Face tingling I open the gate.
Stoned Granite stumbles onto the grass.
The virtues of gardening are spoken.
The dog takes a big shit, finally.
Devious influence, ‘you shoulds.’
Granite attempts play but wobbles over.
The phone rings, ‘its my ex-wife,’ don’t answer!
Kind ‘hellos’ boil over in minutes.
The dome is set, impenetrable.
“Load up Granite’, we drive away.
Brother, I love you, you matter to me!
Xavier Rudd sings Home, and we cry.
‘I recognize my health [3 bars]
Things that I have been dealt [3 bars]
Places that I have roamed, Feelings I’ve had. Things that I know. [1 bar]
Home…’
a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted
DO NOT FRACK OPEN SPACE banner hang on the Third Flatiron
On Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 the largest banner to ever to be displayed on Boulder’s iconic third flatiron was unfurled at 8:50am by local environmental activists/climbers.
The banner was made with a 9ft x 150ft roll of Tyvek home wrap, and was carried to the top of the 3rd Flatiron and displayed by experienced flatiron scramblers using cams and ropes, and no damage was done to any natural feature. So the FKT for a banner on the third flatiron is 1350sq ft.
The Press Statement delivered to the Daily Camera at Chautauqua read in part: “Community members display a 150 foot long banner on the third flatiron imploring, “DO NOT FRACK OPEN SPACE.” Local activists staged this protest to bring awareness to the fact that permits for hydraulic fracking have already been submitted for many acres of Boulder County’s Open Space. The Boulder County Commissioners’ refusal to pass the Climate Bill of Rights and Protections, and thereby ban fracking, effectively signals their tacit approval for drilling on Boulder County Open Space.”
The activists chose a roll of Tyvek for their banner material because it is inexpensive, lightweight, very strong, could be unrolled like a window shade, and they thought perhaps it would be less likely to throw them all to the ground if a gust of wind were to catch it. The 6ft letters on the banner were painted with black acrylic paint by one person, pulling an all-nighter in a parking garage hallway in Vail, CO. 9ft long x 1in diameter dowels were wrapped and sewn on each end, but it was a mistake to weaken the tyvek with stitching, glue would have been better.
The three climbers practiced the ascent the previous day, climbing the South Chimney which is the standard solo descent route. They determined logistics including where the anchors would be, and exactly which cams were needed for anchors and for securing the banner—the goal being to carry only the minimum necessary gear in case there were ‘problems’ with the rangers. Four retired climbing ropes were used, and these were donated by a local climber.
On the morning of the action a band of seven set out from the Gregory Canyon Trailhead at about 6am and made their way up the descent trail to the back on the 3rd Flatiron, where a brief logistical meeting was held and the plan was reviewed. The plan was to unfurl the banner and leave it up as long as the wind allowed, light winds were forecasted.
One additional person headed to the Ranger Cabin at Chautauqua to act as press liaison, local media was notified at 8:30 and asked to come immediately to Chautauqua for a photo opportunity and press release. Another activist headed to the Kohler Mesa area and prepared to fly a drone.
At about 7:30am the three climbers ascended the South Chimney, solo, carrying four ropes and a rack of cams. They stopped at the top set of rappel bolts below the summit and set up a standard haul using a jumar and a pro traxion. They threw a rope down and the activists on the ground attached the banner, which was brought up in a BD portaledge haul bag. Once the banner was up the three climbers continued through the gash and up the short pitch to the top.
By 8:30 two climbers were anchored at the top, independent of the banner, and a third was prepared to unroll the banner, pulling like a window shade, attached with an ushba to a rope hanging straight down. As the banner was unfurled the plan was to lay rope zig zagging across and secured with cams, in the predetermined spots at right, then left. But the wind had increased. The worst nightmare from the previous night involved a huge white banner stuck in a tree 100ft up, and that seemed to be a real concern.
When the wind lulled, the brave activists pulled the banner open, and within about 15 minutes had it unfurled and secured. A text message was sent to the drone pilot and in minutes a buzzing drone shot stunning arial images and video.
The Daily Camera got shots from Chautauqua and and were provided with a narrative. The story, if I remember correctly, made the front page. Sadly, this story is no longer online.
ClimbTalk radio did an interview that Saturday, which is available here.
The lords, and protectors of the flatirons, the Satans Minions, were on it immediately, and their group email lit up at 8:53am with ‘If you can see the top of the 3rd right now, what is the white mark? Its big,” and the discussion continued into the afternoon. Within 20 minutes a minion was on the scene shooting video of the activists at the top, which they didn’t like so much.
Before long the wind picked up and the top of the banner began to rip off of the dowel (should have used glue), and the decision was made to abort.
At the same time a call was received from the media liaison at Chautauqua to say that the ranger standing next to him has asked that the banner be removed, and he was told that we’d be happy to take it down.
They banner was rolled up, the ropes coiled and gear pulled. The three heroes each did a single 200ft rappel to the ground, carrying everything along, and the ropes were dropped from above.
The band returned to the Gregory Canyon lot and left the scene without incident, or any face to face with authorities.
All the goals of the day were met, and the group went to celebrate.
The “DO NOT FRACK OPEN SPACE” message referred to fracking on Boulder County Open Space, rather than OSMP. The purpose of the action today was to get media attention (and visual) in order to facilitate discussion—to try to help the people of Boulder County to wake up on this issue.
It is true that OSMP itself would not be fracked as things stand now because Boulder city has a ban, but the shale basin extends all the way to the foothills under Boulder—and unimpeded, fracking could happen along the diagonal highway or US 36 coming into Boulder.
Boulder County does not own the mineral rights under much of the open space. Boulder County open space is extensive throughout the county all the way to County Line Road.
https://assets.bouldercounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/open-space-map.pdf
To understand more about fracking in Colorado, the political issues and money involved please read the following series of articles published by the Boulder Weekly:
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Who killed the vote on fracking?
Why Colorado’s anti-fracking measures were not supported by Democrats and environmental groups
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Behind the curtain
An inside look at the oil & gas industry/Republican ‘REDPRINT’ for turning Colorado from Blue to Red
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Behind closed doors
Recording from oil-and-gas gathering sheds light on industry efforts to defeat ballot measures, take over city councils and stop the anti-fracking movement
