The Access Fund E-News #63
January 2006
The Beta
The Access Fund Turns 15 Years Old!
Williamson Rock, California Closed To
Climbing
Red Rock Adopt-A-Crag, January 21st, 2006
Climbing in Red Rock Canyon: Late Exist System
Black Cliffs, Idaho Housing Development Update
Red River Gorge, KY: Pendergrass-Murray Acquisition
Update
Castle Rock, Tennessee Now Open To Climbing
Little Rock, Arkansas Climbing Area Closed
Give The Gift Of Access Anytime; Hook Up Your Climbing
Partner Today!
2006 marks the 15th Anniversary of the Access Fund. Fifteen years of climbing advocacy,
fifteen years of keeping our climbing areas open and conserving the climbing
environment. Climbing beanies off to all who have made the Access Fund a
success! In the February issue of
the
Vertical Times we will be taking a look back at the some of the
monumental accomplishments over the last fifteen years and turning our sights
toward our goals and vision for the next fifteen years.
Troy
Mayr, Friends of Williamson Rock
On
Tuesday, December 27th, the U.S. Forest Service temporarily closed access to
approximately 1,000 acres in the area north of the Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2)
in the vicinity of Cooper Canyon in order to protect critical habitat of the
mountain yellow-legged frog, this includes Williamson Rock. At the request of
the Angeles National Forest, the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) locked the gate at Cedar Springs (near milepost 62 on SR 2), east of
the turn-off to Buckhorn Campground and west of the tunnels.
Friends
of Williamson Rock (FoWR) has been formed to address and react to any access
issues that may arise at Williamson Rock. FoWR has been work in conjunction
with the Access Fund, the United States Forest Service, USGS, and Department of
Fish and Wildlife toward solutions of present and future issues that may arise
regarding climbing access and activity at Williamson Rock. We have been in constant contact with
the USFS throughout this process, we have attending various meetings, toured
the area with a trail expert hired by the Access Fund and staff of the public
agencies involved to investigate potential trail solutions, and formed the FoWR
to act as a liaison on behalf of the climbing community. If you are a local climber and are
interested in helping out, please sign on ÒFriends of Williamson RockÓ and we
will contact you
Key
Points:
á
DO
NOT CALL THE FOREST SERVICE WITH COMPLAINTS.
á
DO
NOT ATTEMPT TO ACCESS WILLIAMSON ROCK DURING THE CLOSURE.
á
IT
IS IMPARATIVE THAT WE ACT AS A GROUP.
á
We
are in the process of organizing a non-profit group ÒFriends of Williamson Rock
(FoWR)Ó.
á
Yes
we have legal representation.
á
Yes
we are working with the Access Fund.
What
can you do?
If you
have already signed on ÔFriends of Williamson RockÕ just wait for further
instructions.
As we
get organized and proceed through legal issues we will contact you with news,
fundraising queries, letter writing, petition signing and or phone in
campaigns. If you havenÕt joined sign up now. For more information or to get
involved, visit: williamsonrock.org
Trish
Gumina, Las Vegas ClimbersÕ Liaison Council
Come
out to the first Red Rock Canyon Adopt-a-Crag event on January 21st,
2006.
Mountaingear.com, Friends of Red Rock, the BLM,
and the Las Vegas Climbers' Liaison Council are proud to host this event in
order to rebuild trails, replace bolts and keep the rock walls of Red Rock
Canyon safe and accessible to all climbers and outdoor enthusiasts. Red Rock
Canyon suffered several wildfires in 2005 leaving hundreds of acres charred
while exposing many braided trails and loss of vegetation. This is a great
opportunity for climbers to give back to this wonderful national resource.
The
event will take place at the Panty Wall area of the first pullout. All
participants are welcome to join in and help to keep Red Rock beautiful.
For more information, contact the Las Vegas Climbers' Liaison Council:
info@lvclc.org or visit our website: www.lvclc.org.
Larry
DeAngelo, Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council http://www.lvclc.org
On
these short winter days it is very easy to be late returning to your car, and
the tickets are EXPENSIVE. The BLM has a "Late Exit" system in place
to allow climbers extra time before they must exit the scenic loop road.
