Two Popular Rock Climbing Sites in Pennsylvania Close to Protect Wildlife Habitat

Image: Andrey Bandurenko, Adobe Stock

The Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) recently announced that they will ban all rock-climbing activities on State Game Lands 51 and State Game Lands 138 in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The announcement points to the environmental impact of increased rock climbing activities in the area and states that “increased climbing has worn away lichens and moss on rock faces, and has cleared vegetation and naturally occurring woody debris and leaf litter from the bases of climbing rocks. These changes have degraded habitat, impacting the reptile, amphibian, and mammal species that use it.”

Though Game Commission Southwest Region Director Jason Farabaugh notes that rock-climbers in the area “typically are respectful of wildlife and habitat and support conservation,” the announcement reinforces the idea that the organization’s first priority is preservation of the ecosystem. These rock climbing sites are “critical habitat for several rare, threatened or endangered plant and wildlife species,” with the closures the Pennsylvania Game Commission is committing to uphold their guiding principle to “place wildlife and habitat first.”

The environmental impact of rock climbing is a growing concern amongst conservationists.