Access Fund E-News #50
December 2004
E-News Online
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IN THIS ISSUE:
New Access Fund Affiliates Across the Nation
Bolton Quarry Protected for Climbing
Give the Gift of an AF Membership
Holiday Blowout-- North Face Redpoint Jacket with embroidered AF logo
Vertical Times #61 (December Issue) is NOW Online as a PDF!
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By Robb Shurr, Director of Marketing & Business Development
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The Holiday season is a time to remember, be grateful for past joys and opportunities, and look forward with hope. Gifts are exchanged, we enjoy time with family and friends, and we Remember. Remember times when life was easier. Remember friends and family. And we remember that boulder problem it took weeks to send. We also reflect on things for which we are Grateful. Friends. Family. Being injury free as the desert rock cools down enough to develop that new line you've been looking at all summer. Then we look forward with Hope. Hope those close to us can experience life to the fullest. Hope for sunny winter days to warm the rock enough to escape the cloud of chalk at the local climbing gym if only for an afternoon. Hope we can send this new boulder problem that we have already spent three weeks on . . .
Your support is directly responsible for accomplishing our mission of keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment. Let us share some of our reflections from this past year where your generosity played an enormous role:
We Remember
While outsiders to climbing may view climbers as loners who push ourselves to crazy heights, we know that climbing is actually more about community than solidarity. This Holiday season we remember those who have departed our climbing family and those who pushed the community to be better. From laughs to triumphs to cries of pain, in a weird way we have all done it together. We are all partners strengthening climbing's collective voice and maintaining our climbing future.
We're Grateful
The simple act of volunteering your time at your local crag helps maintain climbing from coast to coast. We have never seen such an outpouring of volunteers who wanted to show how much they care about where they climb as we did this year with Adopt-a-Crag. You tipped the scales at 102 individual clean-up events. 3300 climbers across the country put in a combined total of 18,650 volunteer hours and grabbed shovels, garbage bags, and whatever else necessary to show how much they care about their local crags.
On the local level, crags are cleaner and landowners and land managers have experienced first hand how much climbing means to you. On a national level your participation has strengthened the climbing community -- political leaders and national government agencies have seen that climbers will work hard for what they believe in. Together strengthening climbers' collective voice. Together we maintain our climbing future.
We Hope
The want of a few at the detriment of many is an age-old problem. If the many lose their voice, we also lose what is most important -- our choice. On yours and the environment's behalf, we have been involved in a struggle to keep 2000 routes, boulder problems, and hundreds of acres of wilderness from being obliterated. Even if you've never heard of or climbed at Queen Creek, Arizona, this issue affects your climbing future. Even if you rarely leave the crags in the farmer's pasture down the road, this effort is in your name. We are a global climbing community and when a closure affects a climber in one part of the country, we have all lost. While the fight isn't over, we have hope. Together we maintain our climbing future. Together we strengthen climbers' collective voice.
Without your continued generosity we'd all be standing at the bottom looking up- remembering past climbs with no hope for the future. Our gift to you this year and every year is keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment. I know you were expecting some new socks, but we thought this would mean more to you. Thank you for all the gifts that you've given and are planning to give.
Happy Holidays!
From your climbing family at the Access Fund office
P.S. If you're out shopping for Holiday gifts, consider the Access Fund. We have Gift Memberships available with special premiums- perfect for your nieces and nephews who are just getting into climbing.
Editor's Note: Please welcome Robb Shurr as the Access Fund's new Director of Marketing & Business Development. Robb is an avid climber, boulderer, runner and cross-country skier who hails most recently from Southern California -- though he is a Midwesterner at heart. He is also one of the pioneers of the Boulder Project. He can be reached at robb@accessfund.org or 303-545-6772 (x100).
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2004 Adopt-a-Crag a Success
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The Access Fund recognizes everyone who contributed to the success of the 5th Annual Adopt-a-Crag. The Access Fund supported over 100 Adopt-a-Crag events in 2004 - all told, those events involved more 3,300 volunteers who contributed almost 18,700 volunteer hours in 32 states, and British Columbia. Climbers gathered at their favorite crags and boulders for trail construction, litter clean-ups, and visual impact mitigation. A US Congressman (Mark Udall D-CO) even attended an event in Boulder!
Adopt-a-Crag is a national commitment by the climbing community to natural resource stewardship and volunteerism, and would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors. Title Sponsor Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), Presenting Sponsor W.L. Gore, and Supporting Sponsor Clif Bar provided key financial backing that allowed the Access Fund to support each Adopt-a-Crag event. Due to number of incredibly successful Adopt-a-Crags, this year we expanded the number of REI Adopt-a-Crag of the Year awards to include one for the Western, Eastern, and Midwestern United States.
