New Haven Independent

Posted by: William Kurtz | November 29, 2009 7:25 PM

You can't make this up.

Posted by: MR | November 29, 2009 8:39 PM

ACK! For anyone else who might think this is a good idea: the stone on East Rock is the crumbly, unsafe kind--he wouldn't have been much safer with anchors or even a top rope.

Posted by: Check It Out | November 30, 2009 11:04 AM

"No charges were filed against the man; the incident was apparently an accident."

If I'm not mistaken, it's a City Ordinance violation to try to climb either East or West Rock. If so, the city should seek restitution for the expense involved in this operation.

Posted by: Skeep | November 30, 2009 11:38 AM

Files should be charged if he was not supposed to be hiking there. Stupidity is not an excuse. Tax payers dollars were used to safe this guy after all.

Also- The night before there was a massive car chase. Why is this not news? I would like to know what happened. I asked a police officer and he was extremely rude and told me to watch it on the news. Sorry officer- I don't spend my days in front of the t.v.

What is going on in East Rock> The police do not want to accept responsibility and yet the gates are always left open. i see people driving up to the summit all hours of the night. The park is littered with condoms and trash and nothing is done to prevent this behavior? The summit should be locked at night fall like it is supposed to be.

Climbers shouldn't be out on those rocks either.

And to all the litter bugs- Clean up after yourself!

Posted by: jawbone | November 30, 2009 1:37 PM

Regardless of charges being filed, I thought you at least had to pay for the rescue.
Remember a couple of summers ago a couple of high school athletes from some other town got trapped up there trying to climb up after a game at Wilbur Cross. I seem to remember that they had to pay for the rescue.

Posted by: terrapin | November 30, 2009 3:30 PM

An accident would be if he slipped off the summit and ended up where he was. A mistake was when he decided to break the law and found himself in a situation that risked the lives of the first responders and ran up a bill for the taxpayers.

Posted by: Beaver Hill Resident | November 30, 2009 3:33 PM

A regular who climbs there all the time? He should know it's a violation to climb the cliffs of East Rock. He should pay for his rescue.

Posted by: William Kurtz | November 30, 2009 5:08 PM

Be careful what you wish for. It sounds like fun to start charging people who need to be bailed out of their rare and sensational bouts of foolishness, but what about the far more mundane ones? For example, it's illegal to speed, too, and how many car crashes are caused by speeding drivers? Should we start billing people for the cost of the fire department and the police responding to crashes, too?

One argument against holding citizens financially responsible for using emergency services is the fear that they will be less likely to call for help when they really need it, especially if they don't necessarily have the means to pay for it.

Posted by: streever | November 30, 2009 6:24 PM

Good point Kurtz: you kept my judgement reserved with your well-reasoned approach to this. At least he did call the police and was helped. Imagine how much worse this could have been.

Posted by: Homie | December 1, 2009 11:18 PM

WHUT! Tell me where it says I can't climb ER:

By-Laws for East Rock Park, made by the East Rock Park Commission, pursuant to an Act of the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut, passed at its January Session, 1882, entitled An Act in addition to an Act Incorporating East Rock Park.

I.

No animal, except dogs, shall be permitted to go at large on said Park, either with or without a keeper.

II.

No person shall cut, break, dig up, mutilate or in any manner injure any tree, shrub, plant, railing, seat, fence, grass, turf or other thing in said Park, or cut, carve, mark, paint, or paste on any tree, stone, fence, wall or other object in said Park any bill, advertisement or inscription whatsoever.

III.

No person shall carry or have any fire arms on said Park, and no fire arms shall be discharged from or into said Park. No stone or other missile shall be thrown or rolled from, into, within or upon said Park, except in such place as the Park Commission may designate as a ball field, in playing games in which a ball is used.

IV.

No person shall ride or drive on any road within said Park at a faster gait than seven miles per hour.

V.

No threatening, abusive, boisterous, insulting or indecent language, gesture (Streeever!) or conduct shall be used or had on said Park.

VI.

No person shall expose any article or thing for sale on said Park unless licensed therefor by said Commission.

VII.

No person shall, after nine o'clock in the forenoon, bathe naked in that part of Mill River within said Park, or be naked within said Park. (This means you swingers off Trowbridge drive, where we can't walk with our children anymore)

VIII.

No person, unless in the employ of said Commission, shall light, kindle or use any fire on said Park.

IX.

No person shall ride or drive upon the grass, turf or lawns of said Park. (Oh, oh. 1882 is pre-automobile so this includes bicycles)

X.