Note that passes
can be issued only for the Angel Food Wall, Ice Box Canyon, Pine Creek, Juniper
Canyon, and Oak Creek. Furthermore, passes are issued only for multi-pitch
routes, not single pitch or sport climbs. Climbers doing the biggest walls on
Rainbow, Wilson, and Bridge Mountain can even get an overnight pass (details on
the recorded information at 702-515-5050).
Here's
what to do:
Call the LATE EXIT
RECORDING at 702-515-5050.
You can call up to
seven days prior to your climb. If you can get a cell phone signal (but don't
count on this), you can call as late as 4:20 p.m. on the day of your climb. Be
prepared to recite the following information to the answering machine:
1. Your name and
address
2. Vehicle license
number and description
3. Type of pass
(late exit or overnight)
4. Intended date of
climb
5. Route name
6. Parking area
7. Your phone
number
All climbers should
take advantage of this excellent resource. Any number of unexpected things can
cause you to run late on a climb. Don't let your trip get ruined with an
expensive, but avoidable, parking ticket.
Brian
Fedigan, Access Fund Regional Coordinator
Skyline
Development has proposed major housing development for the land known as
"Hammer Flat", immediately north of the Black Cliffs. The Boise
Climbers Alliance (BCA), neither endorsing nor opposing the project, is engaged
in talks with the developer about maintaining climbing access to the popular
section of the crag at the Black Cliffs. For more information: http://www.boiseclimbers.org
Bill
Strachan, President Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition (RRGCC)
The RRGCC Board of
Directors would like to extend our thanks to the climbing community for their
recent outpouring of support in raising money for the PMRP. The
Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve is ~700 acres of privately owned
climbing property in the southern region of the Red River Gorge. A
recent posting on Ray and Michelle Ellington's site www.redriverclimbing.com raised over $1000 in the first 24 hours! Big
thanks to Ray, Michelle and the redriverclimbing.com members for helping the
RRGCC secure access to climbing in the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational
Preserve! To make a donation log on to www.redriverclimbing.com or mail us
a donation by opening the Membership link at the top of the www.rrgcc.org website and printing off a
membership form.
The RRGCC's
purchase of the PMRP property has been accomplished by way of a land contract
financed by the Murray family. The terms of the contract are quite
favorable to the RRGCC and the Murray's have been very supportive of our
efforts to purchase the property. They have been equally helpful in
preserving climbing access to the property. Our obligation is
approximately $30,000.00 yearly for the next 7 years; this figure does not
include taxes and other property related expenses above and beyond the simple
resolution of our debt to the Murray family. If we are not able to
raise this amount from the climbing community as well as from sponsors, we will
default on the loan and forfeit the property. Help us preserve
climbing access in the PMRP for generations to come! The RRGCC is currently
outlining strategic initiatives for 2006 so more info about upcoming
fundraising events and volunteer opportunities is forthcoming.
Thank you for your
support,
RRGCC Board of
Directors
Brad
McLeod, Southeastern Climbers Coalition www.seclimbers.org
After a
year of negotiations with local landowners, the cliff at Castle Rock (TN) is
now open for climbing. Castle Rock is located near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and
is approximately 1/2 mile long of 80 to 120 ft. tall bullet sandstone with over
50 sport and traditional routes.
The
Southeastern Climbers Coalition began work in the fall of 2004 with SCC reps
Kirk Brode and Brad McLeod meeting and negotiating with two private landowners.
A deal was eventually worked out with the cliff line and hiking access to be
leased for $1500 per year. Final papers were being signed during the last week
in December 2005.
Castle Rock is
known for its quality 5.11 and 5.12 sport climbs and one of the hardest routes
in the state of Tennessee - Apes on Acid (5.13d). Early climbing route
developers such as Jeff Gruenburg, Jerry Roberts, Chris Chestnutt, Mark Cole
and Ron Davis spent considerable time at this crag as it was one of the first
areas in the deep south to embrace sport (and mixed gear) climbing in the late
1980Õs. Castle Rock is listed as a 4 star (out of 5) crag in Tim ToulaÕs Rock
and Road guidebook.