THE EASTERN U.S. ADOPT-A-CRAG OF THE YEAR AWARD is presented to Greg Corio of West Virginia University, the Coopers Rock Foundation, Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, Adventures Edge, and all the volunteers at Coopers Rock, West Virginia. A banner example of stewardship and community-mindedness, over 135 volunteers completed 562 hours of volunteer work including: site cleanup and landscaping, visual impact mitigation, trail building and restoration. For Corio, stewardship is a fundamental aspect of climbing. "It's important that climbers learn to give back to their local crags; it creates a sense of ownership and they become stewards for the land. Adopt-a-Crags are a great way of educating people on the impacts humans have on the environment because they see the impacts directly."
THE WESTERN U.S. ADOPT-A-CRAG OF THE YEAR AWARD is presented to Rusty Baille, Paul Chivvis, Kootenai Klimbers, North Idaho College, and the 50+ Post Falls Adopt-a-Crag volunteers. This Adopt-a-Crag exemplified local climbing organizations and businesses coming together to build a cohesive community, foster a better understanding of each other, as well as cultivate a great relationship with park administration and employees. Baille noted the importance of stewardship in building relationships. "We exceeded our expectations, all set objectives for the day's events were accomplished. Members of the Post Falls Parks and Rec. expressed admiration and appreciation for the amount and quality of the services performed."
Evan Fales, Eastern Iowa Climbers' Coalition, and the Pictured Rocks volunteers received the MIDWESTERN U.S. ADOPT-A-CRAG OF THE YEAR AWARD. Activities for the 7th Annual Pictured Rock Cleanup included installing steps with railroad ties on a steep muddy slope, performing trail maintenance, cleaning and painting the interior of the outhouse, repairing old and installing new fencing, clearing brush from mile of trail, spreading wood chips over major cliff base to retard erosion, and blocking off trail access to allow for re-vegetation.
The Access Fund and W.L. Gore present the ADOPT-A-CRAG STEWARDSHIP AWARD to Kenny Gasch, Bison Willy's Bunkhouse, and all the Shoshone River Canyon Adopt-a-Crag volunteers for displaying a high level of activism, stewardship, and an overwhelming sense of community. On Sep 11th, 28 volunteers joined in the long-standing and much-anticipated Adopt-a-Crag tradition of cleaning up Shoshone River Canyon outside of Cody, Wyoming. Gasch, a long-time Adopt-a-Crag organizer, exemplifies the concept of steward of the land. "As you can see, despite [uncertainty due to other pressing obligations], we managed to pull this thing off, and quite successfully at that. Every year, we leave the canyon free of trash and debris and have built a great relationship with the Bureau of Reclamation."
The Access Fund and Clif Bar present the ADOPT-A-CRAG CONSERVATION AWARD to Dana Seaton, newenglandbouldering.com, and the 60 Adopt-a-Crag volunteers at Lincoln Woods State Park, Rhode Island. Seaton coordinated with the State Park and 4 local nurseries to complete a re-vegetation project. With 20 donated small shrubs and bushes, volunteers addressed erosion at the most climber-affected area. They also constructed run-off troughs to carry water away from the boulders and trails and carried out over 700 pounds of trash and garbage, including tires, car doors, and car repair waste. Due to the great relationship they have built with the Park administrations, the park service has offered to build a climbers kiosk, with input from local climbers, as a means for the park to communicate and build relationships with climbers.
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New Access Fund Affiliates Across the Nation
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The Access Fund is excited to announce the recent formation of two new Access Fund Affiliate organizations, one in West Virginia and one in California.
If Coopers Rock, near Morgantown, West Virginia is your home crag, you will want to contact Jan Kiger of Adventure's Edge (info@adventuresedge.org) to find out how you can help preserve access and conserve your climbing environment. The recently formed Coopers Rock Regional Climbing Coalition, http://www.coopersrockclimbers.org/ is advocating on behalf of climbers for Coopers Rock and surrounding areas.
If the other side of the country, the northern coast of California, is where you test and hone your climbing skills, Bigfoot Country Climbers' Association (BCCA) could use your help. Bennett Barthelemy is the contact person and can be reached at bennettbarthelem@hotmail.com. BCCA is advocating on behalf of northwestern California climbers, including Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Mendocino, and Del Norte counties.
If you are a visiting climber to either of these popular climbing areas, be sure to check out CRRCC's website or contact Jan or Bennett. Being informed of local ethics is the first step to ensuring access for all users.
