Big changes are coming to Washington, D.C., and Access Fund is hard at work developing new strategies to protect climbing and conserve climbing landscapes. We continue to push the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act during this congressional session, which is expected to end on January 3. We are optimistic about our efforts because the climbing community is fortunate to have bipartisan backing. In fact, a group of 14 United States Senators recently sent a letter to the Departments of Interior and Agriculture asking them to stop pursuing a Wilderness fixed anchor prohibition. But we are also looking ahead.

President-elect Trump’s stated agenda is to upend regulations, and fire his critics in the federal government. He has pledged to “unleash” domestic fossil fuel production, withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, and rescind a host of Biden-era environmental rules, which would adversely impact landscapes that are important to climbers and the entire human-powered recreation community. 

We are gearing up to fight President-elect Trump’s expected reduction of the Bears Ears National Monument, home to the international crack climbing destination of Indian Creek—just like we did beginning in 2017. Access Fund is a plaintiff in an active lawsuit that argues that, during his first term, Trump did not have the authority under the Antiquities Act to reduce Bears Ears National Monument by about 85%. We remain committed to working with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and other partners to protect this special landscape.

On the legislative front, we are working with our allies in the clean energy and climate advocacy movement to protect key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act—the largest investment in fighting climate change in American history. One of those provisions is the American Climate Corps, a modern conservation corps program focused on mitigating the effects of climate change that benefits Access Fund’s Conservation Teams.

Despite the uncertainty associated with these coming changes—and many more that will have impacts beyond climbing—Access Fund remains committed to conservation, the integrity of public lands, and to protecting America’s climbing. When you’re ready to get engaged, we’ll be here.