In March 2021, a climber in Utah inadvertently bolted three routes (about 5.3) on top of and near Native American rock art, estimated to be 1,000 year old petroglyphs. The climber who had mistakenly identified the rock art as modern-day graffiti, has since taken responsibility for his conduct and has openly apologized for his mistake.
As climbers, this incident shows us that we need to do a better job educating new climbers the importance of practicing a Leave No Trace ethic which includes respecting sacred sites as well as historic and prehistoric cultural resources.
“Mazinaw” is an Algonquin word meaning “picture” or “writing.” Mazinaw Lake at Bon Echo Provincial Park is the largest rock art site on the southern Canadian Shield and the only major pictograph site in Southern Ontario, including Indigenous rock art paintings spread out over 65 rock faces along a 2.5km stretch of the cliff face.
It is also home to some of the finest rock climbing in Southern Ontario, featuring granite cliffs up to 100m high rising vertically out of the lake with adventurous trad routes ranging from 5.0 to 5.11.
Join us on June 22, 2021 for a panel discussion chaired by Cynthia Chung, chair of the Alpine Club of Canada, Toronto Section’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee and featuring:
· Lisa Roach, Senior Natural Heritage Education Leader at Bon Echo Provincial Park to speak about the pictographs
· John Vellone, climber, lawyer and access volunteer with the Alpine Club of Canada, Toronto Section and the Ontario Alliance of Climbers
Join us on Zoom via:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5093999952
Once again, immediately following the discussion panel, we will be hosting a virtual social gathering via Kumospace. To join, please go to ACC-YYZ’s Virtual Room. To enter, you will need to register. Our room size is limited so don’t be late!
For more information on Kumospace, you can find them here.