The Climbing Advocate Podcast

Episode #29: Audrey & Curtis Gale-Dyer

The guests for today’s episode are Audrey and Curtis Gale-Dyer. This power couple serves as the land management team for the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition (RRGCC) in Kentucky. As land managers, they are responsible for planning and implementing large- and small-scale stewardship projects all around the Red River Gorge. It’s no secret that the “Red” holds miles and miles of cliff line that attract thousands of visitors each year from around the world. As you can imagine, stewarding a destination area of this size is no small task, but Audrey and Curtis approach their responsibility with confidence and passion.

Audrey and Curtis have been a part of the RRGCC for many years now, and their experience in planning and executing stewardship projects is exemplary. In this podcast, they walk us through what it takes to successfully plan and execute large-scale stewardship projects, including recruiting, making sure you have the proper tools and resources, and more. They also talk about the aftermath of the flooding events that the Red and surrounding areas saw in early March. In conclusion, Audrey and Curtis share some of the most common issues they often face and talk about a couple of their personal favorite stewardship projects. If you’re interested in the stewardship side of advocacy, this episode is for you.

Timestamps

5:43 - Curtis’ & Audrey’s intros
10:12 - Recent flooding in Kentucky
14:21 - The flooding’s impact on the Red
18:30 - Working as land managers for the RRGCC
26:13 - General stewardship planning
37:15 - Planning: assessment
42:17 - Planning: recruiting
46:00 - Planning: tools & resources
48:56 - Most common projects
50:01 - Reasons why they use certain infrastructure
52:21 - Audrey & Curtis’ favorite projects
59:01 - Don’t forget the fine details!
1:03:53 - Community involvement
1:06:38 - Curtis’ takeaways
1:07:27 - Curtis’ definition of advocacy
1:08:33 - Audrey’s definition of advocacy

Links