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ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (KDVR) — On Tuesday, portions of the Rocky Mountain National Park were closed off to the public so that certain predatorial species can settle while unfettered by human presence.

According to the National Park Service, nesting season has arrived earlier than wildlife managers anticipated and instead of waiting until March 1, they have decided to isolate and close specific areas within the Lumpy Ridge region of the park so that birds of prey can begin settling in their habitat.

The type of topography that these raptors favor when it comes to picking a spot to set up their nest in, is the same type that rock climbers love to scale. That is why it is so important that climbing organizations continue to be on the same page as wildlife management.

High nesting activity was detected in both 2020 and 2021, which led to park management starting to take annual precautionary measures that give these delicate species a much-needed lack of human interaction.

Areas closed until July 31

  • Twin Owls
  • Rock One
  • Batman Rock
  • Batman Pinnacle
  • Thunder Buttress
  • The Parish
  • Lightning Rock
  • Checkerboard
  • Sundance Buttress
  • The Book
  • Bookmark Pinnacle
  • The Left Book
  • Bookmark
  • The Needle Summit and access trails
  • Cathedral Wall

A detailed map of the closures can be found on the National Park Service’s raptor closures page. again, these are now active and will last until July 31, when they are reopened to the public. If you have any further questions for park officials, you can call 970-586-1206.

Aggressive raptor behavior

Areas of the park that are still open to the public are not necessarily incapable of becoming nesting regions for these animals. If you come in contact with a nest while visiting the park, or witness any aggressive divebombing, or birds fleeing nest sites due to human disturbance, please reach out to park management by sending an email to ROMO_Information@nps.gov.

Be sure to remember that when you are visiting a national park, you are visiting the home of many delicate species. With this in mind, make sure that your impact on the area and on the animals within it is minimal during your next venture out into Colorado’s backyard.