American Alpine Institute News:
–AAI will be hosting The Climbing Film Tour on November 13th. To read more and purchase tickets, click here.
–Purchase an Avalanche Level I course before November 15th and get a $100 discount. Learn more, here.
Northwest:
–OPB is reporting that, “The U.S. Forest Service is going back to the drawing board with an update to the Northwest Forest Plan, a set of policies that broadly dictates where logging can occur on 25 million acres of forests in Oregon, Washington and northwest California. It came out of the timber wars of the 1980s and ‘90s. Environmental groups worry new changes that could be made to this plan under the Trump administration will increase logging in mature and old-growth forests, potentially harming wildlife species that are already on the brink of extinction, including the spotted owl.” To read more, click here.
Sierra:
–Will Moss just became the youngest person ever to free the Nose on El Capitan in a day. Read about it, here. And Rell Lennox just became the youngest woman to rope solo the Nose. Read about that, here.
Desert Southwest:
–NPR is reporting that, “Small businesses in Joshua Tree, California, rely on tourism dollars from the nearby national park. But with the government shut down, their bottom line is at risk.” To read the story, click here.
Colorado and Utah:
–Moab Sun News is reporting that, “Two new bills introduced by Utah lawmakers could bring off-road vehicles into Capitol Reef National Park and potentially other national parks across the country — a change that could ripple into the greater Moab region, where residents and recreation businesses are wary of how such policies might affect nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. John Curtis introduced the State Motor Vehicle Laws in National Park System Units Act and the OHVs in Capitol Reef National Park Act. Together, the bills would loosen current restrictions on off-road vehicle use within national parks and, in Capitol Reef’s case, open a dozen paved and dirt roads currently closed to such vehicles. Both lawmakers have previously supported expanding state control over public lands and access.” To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
–Alaska’s News Source is reporting that, “The remains of one of the three heli-skiers killed in March’s avalanche near Girdwood was recovered Sunday, according to the Alaska State Troopers. The human remains are believed to be the second of three out-of-state heli-skiers who were lost earlier this year, and were taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for identification, troopers say. Next of kin have been notified.” To read more, click here.
–The Pacific Crest Trail Association is reporting on how the government shutdown is impacting their work: “Reduced agency funding and corresponding staff reductions have hindered our ability to do what’s best for the trail. Since day one, the administration has moved to reduce the federal workforce. Today, it is aggressively moving forward with layoffs during the shutdown, though the courts have paused some of those plans. Since the beginning of 2025, recent reports have shown that the Interior Department has shed 8% of its staff, or 27,800 employees. The Department of Agriculture has reduced its staff by 5%, or about 4,900 employees. More layoffs at both agencies are pending. These will affect land managers from the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, all of which directly work on the PCT.” To read more, click here.