Washington DC - Human-powered outdoor recreation user groups including Access Fund (AF), American Whitewater (AW), American Canoe Association (ACA), American Hiking Society (AHS), International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), and Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA) have joined forces to establish the Outdoor Alliance. Designed to be a coalition of national, local and regional human-powered recreation groups, the Outdoor Alliance seeks to protect and secure quality outdoor recreation opportunities on the nation’s public lands and waters through the collective voice and influence of human-powered outdoor recreation participants.

While almost 150 million Americans annually participate in recreation activities such as hiking, mountain biking, climbing, canoeing, kayaking and backcountry skiing, the political voice of this large constituency is not at all reflective of its size, and is often overshadowed by broader groups with different recreational agendas.

Supported in part by a generous grant from the Turner Foundation, the Outdoor Alliance will address the need for an increased human-powered outdoor recreation voice by helping its member user groups improve their grassroots organization and outreach capabilities, by educating decision makers about the size, characteristics, and needs of the human-powered outdoor recreation constituency, by coordinating and mobilizing the alliance’s collective grassroots on key issues, and by developing unified public messages.

The Outdoor Alliance is designed as a true coalition—that is, it is not an independent umbrella organization, but rather a group of organizations working towards the same goal. The steering committee, comprised of AF, AW, ACA, AHS, IMBA, and WWA (representing water, land, and snow activities), has primary responsibility for developing the information and communication resources needed to coordinate and support future member initiatives.

Our own Access Fund Executive Director, Steve Matous, has been elected Chairman of the Outdoor Alliance and states: “The Alliance supports responsible stewardship of the lands, waters, air and habitat that are vital to a quality outdoor recreation experience.” Mike Van Abel, Executive Director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association adds: “The Outdoor Alliance is the national voice promoting sustainable outdoor element sports and activities where participants carve, drop, hike and climb through a multitude of different natural environments across the country creating ever growing opportunities for healthy recreation,”

The Outdoor Alliance has retained Adam Cramer and his Washington, D.C. firm, Leiter & Cramer PLLC to serve as its policy architect and counsel and to provide unified guidance to the member groups in stewardship and public policy initiatives.

For more information, Contact Adam Cramer, Leiter & Cramer PLLC, abc@leitercramer.com, 202.386.7671.

AREA UPDATES

Upcoming Changes for Little Rock City, TN

Brad McLeod, Southeastern Climbers Coalition

Below are the current parameters for upcoming changes to visitation at

LRC (The Stone Fort)-All changes will be in place beginning October 1

2006. These changes are being made by the landowner with the long-term

goal of maintaining access for climbers.

1. Implement a $5 per climber parking fee using an online payment system

in conjunction with the current system of registration. To clarify, ALL

climbers visiting the boulderfield will be required to pay $5 for each

visit to the property.

The number of daily visitors will also be increased to 40.

2. Yearly group/school user fee per institution will be applied. Current

schools using LRC as a site for outdoor programs include McCallie,

Baylor, and GPS. These institutions will NOT be required to register

for visitation during the week (Monday thru Friday). Therefore, these

groups will not affect the number of passes during weekdays. However,

all participating school programs will be required to register

individual climbers during the weekends.

The Triple Crown Bouldering Series will be charged for it's use of the

boulderfield as well.

**In regard to all groups and individual climbers, everyone will be

required to sign a liability waiver.

3. All climbers will "check-in" at the clubhouse before entering the

boulderfield. A Montlake employee will verify each climber by the daily

registration page on the SCC (www.seclimbers.org) website. In addition

to monitoring visitation to the property, this will also offer a way to

educate new climbers to the appropriate visitation procedure.

4. A Montlake employee dedicated to an 8 am to 5:30 pm day will be on

duty in the fall.