The Castle Rock
lease adds to a growing list of closed climbing areas that are now re-opened in
the deep south. In addition to the lease at Castle Rock and a permit system at
Little Rock City, The SCC currently owns and manages three cliff areas (Boat
Rock (GA), Kings Bluff (TN), and Jamestown (AL).
The SCC would like
to thank the many donors and volunteers that have worked to make this project a
reality. In particular, we would like to thank the Access Fund
www.accessfund.org and Shawn Tierney for their continued support and logistics
to help open this cliff.
More information (directions
and updated access info) are found at: Castle Rock Area Report.
The SCC
Area Reps and Property Managers for Castle Rock are Steve Deweese prowindow@mindspring.com and Jerry
Roberts jerryclimber@hotmail.com.
If you have any comments on Castle Rock such as reporting trail day work ideas,
anchor repair, fundraiser ideas or anything else, shoot us an email!
The cliff line is
open but we ask that climbers be patient and allow the SCC time to continue
finish the trail to the crag and repair anchors. There will be several upcoming
work/climb days to check out the crag. If you are interested in seeing Castle
Rock email Brad McLeod at mbmcleod@mindspring.com. A schedule of work/climb
days will be listed on the message board.
The crag is
currently open only to SCC members since Castle Rock is located on private land
and is not owned by the SCC. The long term goal is to purchase the cliff line
at Castle Rock and allow open access. Until that point, we are respectfully
asking climbers to renew their memberships to climb (just like a hunting club
leases land). If you would like to purchase a car decal to show your support
for Castle Rock (($10) you can obtain one from Dave Pollard or Brad McLeod mbmcleod@mindspring.comby email.
Thanks go out to
Steve and Amy Deweese for their initial seed money, anchor work, and belief in
this project. Also, thanks to Gus Fontenot for his great legal mind and for all
of his help on this project.
Special Thanks to
all of the sponsors that helped open Castle Rock!
Jerry Roberts
Steve and Amy
Deweese
Shona Pierce
Sean Cobourn
Jen Rawlins
Sam Leflore
Dave Pollard
The Tennessee
Bouldering Authority (TBA) Gym
Rock Creek
Outfitters
Dawson Wheeler
Ashley, Ollie &
Brad McLeod
Curvature
Landscapes
Dave Draper
Brent McDaniels
Dave Wilson
Gina Picard
Paul Morley
Jim Corbett (aka
Pappy)
Richard Decredico
The Atlanta
Climbing Club
Gary Latimer
Sam Leflore
Ed Williams
Chris Watford
Ben Faber
Sasha Digiulian
Palmer Henson
Curt and Betty Jo
Merchant
Will Eccleston
Gus Fontenot &
Planet Rock
Cooper Roberts
& Sessions video
Scott Perkins
Jay Perry
Michael Crowder
Rob
Stephens, Local Climber
In early
December, Shinall Mountain, near Little Rock, Arkansas, was officially closed
by its private landowners. The landowners posted large signs warning
trespassers of prosecution and also designated the closed area with multiple
purple blaze marks. Known as Bear Den Mountain, the crag had been in use for
many years and was popular with central and eastern Arkansas, as well as
Memphis climbers, due to its ease of access. Climbers kept the crag area
clean, but reports of vandalism on adjacent properties that house multiple
radio and communication towers, ATV traffic, and late night partiers may have
precipitated the closure. Because of the closure of another Little Rock crag,
West Pinnacle, the area is now limited to a very small climbing area at a local
State Park.
