Cave Rock Climbing Ban Sustained by Appeals Court

WEDNESDAY, 29 AUGUST 2007

The climbing ban on Lake Tahoe's Cave Rock imposed by the US Forest Service has been sustained by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last Monday.

Located between Gilenbrook and Zephyr Cove, Cave Rock was regarded as a sacred site by the Washoe Tribe. It was also included as part of the original settlers' road formed around the lake. Since the late 1980s, Cave Rock became a premiere climbing sites for recreational rock climbers. In 2004, Forest Supervisor Maribeth Gustafson imposed a permanent climbing ban on Cave Rock on the grounds of its historic and cultural value for the Washoe tribe.

The Access Fund, a non-profit group based in Boulder, Colorado, charged Gustafson for imposing the climbing ban, claiming it as unconstitutional. The climbing ban was supported by the US District Court, and was then petitioned to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Visit www.nevadaappeal.com for more information.