In addition, the SCC will select 10 representatives from the climbing

community. These ten representatives will be required to perform

several duties at LRC during each of their visits, and will help

maintain and monitor climber visitation to the boulderfield. If you are

interested in information regarding one of these positions, please see the

SCC message board http://seclimbers.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=340

5. The name of LRC will be changed to The Stone Fort per the owner's

request

6. A yearly pass for climbers who frequently visit the property will be

available for purchase beginning October 1 2006. The price for the pass

will be $150. Yearly pass holders will still be required to register

each day. A yearly pass does not guarantee visitation on high volume

days. Once the system has received 40 registrants on a given day, the

pass system will close for that particular day-it will still be first come, first served each day for everyone.

Climbers that purchase a year pass will still be required to register

for each visit to the boulderfield-all other rules apply to year pass

holders as well.

In the meantime, please support Montlake with these upcoming changes;

they have certainly supported us.

Southwest Colorado Update

Steve Johnson, Southwest Colorado Regional Coordinator

Falls Wall and Bridal Veil Falls, Telluride, Colorado.

The Falls Wall is located next to Bridal Veil Falls at an elevation of over 9500 feet. It has recently seen development of several hundred sport climbs of up to 300 ft. on high quality conglomerate rock. The Falls Wall is covered in Charlie Fowler and Damon Johnston’s guide, Telluride Rocks, 3^rd Edition, and is one of the premier alpine sport crags in Colorado.

The Falls Wall cliffs are located on United States Forest Service property. The approach from the Bridal Veil Road (County road K-69), at the base of the tram that connects to the Bridal Veil powerhouse (one switchback below the base of Bridal Veil Falls), crosses private property currently owned by Idarado Mining Company. The Town of Telluride has obtained a large Great Outdoors Colorado grant for acquisition of this property, known as the Kentucky Placer. The Kentucky Placer extends for almost a mile to connect with the Telluride Town Park. Telluride is in the process of completing it’s due diligence investigation and additional fund raising for the purchase. If all goes well, the purchase will legalize the access to the Falls Wall in time for the 2007 climbing season.

In addition, the base of the Kentucky Placer appears to extend to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. A pending survey should help locate the exact corners, as problematic as it is with steep cliffs, etc. This may or may not prove to be the solution to legally getting to and up Bridal Veil Falls, though it would not cover the walkoff at the top.

Railroad Grade Ice, Ophir, Colorado.

A section of the old Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad known as the Ophir Loop below Ophir, Colorado provides a flat base along several hundred yards of moderate to hard short ice slabs and mixed smears known as the Railroad Grade Ice. This base area is also known as the Galloping Goose Trail which the United States Forest Service has established in the region. The Railroad Grade Ice is located on private property and there are conflicting jurisdictional claims to the Galloping Goose Trail itself.

A federal land exchange was proposed several years ago that would result in acquisition of the Railroad Grade Ice area by the Forest Service. That land exchange, unfortunately, has recently fallen through. The United States Forest Service, however, appears determined to secure ownership of the Galloping Goose Trail and access to it over an intervening parcel from State Highway 145 at the top of Ophir Loop. In the meantime, the Railroad Grade Ice remains closed to the public.

Wilson Peak.

Wilson Peak is a scenic 14,000 ft. peak featured on the Coors beer commercials. It crowns a massif with three of Colorado’s southwestern most 14er’s. Two years ago, a land owner closed trails in Silver Pick Basin which provided access to the classic Southwest Ridge of Wilson Peak, as well as trails also connecting into Navajo Basin for climbers interested in summiting Mount Wilson and El Diente Peak. The landowner did so following USFS denial of his numerous efforts to exchange 38 above-timberline mining claims (constituting approximately 238 acres) for over 2000 acres of developable properties on Wilson Mesa outside of Telluride. The claims include a strip of land near the summit of Wilson Peak.

A Wilson Peak Protection Fund has been set up to evaluate alternative access, provide signage and education to hikers, and possibly to restore access over existing historic trails. Initial efforts may include funding a USFS-led survey to definitively establish trail and claim locations, estimated to cost over $57,000.00. Donations may be sent to the Colorado Mountain Club, 710 Tenth Street, Ste. 200, Golden, Colorado 80401, ATTN: Cathy McGuire. Checks should be made out to the Colorado Mountain Club with a notation in the remarks line of Wilson Peak Fund.