Local
climbing activists are working to contact the owners of Shinall Mountain and
will provide updates when available. For more information go to: http://www.littlerockclimbingcenter.com/cgi-bin/cutecast/cutecast.pl?session=4ZjlX9OOcrCIrKf2ua20UbUq3s&action=&forum=1&thread=&user=&query=&msgid=&page=&sort=&do=&key=&others=
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 web form
for their event. If your event qualifies, membership materials and goodies may
be sent. 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: http://www.accessfund.org/events/index.php
01/11—01/15
Ouray, CO. Ouray Ice Festival, http://www.ourayicefestival.com/
01/13—01/15
Keene Valley, NY. Adirondack International Mountainfest, 518-576-2281, http://www.mountaineer.com/mountainfest/mountainfest10.htm
01/26—01/26
Lucky Labrador Public House- Multnomah Village, Portland, OR. Wayne Wallace's
Northern Picketts Traverse Slideshow- 7PM
02/02—02/05
Munising, MI. Michigan Ice Fest '06, www.downwindsports.com
02/04—02/04
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN. 2006 Groundhog Day Climbing
Competition, http://www.stcloudstate.edu/campusrec
02/05—02/05
Prairie Walls, Rochester, MN. Best of the Midwest Bouldering Challenge, http://www.mnclimbing.org
02/10—02/11
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX. Vertical Plains Adventure Festival, http://www.recsports.ttu.edu/outdoor/vertplains.php
02/11—02/11
Upper Limits Rock Climbing Gym, St. Louis, MO. Gateway Bouldering Bash and
Access Fund Membership Drive, www.upperlimits.com
02/17—02/19
The Ohio State University Outdoor Adventure Center, Columbus, OH. 2nd Annual
Outdoor Adventure Center Intercollegiate Climbing Competition, www.ohiostaterecsports.org
03/04—03/04
TAMU Climbing Wall, College Station, TX. Pumpfest, recsports.tamu.edu
03/24—03/26 Las Vegas, NV.
The
Third Annual ÒMountain Gear Presents: Red Rock RendezvousÓ
The Red
Rock Rendezvous climbing festival will return to the Red Rock Canyon National
Conservation Area near Las Vegas to benefit the Access Fund.
For the
first time in the eventÕs history, this yearÕs festival will offer a Friday
ÒIntro to ClimbingÓ clinic day for less experienced climbers and climbers who
have never experienced the difficulty levels of the Red Rock Canyon. The
goal of the ÒIntroÓ day is to introduce 50-100 people to the great sport of
rock climbing. There will also be an optional gear package that will include a
harness, helmet, shoes, belay device, carabiner, chalk bag and a membership to the
Access Fund.
Participants
can get this great gear package, plus the Friday ÒIntroÓ day and the rest of
the weekend for only $299.00. http://www.mgear.com/RR06/
04/15—04/17
Boulder Theater and Central Park, Boulder, CO. Boulder Adventure Film Festival,
www.boulderadventurefilm.com
Are you
a federal employee? Did you know you can donate to the Access Fund through the
federal governmentÕs Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)?
Federal
employees, including federal civilians, military personnel, and U.S. Postal
Service workers, can now donate to the Access Fund through the federal
government's Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is a charitable
fundraising program where you give to the Access Fund through automatic payroll
deductions.
If you
are a federal employee, please look for the Access Fund (agency # 2361) in the
official CFC listing of eligible donors. You can also make your contribution
on-line by going to: http://www.conservenow.org,
click on Search for a Charity, type in the Access Fund and make your
contribution there.
If you
have additional questions on this program please contact Whitney Self at whitney@accessfund.org.
STANDARD
AF GIFT PACK =
$40.00 ($64.85 retail value)
1 Liter
Nalgene Bottle filled with: One-year AF Membership, Omega Pacific Classic
Locking ÔBiner. MSR Titanium Spoon & Fork set, Sticker pack & Mini Clif
Bars
DELUXE
AF GIFT PACK =
$60.00 ($84.85 retail value) Standard Gift Pack + AF T Shirt
To
order: https://www.accessfund.org/secure/giving.php
or call
Kerry toll-free at 888-8-MEMBER (888-863-6237) x106.
Cruise
to the AF website and play ASANA PackWorksÕ video game GuntherÕs Big Day http://www.accessfund.com/extras/game.php.
Click through to ASANAÕs site to purchase the full version. $10 from each
purchase made through this link will be donated to the AF. Go Gunther! Thanks
ASANA!