Painting of Boulders Affects Non-Climbers Too

Your story on the painting of boulders at Stoney Point for a film (April 7) said, “Climbers complain that because of the paint they will be unable to grip the side of boulders. . . . “ Not only does this statement portray climbers to be whiny little wimps, it is only part of the reason climbers are aggravated. Gripping boulders under adverse conditions only makes for a better climb, so the paint on the rock will in a way serve to improve bouldering skills. I am in no way advocating the painting of boulders with this statement.

The story says “there is no irreparable damage.” This is a blatant lie. Even though the film company claimed that the paint could be removed with alcohol and toothbrushes, others insist that it cannot.

I went to Stoney Point the day after the painting, after the filming was completed, and all of the paint was still there. The statement attributed to an official that “his department will clean away the paint once the shooting concludes tonight” turned out to be another public relations lie.

Two beehives were destroyed during filming. While the bees were a nuisance, this does not legitimize the destruction of an indigenous creature to Stoney Point.

The point that you missed was that the painting has an environmental impact. It does not just affect the climbers; it affects everyone who wishes to enjoy nature.

I realize that people have had an impact on Stoney Point. The place is covered with graffiti, broken glass and food wrappers. But just because a movie studio pays, it can legally graffiti the rocks. If this had been Yellowstone, Zion Canyon or Sequoia National Park, environmentalists would have chained themselves to the boulders.

The story ends with a quote by city official Cody Cluff, who says, “We don’t like it for (movie) companies to have these problems” regarding the big stink that climbers made. However if it were not for “these problems” we might not have natural environments to enjoy. We are already heading in that direction anyway, so thank God we give companies “these problems.”

LAURA DENIS

Calabasas