your climbing future

VIRTUAL TIMES #20
June 2002
www.accessfund.org/
E-News Online

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Cave Rock Climbing Endangered
2. Access Fund Negotiates for Southeast Climbing
3. Golden Cliffs Preserve Trail project, CO
4. Clean Mountain Can Project, AK
5. Gunks Climbing Coalition Organizational Meeting
6. NC Raptor Update
7. Volunteer Wanted
8. There is still time to register for Adopt-a-Crag Day!
9. Vertical Times #47 Coming Soon!
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1. Cave Rock Climbing Endangered
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Cave Rock, a well-known crag on the south shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada, will likely be closed to climbing sometime this year. A strong and rapid response from climbers is required to stop this closure.
Cave Rock has been popular with climbers for more than 20 years, and provides sport climbing opportunities even in winter, when most other local cliffs are unclimbable. The Washoe tribe complained about climbers to the US Forest Service, which owns the portion of the rock where the climbing routes are located.

Since then, the Access Fund, working with local climbers, has tried to negotiate a compromise, which would keep Cave Rock open for climbing on a limited basis.
In May 2002 Regional Coordinator Paul Minault met with a high-level Forest Service official with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit who informed Minault that Cave Rock will likely be closed to climbing because of the religious concerns of the Washoe.
The Fund believes that the majority of climbers in the United States are sympathetic to Native American concerns and will sacrifice climbing opportunities to respect Native American religion without the burden of exclusionary regulations.

The Fund thinks that climbers will and should support a similar policy at Cave Rock, and that the Forest Service should make a voluntary closure their preferred planning alternative. The Fund will continue to work to convince the Forest Service to adopt a more progressive policy for Cave Rock, but we need your help. Please write the Forest Service and tell them that a voluntary closure at Cave Rock is the best way to balance recreational and Native American interests. Write to:

Maribeth Gustafson, Forest Supervisor
United States Forest Service
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
870 Emerald Bay Road, Suite 1
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

See our website at www.accessfund.org/programs/programs_tool_caverock.html for a sample letter to the Forest Service on the Cave Rock issue. For more information, call Jason Keith, AF Policy Analyst, at 303-545-6772 x102.
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2. Access Fund Negotiates for Southeast Climbing
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In late May, Shawn Tierney, Access Fund Access and Acquisitions Director, met with local climbers at Boat Rock, GA and Horse Pens-40, AL to make progress on preserving access to these regionally significant bouldering areas. AF board member Gene Kistler also made the trip to Horse Pens. The Access Fund recently provided a $10,000 grant to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition to be used toward the purchase of 7.7-acres of land containing the Boat Rock boulders. Boat Rock is home to the best rock climbing in the metro Atlanta area. The purchase of this tract will prevent the land from being sold to developers.

Horse Pens-40, one of the finest bouldering areas in the Southeast was closed last fall when the owners of the privately owned “park” ran into financial difficulties. Two days prior to the Access Fund visit, the property was sold to a local businessman who intends to keep the area open for festivals, events, and climbing. Local climbers and the Access Fund will work with the new owner who has expressed a willingness to keep the area open for climbing.
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3. Golden Cliffs Preserve Trail project, CO
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In early May, 51 students from the Golden High School/ American Red Cross Youth Corps completed a Golden High School “signature project” at the Access Fund’s North Table Mountain property near Golden, CO. The students performed much needed trail and restoration work, repairing badly eroded sections of the trail from the parking lot to the cliff. In addition, the students designed and constructed a new entrance sign. The Access Fund extends its appreciation and gratitude to the students from Golden High who participated and to the Red Cross for organizing and supporting the project.

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4. Clean Mountain Can Project, AK
(Report submitted by Roger Robinson, National Park Service)
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The Clean Mountain Can (CMC) project, supported by a $5500 Access Fund grant, has been very successful. Presently, over a hundred climbers have used the cans on the West Buttress and the West Rib of Denali. To date we have had at least ten different nationalities using the cans. The project will continue into early June when the supply will have run out at the 14,200-foot camp. CMCs are human waste containers placed on Denali’s popular routes, thus reducing or eliminating the need for the current high altitude toilet.
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5. Gunks Climbing Coalition Organizational Meeting
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On Saturday night, August 3, 2002 at 8:15 PM, Rock and Snow is hosting the first meeting of the Gunks Climbing Coalition.

The time has come to create a local climbing coalition that will represent climbers and make sure that climbing interests have a voice. This first meeting will discuss how we can best address some of the major issues facing climbers in order to insure access to preserve future climbing access.
While climbers have been fortunate to enjoy the freedom to climb on cliffs throughout the Mohonk Preserve, climbing has been severely restricted within Minnewaska State Park and closed completely at Skytop. There are also concerns about attempts by Minnewaska to prevent climbing at Millbrook.
We need to be sure that the opinions of climbers are heard when new management plans are proposed by the Mohonk Preserve or Minnewaska. We also need to look into the possible acquisitions of private cliffs in the area.

