Access Fund E-News #56
June 2005
The Access Fund
E-News Online
Access Fund E-News #56
June 2005
The Access Fund
E-News Online
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Oak Flat, Oak Flat, Oak Flat. We know you’ve been hearing a lot from the Access Fund about Oak Flat, Arizona in recent months. We would like to clarify why this is an important issue that we deeply believe every climber, no matter where you live or climb, must get involved in.
The issue for climbers and the entire future of climbing is the precedent that will be set if Oak Flat is transferred out of public hands. Oak Flat has been federally protected since 1955 for recreational purposes. The vision that protected this land is now being dishonored and ignored.
From the beginning, the Access Fund has tried to work with Resolution Copper Company to find a solution that would allow responsible mining while honoring the importance of the vision that set Oak Flat aside for recreation. The copper company has kept its goal of acquiring Oak Flat alive by proclaiming their concern for climbers’ needs. They hired climbers to develop a “replacement” climbing area on mostly public lands owned by U.S. taxpayers that could have been established by Arizona climbers, on their day off, exploring for untouched routes. Since most of these “new climbs” are already public property, the copper company’s “good faith” offering is little more than a PR smokescreen while the important issue of negotiating an amicable solution for a recreational easement at Oak Flat remains unfinished.
We need to fight the loss of Oak Flat and what it represents and forget about the copper company’s hired climbers who do not represent the climbing community or the public’s interest.
Consider the slippery slope. What if someone finds oil under Indian Creek or a large gold deposit under Half Dome? These scenarios may seem unbelievable but go back to the idea of precedent. If a foreign company can side-step federal protections in Arizona what about a domestic company or Congress (note ANWR)? What happens when we’ve developed away our national treasures?
At the root of Oak Flat lies not only the future of climbing but the future of all public land conservation and the preservation of your recreational opportunities. Stand up with the Access Fund and Friends of Queen Creek in this struggle to prevent the loss of Oak Flat; This is your last chance to add your voice. Don’t wait for this bill to go through Congress unamended before you get angry. WRITE CONGRESS NOW! We all share responsibility for the future of climbing.
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YOUR LAST CHANCE TO BE HEARD BEFORE BILL IS FINALIZED
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On May 25, 2005, Arizona's Senator Kyl and Representative Renzi introduced identical land exchange bills into Congress moving Resolution Copper Company (RCC) one step closer to destroying the publicly-owned Oak Flat area east of Phoenix, resulting in the single largest loss of climbing ever.
These bills value the profits of a foreign mining company and discount a more responsible approach to the environmental and recreational priorities of many others who recreate at Oak Flat, as well as the health concerns of Arizonans. Despite many promises of compromise these bills will allow RCC to push ahead with the destruction of Oak Flat and surrounding areas if they are passed without revision.
Don't wait for Oak Flat to be destroyed to voice your opposition. A loss of climbing in Arizona is a loss of climbing no matter where you live. Click here for the Access Fund’s latest Oak Flat Action Alert.
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(By Deanne Buck, Grassroots Coordinator)
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From Alaska to Georgia, Maine to California, Adopt-a- Crag is captivating the country like a superhero. While we might not all climb like Batman, Batwoman, or even Tommy Caldwell, together we will attempt to climb the 120 feet of Flex Luthor (metaphorically speaking of course since Flex Luthor is Tommy’s 5.15a superhuman route). Each foot of the “route” will be symbolized by an Adopt-a-Crag event. From over-the-head kneebars, hand jams, finger locks, and thumbstacks, we all bring our own expertise that will enable us to jointly climb the incipient crack. To date, we have 19 Adopt-a-Crags; we are just getting the jitters out and psyching up for the next 10 feet of Flex. As with all visions for success, we cannot do it alone. We need the entire climbing community to join in this effort. Through a communal effort we can top-out and become the adventure heroes we have always known we are.
Adopt-a-Crag is an excellent avenue for building alliances and partnerships and to plan for the future. Be it a crag clean-up of eight volunteers or a fundraiser, comp or trail work project with 100 volunteers, Adopt-a-Crag is about giving back to those places we love and use. Adopt-a-Crag inspires activism, advocacy, volunteerism, and stewardship. In the five years since the inception of Adopt-a-Crag, climbers around the country have built and restored thousands of miles of trails, hauled tons of trash, and completed thousands of conservation initiatives.