No person shall disturb or injure any bird on said Park, or nest or eggs of the same, or any squirrel or other animal within said Park. (Don't even think about tapping that Turkey or Deer.)

XI.

No person shall discharge or set off, on or within said Park, any fire-crackers, torpedoes, rocket or other fireworks, except by license from said Commission.

XII.

No person shall dig up or remove any dirt, stones, rock, or other thing whatsoever, make any excavation, quarry any stone, or lay, make or set off any blast, or cause or assist in doing any of said things within said Park, without the special order or license of said Park Commissioners.

XIII.

No bottles, broken glass, ashes, waste paper or other rubbish shall be left in said Park.

XIV.

No cart, wagon, dray, truck or other vehicle carrying lumber, stones, brick or any other goods, merchandise, or articles of freight, or which is commonly used for the carriage thereof, shall, except in the service of the Park Commissioners, enter any part of said Park, except such public highways as existed before January 1, 1881.

XV.

No horse shall be hitched to any shrub or tree in the Park.

XVI.

Any person violating either the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eleventh or thirteenth of the foregoing By-Laws, shall forfeit and pay to the East Rock Park Commissioners for the use of said Park, for each offense, a penalty of ten dollars. Any person violating any other of said By-Laws shall forfeit and pay to the East Rock Park Commissioners for the use of said Park, for each offense, a penalty of twenty dollars. Said penalties shall be enforceable by process of arrest against the body of the delinquent.

Superior Court,

New Haven County,

September Term, 1883.

The foregoing By-Laws, made by the East Rock Park Commission, having been presented by said Commission to the Court for approval, and duly examined, it is

Ordered, That each and all of said By-Laws be and they hereby are approved by this Court; and that they be published at full length, once in one daily issue of each of the following named daily newspapers published in New Haven, to wit, the Journal and Courier, Palladium, Seguter, Union, and Morning Newt; and also posted up for inspection in not less than ten places in different parts of said East Rock Park.

By the Court, November 9, 1883.

EDWARD A. ANKETELL,

Assitant Clerk.

Notice is hereby given that the foregoing By-Laws have been duly published and posted, pursuant to the above order of Court, and are in force on and after this date.

New Haven, November 12, 1883.

East Rock Park Commission:

HENRY G. LEWIS,

SIMEON E. BALDWIN,

CHARLES C. BLATCHLEY,

WILLIAM W. FARNAM,

S. B. SHONINGER,

FRANK H. SPERRY.

Drats, here's where it says I can't climb ER:

Park Regulations:

1. Park in designated lots only.
Parking for College Woods is available on Orange, Cold Spring and Livingston Streets.
Motor vehicles are not allowed in College Woods.

2. Trails are for pedestrian use only. No Mountain Bikes or Motorcycles are permitted.

3. Dogs must be on leash at all times. Owners are responsible for removal of their animal's solid waste.

4. Speed limit is 25 mph unless posted at a lesser speed.

5. Ground fires are prohibited throughout the park.

6. Charcoal fires are permitted in designated areas only.

7. Swimming in Mill River is prohibited.

8. Rock Climbing is prohibited.

9. Do not harm or collect plants or animals.

10. All weapons are prohibited.

11. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited. (Lighthouse Park is next...)

12. Park is closed sunset to sunrise unless posted otherwise.

13. Please help keep our park clean. Put all trash in the provided barrels.

http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/parks/parksinformation/eastrockpark.asp

My own two cents is that ER is an attractive nuisance to a small percentage of climbers/thrill seekers who'll continue to be a problem if not discouraged. On the other hand, if climbers know they can get a free rescue then they'll be more likely to continue to try it, potentially tying up emergency services and risking rescuers lives.

If a climber is aware of a big fine yet climbs and becomes stuck they won't be worrying about paying a fine they'll be quite focused on NOT being dashed to bits; if they don't/can't call for help someone will call for them.

We stopped climbing the face of ER at about 11 years old, any adult who is stupid enough to climb it should be fined on principal. Anyway, witnesses say that this 'hiker' did not accidentally wander off any trail looking for his lost kitten or whatever his excuse was but that he was obviously attempting to scale the face.

Posted by: Homie | December 2, 2009 6:44 AM

Looks like the City of New Haven's website needs updating re #2. ("Trails are for pedestrian use only. No Mountain Bikes or Motorcycles are permitted.") as the 1.3 mile Red Trail on the back of East Rock permits mountain bikes:

http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Parks/ParksInformation/media/2008EastRockMap.pdf

(Self Snark re previous post: any adult who is stupid enough to confuse spelling principal with principle should be fined on principle by a principal.)