If you are interested in attending or becoming involved please contact Rich Gottlieb at Rock and Snow, richg@rocksnow.com or contact John Myers, the new Access Fund Regional Coordinator for the Gunks at jsmyers@warwick.net or (845) 434-7179.
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6. NC RAPTOR UPDATE
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For your information and posting. All of the climbing area restrictions for peregrine falcon nest sites in NC have been lifted for this year, due to early completion of the peregrine nesting cycle at the respective sites. This applies to closures at Hanging Rock State Park, Big Lost Cove Cliff, Shortoff Mountain, Whitesides Mountain, and Looking Glass Rock.
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7. Volunteer Wanted
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Conservation Coordinator for Northern California. Initiate and manage volunteer conservation projects at climbing areas including trails and cleanups, Adopt-a-Crag events, distributing seasonal wildlife closure information, educational signs and brochures, and parking/sanitation installations. Experience in construction, natural resource management, project administration or volunteer supervision a plus. Work with volunteers, climbing organizations, public land managers and private landowners. Develop a prototype model for use in other regions nationwide. Requires self-starter able to work independently, motivate others and follow through to completion. If interested, contact Paul Minault at pminault@earthlink.net
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8. There is still time to register for Adopt-a-Crag Day!
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Adopt-a-Crag Day is about giving back – to your local climbing community, to your favorite climbing area, to the Earth.

On September 7, the Access Fund will lead climbers in trail projects and conservation events at nearly 100 crags around the country. Find out how to get involved by calling (303) 545-6772, ext. 112, emailing adoptacrag@accessfund.org, or logging on to www.accessfund.org.

6/22 - Adopt-a-Crag-Day and Tree Planting at Independence Pass – Aspen, CO
Charlotte Fox 970-920-2084 cfoxalpine@earthlink.net

7/27 - Terrain Boulders Trail Building Day - Boulder, CO
Flatirons Action Network, Matt Samet 970-704-2606 msamet@climbing.com

Sometime in August - Adopt-a-Crag Alaska Style – Girdwood, AK
Wayne Fuller 907-783-0186 climb@alaska.net

8/17 - Clean Up Little Si – Tacoma, WA
Andy Fitz 360-586-6752 fitlan@attbi.com

9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day – Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Mountaineering Club, Jennifer Davies 602-808-3817 jdavies@medicis.com

9/7 – Adopt-a-Crag Day at Mt. Tamalpais and Mickey's Beach - Mill Valley, CA
Rock Rendezvous, Em Holland 415-383-7557 emholland2@attbi.com

9/7 – Adopt-a-Crag Day at Echo Cliffs – Silverado, CA
Louie Anderson 714-479-5881 clanders@flash.net

9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day at Mt. Woodson, La Mesa, CA
San Diego Climbers Coalition, Art Messier 619-461-0173 sdcc@giantsoftware.com

9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day at Ross Park – Pocatello, ID
Idaho State University, Peter Joyce 208-282-3912 joycpete@isu.edu
9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day - Saint Louis, MO/Southern Illinois
Alpine Shop, Ltd., Todd Oswald 314-962-7715 toswald@alpineshop.com

9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day at Looking Glass – Hendersonville, NC
Pisgah Climbers Association, Adam Fox 828-692-3591 climberfox@hotmail.com
9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day at Crowders Mountain, Moore’s Wall, and Pilot Mountain Winston-Salem, NC - Michael Pinkston 910-486-9638

9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day in the Adirondacks - Hamilton, NY
Colgate Outdoor Program, Josh Baker 315-228-7323 jbaker@mail.colgate.edu
9/7 - Adopt-a-Crag Day at Obed Wild and Scenic River - Lenoir City, TN
Frank Harvey 865-986-6618 Faharvey@aol.com

9/7 – Adopt-a-Crag Day at Fremont Canyon – Casper, WY
Mountain Sports, Kevin Siebke 307 266-1136 kevmarni@aol.com

9/7/02 – Adopt-a-Crag Day near Everett, WA - Everett, WA
Cascade Crags, Suzanne Thornock, 425-514-5589 suethornock@earthlink.net

9/7/02 – Adopt-a-Crag Day at Owens Rock, Stevens Point, WI
UWSP Climbing Club, Ben Houdek, 715-344-8318 Benjamin.R.Houdek@uwsp.edu

9/20 - Frenchman Coulee Trail Project – Tacoma, WA
Andy Fitz 360-586-6752 fitlan@attbi.com

9/21 – Adopt-a-Crag Day at Enchanted Rock – Helotes, TX
Central Texas Climbing Committee, Mike Lewis 210-695-3046

9/21 - Adopt-a-Crag Day and Wilderness Climbing Symposium - Ketchum, ID
Elephant's Perch, Bob Rosso 208-726-7400 brosso@elephantsperch.com

10/19/02 – Adopt-a-Crag Day at Lumpy Ridge, Estes Park, CO
AAC Central Rockies Section, Greg Sievers 970-577-3586, gsievers@estes.org
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9. Vertical Times #47 Coming Soon!
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Look for your August Vertical Times newsletter, coming soon to a mailbox near you. This issue will feature cultural/historic resources, the threat to climbing at Cave Rock in Nevada, and profile the recent Southeast trip of Shawn Tierney, Access and Acquisitions Director, to Boat Rock and Horse Pens 40.

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