The Wilson Peak Protection Fund was established after extensive negotiations with the landowner over one year failed. The goal was to acquire a recreational easement over the mining claims. During the negotiations, the landowner expressed major concern over liability to hikers and climbers as a major reason for its closure. In 2005, the Colorado General Assembly passed House Bill 1049, which afforded immunity to landowners who allow members of the public to cross over historically used trails for recreational purposes at no charge. While this bill was pending, the landowner instead decided to offer, “pay to play” access, charging $100 per climber/hiker per day. As a result, the new liability protections will not available to the landowner. The landowners website can be found at www.wilsonpeakaccess.com. The Telluride Mountain Club discourages the public and guides from paying any access fee.

The landowner has also announced plans to commence gold mining in Silver Pick basin as part of an apparent effort to force the public and the Forest Service to approve the unbalanced land exchange proposal.

In the meantime, Wilson Peak climbers can skirt the mining claims by crossing very loose scree slopes above and east of the Silverpick Road and traversing on trails and scrambling into the upper Silver Pick Basin. This leads to the West Face, where the summit can be legally accessed up steep snow or scree and talus. The two other 14er’s can continue to be legally accessed from Navajo Basin. For more information, see: charlieontheloose@blogspot.com; www.summitpost.com; www.14ers.com.

Owls Head Cliff, NH

Tom Richardson

The 380+/- acre Owls Head Cliff property is currently listed for sale with a real estate broker. If sold on the private market the property would likely be developed into second homes/vacation homes and an incredible community recreation resource and critical wildlife habitat could be permanently lost.

In addition to possessing 800+/- vertical feet of shear granite cliff face of Owls Head (1,967 ft.), the property also contains 6,000+/- feet of stream frontage along both sides of Oliverian Brook (a tributary of the Connecticut River) including a small waterfall. Approximately one-half mile southeast of the property the infamous Appalachian Trail passes through Oliverian Notch and the Jeffers Brook Shelter and Blueberry Mountain Trail are also in close proximity to the Owls Head Cliff property.

The Trust for Public Lands (TPL) with support from the Access Fund is leading an effort to have this property purchased by the White Mountain National Forest. The Trust for Public Land’s goal is to permanently conserve the 380+/- acre Owl’s Head Cliff property for people and wildlife, by conveying it to the U.S. Forest Service for inclusion in the White Mountain National Forest.

Support for this project is needed in the form of letters and other contact with US Forest Service management, elected officials and conservation organizations. This project will take time, at least several months, possibly a few years. This property is too unique to let it be used for anything but public or conservation land. Many people are interested in maintaining the cliff's availability for rock climbing.

Owls Head Cliff, general info.

http://home.usaa.net/~thewebweaver/owlsheadandtheoliverian.html

Thank you to all of you that are active participants in this project,

Tom Richardson

Durham, NH

AF NEWS

The Access Fund’s Seventh Annual Adopt-a-Crag Celebration

REI Title Sponsor, GORE-TEX Products Presenting Sponsor & CLIF Bar Contributing Sponsor

September 19, 2006, Boulder, CO – The Access Fund is proud to announce that the seventh annual Adopt-a-Crag season is in full swing! Marked by the September Adopt-a-Crag Celebration month, Adopt-a-Crag has evolved into a year-round program. More than 43 events across the country are scheduled for this month alone with more being registered every day.

Adopt-a-Crag is the Access Fund’s signature stewardship event, a national commitment by the climbing community to natural resource stewardship and volunteerism, bringing climbers together to celebrate their crag and community. It is the largest overall volunteer effort by the climbing community year after year.

Title Sponsor Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), Presenting Sponsor GORE-TEX Products, and Contributing Sponsor Clif Bar are the Access Fund’s partners in presenting this event and Adopt-a-Crag would not be possible without their continuous support.

