A successful balance has been achieved between recreation and resource protection at Pinnacles National Monument. Climbers and nesting raptors select the park’s namesake rocks for very different reasons, which historically set the stage for conflicts. A potential lawsuit over climbing access was averted by implementing a raptor monitoring program in 1986 using current nesting season data to identify which cliffs to close while keeping the majority of climbing routes open. These voluntary closures are met with overwhelming support and compliance. Management action tied to monitoring helped park staff gain credibility with the climbing community and meet resource and recreational goals. Understanding this important link, the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program has provided support for this project since 2001. Twenty years of data will be presented that examines a long term data set analyzed and interpreted for population trends, changes in species composition and climbing access management.