Once again Adopt-a-Crag has been expanded to encompass the entire month of September. The Access Fund made this change to encourage organizers to schedule their Adopt-a-Crag event on a day that works best for their community and to partner with other organizations. Download your Adopt-a-Crag Manual here and register online at: accessfund.org/cons/aac.php
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Government-Private Partnership Formalizes Working Relationship to Promote Responsible Use of Public Lands
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The Access Fund and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a ground-breaking memorandum of understanding (MOU) that formalizes a cooperative agreement to work at the national, regional and local levels on mutually beneficial programs, projects, training and other recreational activities. The five-year agreement will see the BLM and Access Fund working together on programs, projects and activities that leverage both of their charters and are in the best interests of the public.
“There is a strong need throughout the country to actively promote public and private partnerships that encourage the responsible use of public lands,” said Steve Matous, executive director of the Access Fund. “This MOU with the BLM will help assure conservation of the climbing environment and will help keep climbing areas open.”
This MOU with the BLM joins an existing MOU between the Access Fund and the U.S. Forest Service executed in 2003.
“We are very pleased to enter into this national level partnership agreement with the Access Fund. The BLM's already successful history of cooperative partnership projects with the Access Fund will be further enhanced. This MOU brings the BLM and the Access Fund together toward a common mission of encouraging appropriate climbing opportunities on BLM administered public lands while also managing these areas to meet other BLM resource management objectives…” said Scott Abdon, National Recreation and Visitor Services Division Manager of the BLM.
The heart of the agreement is the commitment by the BLM to encourage its local officials to work with the Access Fund to identify climbing projects on public lands within their specific Field Office areas. The MOU also promotes participation of Access Fund staff and representatives in the development of mutually beneficial work projects and educational activities. In return, the Access Fund will support educational activities, maintain a nationwide communication network, provide technical assistance to land managers, and facilitate understanding and communications between climbers and public agencies.
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Public comment period ends June 27, 2005
(Please voice your support for maintaining access to climbing sites)
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Motorized access to the Indian Creek Dispersed Recreation Area in the Ozark National Forest is being examined under the current Forest Plan Revision. Forest Service officials have stated that at present there are no plans to close the Indian Creek area to rock climbers -- the issue being discussed deals with limiting motorized access. However, there is the possibility that limiting motorized access in this area would make it very difficult to access several of Arkansas’ best climbing areas, the De Soto Boulders and Herrod’s Creek sport crag. Please take the time to comment and voice your concern that retaining access to the climbing sites is vital!
Comments may be sent to the plan revision team via 1) US Mail at: Plan Revision;
Ozark-St. Francis National Forests; 605 West Main St.; Russellville, AR 72801; 2) email at r8.ozark.planning@fs.fed.us; or 3) Fax at 479-964-7285.
Some tips to remember when commenting on the Forest Plan Revision effort:
• All comments must include your name and mailing address.
• Submitting a comment is not a voting process-they are considered and analyzed
on the basis of content, not quantity.
• The most effective comments include specific, comparative, or solution oriented
information.
Copies of the draft plan are available online at aokforests.com. A CD can be
obtained by calling the planning team at 479-964-7551.
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Save Reimers Ranch, Austin, TX! Your Voice is Needed NOW! Take Action Today.
(Report by Georgia Shaw, Central Texas Mountaineers)
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Austin, Texas Climbers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to permanently conserve Reimers Ranch from development. NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! The Travis Co. Citizen Bond Advisory Committee is asking for people to come and voice their support of making Reimers Ranch Austin’s new "Southwest Metro Park.” If you want to SAVE ACCESS TO REIMERS RANCH, then it is imperative that you attend the meetings listed below to show your support. The more people who show up in support of making Reimers Ranch the new county park, the more it will help our cause of keeping Reimers Ranch open and accessible to climbers and the rest of the public.
Please go to as many of these meetings as possible as there will be different committee members at each who all need to know about our support for Reimers.
The county is committed to developing a new park and they are considering Reimers as one of the possibilities, but THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES and there are plenty of people who want the new park to be elsewhere.