Feedback from successfully completed events has been rolling in with claims of “the most energized and productive event to date”, boasting of record volunteer turnouts, and remarks highlighting the positive impact Adopt-a-Crag has left on the crag, community and with land managers. Significant Adopt-a-Crags still to come this month include the Rumney Clean-up, The Gathering in Muir Valley Kentucky, Rifle Clean-up, and the Yosemite Facelift, our biggest event.

See a need at your crag? Want a good excuse to bring the community together? It’s not to late to organize and register an event at www.accessfund.org/adopt or contact Kristo Torgersen, Kristo@accessfund.org, 303-545-6772 x105

To find an event in your area: www.accessfund.org/events/aac.php

Help John Bachar

As you probably know, John Bachar was seriously injured in a car accident while he was driving home on August 14th from the Outdoor Retailer trade show. He sustained multiple spinal fractures and will be faced with huge medical bills for the surgeries, physical therapy and recovery. The crash resulted in the tragic death of Steve Karafa, president of Acopa (the climbing shoes manufacturer), and minor injuries to John’s partner Anastasia.

John, known for his legendary and inspiring solo ascents of some of the world’s highest-standard climbing was (and still is) an inspiration to me and many climbers. From his first free ascent of Astroman to his bold solos of 5.12s (an unimaginable level of difficulty to me at the time), to bringing the first sticky rubber shoes into the US market, Bachar set new levels of performance for me and many of my partners to aspire.

John needs our help now. Below are four great ways you can contribute:

http://bachar.gr-outdoors.net

Time Greene has put together this website and organized what could possibly be the best gear raffle ever. He’s donated his time to put the website together and has enlisted as many manufacturers as he can to donate gear. If you’re a manufacturer and haven’t committed to this yet, GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!! All the proceeds will go to the John Bachar Fund.

www.mammothgear.com

Here’s a way to donate directly to the John Bachar Fund. Dave Talsky at Mammoth Mountaineering Supply has set up a PayPal link that will let you contribute right to the fund. He is also sponsoring a fundraising slide show by Peter Croft later this month. Karl, hope you don’t mind if I poached your image above to send out with this email.

http://www.peaklightimages.com

Karl Baba has set aside a collection of his photos of Bachar. Buy one of these from him and he’ll donate the proceeds to the Bachar Fund.

http://www.cirrus-digital.com/bachar.html

Phil Bard, the guy who took “the” photo of Bachar soloing in Tuolumne (You know, the one of the Fire poster.) is offering up limited edition prints of that and others, with proceeds going to the Bachar Fund.

Thanks in advance for helping John out.

Climb Safe,

Malcolm Daly

When Nature Calls

Lara Usinowicz

The World Health Organization estimates that the average adult produces about one liter—some 2 pounds worth—of excreta per day, half of that being solid waste.

While in our day-to-day lives this might not be at the forefront of our thoughts, but when we head into the backcountry, the issue of human waste must be addressed.

Consider that in 2005, Grand Canyon National Park had 238,381 backcountry overnight stays. If most of the visitors stayed in the park for 24 hours, that means 120 tons of human urine and feces fell upon the Grand Canyon backcountry in 12 months.

The Happy Boulders in Bishop, CA now sees 40,000 visitors per year and Indian Creek, UT has been so heavily impacted by human waste that they have implemented a human waste bag system which, while voluntary, is highly advised to avoid potential user fees that would be associated with the Park installing toilets (www.friendsofindiancreek.org).

While digging a cathole is sometimes a viable option (dig a hole 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails. After use, cover and disguise the cathole and pack out all toilet paper and hygiene products), some studies have shown that catholes don’t encourage a rapid “die-off” of intestinal bacteria.

There are many areas where burying your waste is not an option. These include:

heavy use areas: at trailheads and other areas where digging a cathole might entail digging up someone else’s waste; in deep river gorges: where it is impossible to travel the required 200 feet away from the river, along any waterway where there is only sandy soil which doesn’t have the nutrients to decompose waste; in canyons and high deserts where the soil is also without the microorganisms necessary to biodegrade human waste; above the treeline: in any mountaineering or climbing venue where the soil is too rocky to dig the required 6-8 inches for a proper cathole.