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Bolton Quarry Protected for Climbing
(from Heather Furman, CRAG-VT and Access Fund board member)
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Bolton, VT - The Climbing Resource Access Group of Vermont (CRAG-VT) closed on its purchase of a parcel known as the Bolton Quarry on December 20th. Located in the Town of Bolton, this 30-acre parcel includes cliffs with stunning vertical ice pillars for winter ice climbing and aesthetically pleasing rock climbs. CRAG-VT's acquisition of the Quarry is the first land conservation purchase specifically for rock and ice climbing in Vermont-and one of only a couple in the United States.
"We are thrilled to have accomplished this goal," said CRAG-VT President Heather Furman. "Creating climbing opportunities in Vermont is critical. With limited public resources, CRAG-VT focuses on the variety of tools available for protecting private land and helps private landowners keep their property open to climbers."
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB), the Vermont Recreation Trails Grant Program, The Access Fund, Climb High, and CRAG-VT members provided funding for the Bolton Quarry acquisition.
The Quarry will be permanently protected for climbing and recreation under a conservation easement held by the Vermont Land Trust and VHCB. CRAG-VT has drafted an interim management plan, and will improve the road access, create a parking area, and build a small information kiosk next spring. CRAG-VT will also communicate with neighboring landowners to discuss their concerns regarding the Quarry management. Until work is done on the Quarry parking, CRAG-VT advises climbers to carpool, park at the bottom of Green Mountain Drive, and not block any driveways.
"Landowner relations and natural resource protection are important to CRAG-VT," said Nicole Ballinger, CRAG-VT Board Member. "We encourage both landowners and climbers to contact us with concerns about climbing access and natural resource issues."
CRAG-VT is non-profit membership organization that works for access and conservation of Vermont climbing resources-both rock and ice. CRAG-VT owns one other property for climbing access, the Lower West Bolton cliff, which was donated to the organization in 2003.
For more information, visit www.cragvt.org or call Heather Furman at (802) 229-0140.
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Jamestown, Alabama Update
(posted by Brad McLeod at www.seclimbers.org )
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The Southeast Climbers Coalition is currently negotiating with the landowner and has tentatively agreed to a purchase price of approximately $19,000.00 for 1,605 linear feet of cliff line. The SCC has raised over $5,000.00 to date for the Jamestown purchase and hopes to reach a firm agreement in the very near future and have a contract to purchase the land.
Shawn Tierney, Access Fund access and acquisitions director, has been working directly with the SCC regarding the land purchase and the AF has pledged money for Jamestown.
Jamestown has been closed for several years after a dispute with a local landowner who closed the access to the top of the cliff. The majority of the cliff, along with the coveted access, is owned by a private landowner. A portion of the cliff and boulder field is located on Alabama Power land, which is recreation friendly. This area encompasses over a mile of cliff line with many great traditional lines and a few super hard sport routes. The rock quality is high in areas.
For more information, visit www.seclimbers.org
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Give the Gift of an AF Membership
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Haven't yet come up with a holiday or birthday gift for your climbing partner? Running out of ideas for the climber who has more gear than they know what to do with?
How about giving the gift of an Access Fund membership?
Call today to 888-8-MEMBER (888-863-6237) x104 or click on http://www.accessfund.org/join/indiv.php
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Holiday Blowout-- North Face Redpoint Jacket with embroidered AF logo.
(Size XL Only)
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This jacket is ideal as a technical inner layer or wind-resistant, water-repellant outer layer.
WE ONLY HAVE 20 OF THESE JACKETS IN STOCK...order yours today!
Call 888-8-MEMBER (888-863-6237) extension 106.
Cost is $125 and includes shipping.
Size/color available: XL/Blue
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Vertical Times #61 (December Issue) is Online as a PDF
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The December issue of Vertical Times (volume 66) is online as a PDF file for downloading. The issue offers additional news and photos (not included in the Access Fund E-News). It can be downloaded directly (772 KB file) at https://www.accessfund.org/pdf/VT61.pdf
The Access Fund is still giving members the option of viewing Vertical Times online instead of receiving the paper version. This decreases printing and mailing costs, thus allocating more funds to protect YOUR CLIMBING FUTURE. To take part in this effort, and cease shipment of the Vertical Times to your home, e-mail your name and address to memberservices@accessfund.org with "Remove Vertical Times" as the subject.
Presently, 1920 members have chosen our online option - a savings of over $9600 per year to be utilized towards the Access Fund's Mission to preserve and conserve the climbing environment. You can download a PDF version of the current Vertical Times at http://www.accessfund.org/vertical_times/index.html (Adobe Acrobat is required)
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Wanted: Nostalgic Ice Tools
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The Access Fund is seeking "nostalgic" ice tools from the sixties, seventies or older to auction at the Ouray Ice Festival in January. If interested in donating any of your ice artifacts, please contact Michael Lindsey at Michael@accessfund.org
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