climbing isn’t widely recognized in michigan and the rest of the midwest because most people don’t expect to find exceptional rock climbing here, garmon said. that’s one thing that makes rock climbing so exciting: it can reshape how people perceive the state’s outdoor recreation opportunities.

michigan’s outdoor recreation industry is responsible for 110,000 jobs and $5 billion in wages and salaries annually, according to the agency.

“the outdoors is part of michigan’s heritage. it’s part of our economy and our communities. we’re an outdoorsy state,” garmon said.

michigan’s first climber-owned “crag”: slugg’s bluff

just this year, slugg’s bluff in the upper peninsula became the first climber-owned area in the state.

the popular crag – lingo for a climbable rock face – is about 20 minutes southwest of marquette.

people have been climbing there since the 1970s, said bill thompson, a board member of the upper peninsula climbing coalition, a nonprofit group protecting sustainable climbing.

the arbelius family, who had long owned the 10 acres that is slugg’s bluff, recognized that climbers maintained the land and donated it to them, thompson said.

climbers as environmental stewards

climbers clean up the trash – anything from broken bottles to fridges – that local nonclimbers toss off the ledge.

craig kasmer, a park interpreter at michigan’s department of natural resources and a former rock climber, said the heightened awareness that climbing demands lends itself to a deeper connection with nature. that means climbers can play a key role in conserving an area.

“climbers are aware of their surroundings. with, say, a cyclist, it’s exercise. you need to go from point a to point b and you’re passing by trees and you’re not even looking at them.

“the slower the activity, the better. you have to be slow and meticulous when you’re rock climbing. and so you have time to stop and look at things, to be involved with the nature around you.”

as climbers ascend a wall of rock or ice, their focus is on finding the route. they must be extremely present in the search for different holds, whether with their hands exploring the rock or an ice tool testing the ice.

the michigan ice fest

it’s this awareness and connection to nature that has led organizers of the popular michigan ice fest to set a goal of net zero emissions over the next three years.

the event is held in munising and initially had 10 climbers in 1991.  now, it attracts over 1,000 people from around the world.

“our passion relies on consistently cold weather, and that’s being threatened by climate change,“ said matt abbotts, a co-organizer of the ice fest. “if winters are milder or shorter, that means less ice climbing.”

the festival takes place an hour east of slugg’s bluff, and ice climbers of all levels have come for the past 30 years to climb on the banks of lake superior.

“climbers might not be the biggest community, but it’s a group of strong-willed, passionate individuals who are never afraid of doing the hard work,” abbotts said.

rock climbing in michigan

the upper peninsula has the most climbing opportunities in michigan, with over 300 documented roped routes and a myriad of boulder problems –  unroped climbing at lower heights. but the lower peninsula is home to some crags, too.

in grand ledge, about 10 miles outside of lansing, climbers try to protect one of the only crags in the lower peninsula. the part of the park that allows climbing – oak park – is city-owned, and officials aren’t good about managing the area, said ben poulson, a grand ledge climber.

there are competing demands for public dollars, so city management at the ledges has fallen onto the back burner, said bruce bright, a member of the grand ledge parks & recreation commission.

“in some respects, i would characterize the management of oak park as being one of benign neglect,” bright said.

so, who maintains it? climbers.

rock climbers upkeeping crags

“climbers are the best stewards,” poulson said. “if you ban climbing, you’re banning the best environmental stewards from that area.

“if you allow climbing, you’re allowing people who very much care about that area to be there and to police it,” he said.

bright said members of the climbing community put down wood chips and topsoil and even installed makeshift wooden rails to prevent erosion.

people who spend time outdoors feel a shared responsibility to protect it. that’s why it’s so important to get people outside, said chris winter, the executive director of the access fund, a land trust protecting and preserving crags across america and based in boulder, colorado.

“when you connect to the larger landscape, you start really caring about conservation and stewardship,” winter said.

liability concerns with rock climbing

still, some landowners with crags on their property resist climbing.

a section in michigan’s natural resources and environmental protection act protects landowners from liability for those injured on their land if they were there without paying and for recreational purposes. it mentions activities like hiking, hunting, fishing and camping but groups remaining outdoor activities as “any other outdoor recreational use.”

the vague language fails to mention rock climbing, thus raising questions of liability.

the climbing coalition’s thompson said rock climbing is often perceived as dangerous.

but it’s one of the few activities that has never seen injury or death in presque isle, one of marquette’s most visited parks. other allowed activities – scuba diving, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking – all had injuries and deaths at the park, thompson said.

even devil’s lake state park in baraboo, wisconsin, which has what some climbers consider the best climbing in the midwest, isn’t maintained for climbing.

it has over 1,600 climbing routes and 1,500 boulder problems detailed in numerous guidebooks.

despite that kind of exposure, officials neither permit nor punish climbing in the park.

climbers maintain the crags there, too.

the local wisconsin climbers association partners with the access fund to ensure access to climbing spaces. they keep the crags free of graffiti and trash, in addition to implementing erosion control.

in michigan, the grand ledge climbers coalition and the upper peninsula climbing coalition both partner with the access fund to conserve local climbing crags.

the access fund’s winter said, “it’s not only the specific places we like to spend time as climbers, but also the larger landscapes around those places. it’s those larger landscapes that are so inspiring.”

like any outdoor activity, climbing can adversely impact an area. but instead of banning an activity, we ought to bolster management efforts to accommodate it, bright said. after all, resources have long been exploited in the name of economic development.

