Josephine Sterr may be one of the longest-serving, and most widely experienced climbing advocates in the country. Few can claim volunteer service on the board of even one local climbing organization (LCO), but Josephine has served on three—Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition (RRGCC), Boulder Climbing Community (BCC), and currently as the secretary of Pikes Peak Climbers Alliance (PPCA). That’s two different states and three different climbing regions, all of which totals up to nearly 17 years of volunteer service with local climbing organizations. Talk about unsung heroes. 

Josephine is a mother to twin daughters, climber, first ascensionist, and wife. She serves on the Shelf Road committee with PPCA, where she and her family climb every chance they get. Access Fund has worked with Josephine throughout her volunteer career in all of her different climbing areas and roles along the way. She is an inspiration to all of us—keep reading to find out more about what inspires her.

Six Questions for Josephine

Tell us about your introduction to climbing advocacy. 
Serendipity. I had just started climbing in 2006, and I needed to find climbing partners. One of them insisted I go on a trail day for the RRGCC where they were going to do a short trail project and then climb together afterward. My climbing partner introduced me to everyone, and I realized that this was a great way to meet people and give back. So I kept coming and volunteering. I didn’t know anything whatsoever about nonprofits, trail work, and LCOs—or have any real experience at all. But I was willing to learn. 

What’s your favorite cause in climbing advocacy right now? 
I am a very detail-oriented person. One of the things I enjoy is helping the organization function. This comes in the form of making sure we have document storage for the organization or making sure the insurance is adequate for our needs or updating bylaws. It’s generally thought of as dry and boring by most people, but there’s great satisfaction in making sure the foundation is in place for growth. With both the RRGCC and the BCC, my goals for the organizations were to hire an accountant and hire an executive director. I’m really pleased that during my time with the LCOs, both of those goals were accomplished. Now I have the same goal for the PPCA and am excited as we grow to try and reach these goals. 

What does it mean to you to be a climbing advocate? 
It means using my weird talents to give back to climbing, dealing with all of that in a way that is helpful to the organizations I’m a part of. I will never be the person who climbed the super hard route or that bolted the most amazing new route at a certain grade. But knowing that I helped preserve climbing access and conserve hundreds of acres of land is a great feeling. Knowing that I had a small part in changing BCC from a tiny LCO with one or two contracted positions to an organization with full-time employees is fantastic. I’m really excited to see how the PPCA will grow during my time here. 

What’s your advice to new advocates? 
The best advice I can give is to find mentors. When I first started, I didn’t care anything about the nonprofit world, but Bill Strachan and Dr. Bob Matheny insisted that understanding how nonprofits work would help the organization. I didn’t care about strategic planning, but Shannon Stuart-Smith showed me how important that is for achieving change in the organization. I also appreciated meeting others through the Access Fund regional meetings and conferences. I have always appreciated having others involved in LCOs so I can ask questions and get suggestions of how to handle things that come up.

What surprised you the most about getting into the advocacy world?
The most surprising thing is how much more there is to learn. It’s never dull. While the nuts and bolts of the organization is where I started and I’m still excited about it, I’m venturing into new realms with my work on the Shelf Road Committee. I’m learning to work with the BLM, learning more about the specifics of trail work and planning, learning more about rebolting (which is much harder and more important than putting up a brand-new route). I love learning, and there’s always more to learn. 

Who is another climbing advocate whose work is really inspiring you right now?
I have always been inspired by Curtis Gale-Dyer, D.O., and Audrey Gale-Dyer, D.V.M. and their work as land manager and assistant land manager for the RRGCC., In the very beginning, an osteopath and a veterinarian might seem an odd choice for those advocacy roles, since their day jobs were so completely different from their roles as caretakers for hundreds of acres of climbing land. But both stepped into their respective roles and ran with them. They learned trail-building skills, grant writing, mapping, planning—basically all the things I am currently trying to learn in my role as the head of the Shelf Road Committee. It is an inspiration to learn from them and their work. If you haven’t heard the Audrey and Curtis Gale-Dyer interview on the Climbing Advocate Podcast, check it out.