A very recent geological report about the stability of sandstone boulders and risk of boulder fall (and crash) in the Dame Jouanne massif (Larchant, southern part of the Bleau area) concludes in stating the existence of several restricted zones which do exhibit a real hazard.
This reports in an ``umbrella'' reaction of the French local administrations which would consist in fencing and forbidding public access, not only to the known unsafe areas, but to the whole of the massif, i.e. 15 to 20 times the area of the really dangerous spots.
This means that the most beautiful part of the masif would be [have been] closed and forbidden.
Therefore COSIROC and other associations energically protested against this possible total fencing of the site instead of the reasonable solution (approved by COSIROC) which consists in closing only the really dangerous parts.
These protestations have been actually considered and the new prefectoral decision is now only to symbolically fence a dozen of really dangerous areas (agreed by COSIROC), to create a stable footpath adapted to average tourists and to adapt parking areas in order to discourage going in dangerous areas.
A proof that the danger in the closed areas is not negligible recently occurred in August 2003: the lower part of the Dalle de Feu collapsed (Requin massif).
See a general view of the Dalle de Feu after the block fall , a closer view of the fallen blocks and a photo of the boulder in 2001 , as well as a view of the symbolic fencing of the dangerous spot in 2002.