GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — Some rock climbing routes on Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming have been closed to protect nesting falcons.
The annual closures remain in effect until young falcons fledge.
The National Park Services says the closures give peregrine and prairie falcons an undisturbed area for courtship, nest selection and nesting.
The Gillette News Record reports the closures also protect climbers. Falcons sometimes fly aggressively at people to protect their nests.
Devils Tower is an almost 900-foot igneous rock formation known for its role in the 1977 science fiction film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
More than 100 other climbing routes remain open.