News Release

Zion National Park Re-Opens Climbing Routes After Successful Peregrine Nesting Season

News Release Date: August 8, 2017

Contact: John Marciano, [phone]

SPRINGDALE, UT –   All climbing routes on cliffs used by nesting Peregrine Falcons in Zion National Park have been re-opened. Closures were initiated March 1, 2017 in order to protect Peregrine Falcon nesting areas.
 
During the nesting period, Park wildlife biologists monitored the bird’s activity, and found five different territories were occupied by pairs of adults. Six juveniles successfully fledged, including two on the Tunnel Wall, two on Mount Kinesava, one on Cable Mountain, and one on Mount Isaac.  
 
The cliffs of Zion National Park are home to a high concentration of breeding Peregrine Falcons each spring and summer. “Peregrines are amazing fliers who catch birds and occasionally bats in mid air, comments Cassity Bromley, Chief of Resource Management. These magnificent birds of prey were listed as an endangered species in 1970 under the Endangered Species Act. Following the United States ban on DDT and captive breeding efforts, peregrine numbers rebounded, and they were removed from the endangered species list in 1999.”  Zion National Park has been, and continues to be, an important sanctuary for peregrines and many other wildlife species.
 
The Park thanks the climbing community for their cooperation through the 2017 breeding season, and appreciates their assistance in helping to protecting the Park’s wildlife resources.