“sometimes i think people are overly critical of our visitors. if the rock is damaged by overuse, is that really such a crime compared to what’s taken place over the last 100 years?” bright said.

winter said that climbers have always played an integral role in protecting the lands that all people – climbers and non-climbers – love and enjoy.

“as we look to the future, in the bigger picture of conservation, we have to be tackling these big environmental challenges of our time,” winter said.

“we have to do that both to protect outdoor climbing but also to protect the environment more broadly.”

reporter cameryn cass has climbed at grand ledge in michigan, devil’s lake state park in wisconsin and the red river gorge in kentucky.

rotorua canopy tours brands itself as a company heavily invested in ecotourism, which involves more socially conscious forms of tourism that protect the environment, benefit the local communities, and educate the tourists. ecotourism, when implemented properly, can provide enormous contributions to the environment and the surrounding community. the idea is to create a win-win-win situation: a company thrives, the environment and its inhabitants benefit, and tourists enjoy an informative and thrilling activity.

a proactive approach 

while ecotourism sounds like a creative solution, it is not a complete panacea. tourist activities, even if well intentioned, attract more visitors to an area which puts many of these natural wonders under more stress. this increased foot traffic can harm the wildlife directly or even indirectly, through the introduction of invasive species or the altering of animal behavior. furthermore, when ecotourism is not carried out properly, it can undermine the lives of locals and extensively damage the environment.

rotorua canopy tours has spent over $250,000 nzd (new zealand dollars) on sustainability measures in an effort be the best in the ecotourism industry. they’ve devoted much of their workforce to conserving the forest in which it operates by trapping possums, rats, and stoats. while it may sound counterintuitive for conservation to involve trapping, this work is vital to protecting the forest. all three of these species are invasive to the area, have no predators, and also prey on the native bird populations, decimating their numbers and degrading the entire ecosystem.

the company’s approximately 750 traps have culled tens of thousands of pests and restored 280 hectares of forest since trapping started in 2013. harry haywood, a senior zip line tour guide for the company, has been working in the tourism and conservation industry for nearly 10 years. he said, “when we started in 2012, we had about 98% saturation of pests in the forest. nowadays, the possums are around 0.8% saturation. last i checked, the rats are around 20-22%, but that’s up from around 12%, due to us being in a mast season.” a mast season is a cyclical period when trees drop more nuts and seeds than during a typical year.

evidently, the efforts of rotorua canopy tours provide enormous benefits to the dansey road scenic reserve, the forest that contains the zip line course and is owned by the new zealand department of conservation. the company’s founders strongly believe in rehabilitating the forest, and according to haywood, wrote it into their contract with the department of conservation. while this agreement helped the founders secure approval to build the zip line course, it also aligned perfectly with their values and mission.

this partnership benefits both sides, as the department of conservation allows rotorua canopy tours to operate in the forest in exchange for a lease payment and the trapping work. in fact, haywood explained that the company’s workforce and funding greatly exceeds the resources the department of conservation would have been able to allocate to this forest.

“for me it’s resetting the traps, rebaiting them, and documenting numbers and statistics,” haywood said of his role in the conservation efforts. “we also work with a local scientific group on various studies and discovered four new species to science, as well as assist in the reintroduction of certain native bird species.”

normalizing sustainable practices in ecotourism

at the end of the day, the goal of any business is to boost its profits as much as possible, which begs an important question: what responsibilities to the environment do ecotourism companies have?

many climate activists, business leaders, and philosophers have debated this very question. brian berkey and eric orts, professors at the university of pennsylvania’s wharton school, argue that businesses hold an ethical responsibility to forgo some profit opportunities in order to address the climate crisis because the world cannot sustain current business practices.

the good news is that it does seem intuitive for ecotourism businesses to conserve the places they operate. “it may not necessarily be [a business’] responsibility to look after the country, but they should want to protect the place they are in. if the glaciers are disappearing and the forests are destroyed, then ecotourism businesses won’t make any money either,” said haywood.

with profits inevitably at the heart of the issue, part of the impetus for companies to change may come from consumers’ choices about where their money goes. ecotourism remains a viable option for travelers seeking an adventure while minimizing their environmental footprint, but this depends on businesses implementing principles of ecotourism. 

at the end of the day, looking out for the environment remains the top priority. “the zip lines are a fun way to get from point a to point b, but you’re really there for the forest,” said haywood. “you may not realize it until you’re out there, but you’re there for the forest, and seeing it look the way it does partly because of our work feels good.”