Wednesday June 22, 6:30pm
East Travis County
Precinct One Satellite Service Center
9301 Johnny Morris Road
The Thursday June 23rd meeting is very important. This is the home precinct for Reimers Ranch, so it is very important to have a good turnout!
Thursday June 23, 6:30pm
West Travis County
Precinct Three Travis County Office Complex (Courtroom)
8658 SH71 West
For more information including links to the county's meeting announcement and schedule, please go to the CTM website at ctmrocks.com
Thank You! And please also write your letters and emails TODAY if you haven't done that yet! You may not be a Travis County resident, but still your voice counts. Speak out now and help insure a climbing future at Reimers Ranch.
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Climbers Advise to Comply with No Trespassing Request
(Report by Christopher Spatz and Chris Moratz, AF Regional Coordinator, Gunks Climbers’ Coalition)
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On June 6th, following several months of private discussions with Rosendale town officials, the Gunks Climbers' Coalition (GCC) made its first public presentation to the town board to explore permitting legal access to the Water Works bouldering area. The parcel, discovered by boulderers last year, exists on Rosendale Water District property, where a no trespassing ordinance exists. The site is significant enough that growing publicity and usage of the area had attracted complaints by neighbors, warranting an access strategy developed by boulderers with the Access Fund and the GCC beginning in February; climbers immediately agreed to cease all climbing activity at the site.
While the presentation generated its share of heat both from board members and folks in the audience - liability and trespassing being the chief concerns - the board was interested enough to advise that the GCC present to the town's Water District board, which the GCC will do on Monday, June 27th. And since negotiations have reached the public level, the GCC made its first public advisements to climbing websites requesting compliance with the no trespassing ordinance on the site.
Though the GCC was concerned initially with gaining legal access to the Water Works, many of those involved from the beginning - including Rosendale officials - see this as an opportunity to explore creating a rustic town park, one whose cool, deep and leafy solace may be enjoyed by all.
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(Report by Aaron Gibson, Access Fund Regional Coordinator)
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Oklahoma climbers joined together this spring to create the Chandler Park Climbers Coalition (CPCC). The Chandler Park Climbers Coalition (CPCC) is a nonprofit advocacy and conservation group dedicated to creating and maintaining sustainable opportunities for responsible climbing in and around Chandler Park.
Chandler Park is a diverse recreational county park, home to everything from baseball diamonds, a disc golf course, a swimming pool, and picnic areas - even rock climbing. The corridors of limestone walls enveloped by trees reach as high as twenty-five feet and are perfect for bouldering and toproping. In addition to the regulars, Chandler Park draws climbing classes and groups, many of them new to climbing. Therefore, climber education is a key concern. Chandler Park is an urban climbing area in every sense, which means that issues like trash, broken glass, and graffiti are also an issue. The CPCC has developed a great working relationship with the Tulsa County Parks department and is in the process of establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as well as several ambitious projects. The CPCC anticipates developing educational brochures, constructing a climber kiosk, and holding a bouldering festival by year's end. The CPCC held their first event, the Clean and Climb day, on June 4, 2005.
CPCC membership is free and open to the public. For details please visit their website at cpcc.fusionfortyseven.com/climb
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Check out the latest Access Fund affiliated events accessfund.org/events/events.php
To streamline the events process, the AF has created a new page on the website under the EVENTS tab where interested people or groups can complete a webform for their event. If your event qualifies, membership materials and goodies may be sent additionally. All events the AF is involved with will be included on the event schedule. The deadline for event registration is one month prior to event. To register an event, visit: accessfund.org/events/index.php/
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Vertical Times #64 (June Issue) is NOW Online as a PDF!
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The June issue of Vertical Times (volume 64) 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 from accessfund.org/news/vt.php (Adobe Acrobat is required).
Viewing Vertical Times online instead of receiving the paper version 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, 2185 members have chosen our online option - a savings of over $10,900 per year to be utilized towards the Access Fund's Mission to keep climbing areas open and conserve the climbing environment.
AF E-NEWS POLICIES:
1. The Access Fund office in Boulder, CO is the only source of outgoing messages to the lists.
2. The AF will not sell or give away email addresses of AF E-News subscribers.
3. AF E-News is an announcement-only monthly e-mail list; therefore, you cannot reply to any of the list members.
4. All e-mail addresses will remain confidential with every mail sent.