While any method of carrying out your waste is better than the alternative, whether it is a plastic baggie, a PVC tube, or the “blue bag” that is offered in several mountaineering venues, such as Rainier, compliance is an important issue so the method should be as pleasant as possible.

There are several products on the market that make waste containment systems (such as those in use at Indian Creek). Access Fund Corporate Partner Restop products (www.whennaturecalls.com) offers a safe and sanitary system to deal with human waste in the wilderness. Inside the bag is a powder, a polymer/enzyme blend, which biodegrades and gels the waste, giving it EPA approval to be simply thrown away in the trash after use.

These products provide us with an inexpensive and effective means to comply with the outdoor ethics of Leave No Trace. We can each take responsibility for ourselves in the wilderness or we can let it go to shit…

Refer-a-Friend

“If you don’t vote in an election, you can’t criticize its outcome. Likewise, if you’re unhappy with the management of your favorite climbing areas, you can: a) Get involved by joining the Access Fund and your Local Climbing Organization, or b) Shut your pie-hole.”

Excerpt from the Spring ’06 Black Diamond catalog

We’re always talking about how important membership is to the future of climbing.

Now We Need Your Help…and We’re Busting Out The Schwag!

It’s Easy: Know a climber who’s not a member? Get them to join and receive free stuff. The more people you get to join, the more free stuff you get!

· REFER TWO FRIENDS and receive a Nalgene Flask.

· REFER FOUR FRIENDS and receive a Nalgene Flask and a dri-release wool T-shirt from Outdoor Research.

· REFER SIX FRIENDS and receive a Nalgene Flask, a dri-release wool T-shirt from Outdoor Research, and a North Face merino wool beanie cap.

The two top referrers will receive a bonus gift package worth over $150.

You are the greatest testimony to the benefit of membership!

REFER your friends by sending them to this link:

www.accessfund.org/join

They must enter your name in the “Referred by” box on the join form in order for their membership to count towards your total tally.
Awards will be sent on a monthly basis as your referrals accumulate.
Program will reset December, 31st 2006 so you have until the end of the year to receive these gifts.
The Access Fund reserves the right to substitute any gift based on availability.

EVENTS

Events Calendar

09/22—09/22 The Met Theatre, Spokane, WA. Reel Rock Tour Hosted by Mountain Gear & Timmy O'Neill

http://www.reelrocktour.com

09/22—09/24 Smith Rock State Park, OR. Smith Rock Detour

www.smithrockdetour.com

09/30—09/30 MPHC Climbing Gym, New York, NY. NYC'S ONLY ABS Comp

mphc.com

10/13—10/15 Miguel's & Torrent Falls/Mark's BBQ, Slade, KY.

RRGCC Rocktoberfest 2006!!!!!!!

www.rrgcc.org/rocktoberfest2006/

10/14—10/14 Portland Rock Gym, OR. PDX Ice Festival, info@portlandrockgym.com

www.portlandrockgym.com

10/27—10/29 Indian Cove, JT National Park, CA. Climb Smart

http://www.friendsofjosh.org/

Adopt-a-Crag Calendar

Register Your Adopt-a-Crag Now!

09/23 Castle Rock SP & Sanborn-Skyline County Park, CA. The REI Adopt-a-Crag Service Project hosted by REI, Inc. 9am-12pm. check http://www.rei.com/stores/store_events.jsp?store=22 for details., Peter Caravalho, pcarava@rei.com

09/23 Rumney, NH. The Rumney Clean-Up hosted by Anthony Pizzo. Clean-up trails throughout Rumney. Carpool if possible. Please RSVP to the following email., Anthony Pizzo, ampizzo1986@yahoo.com

09/23 North Carolina Wall at Linville Gorge, NC. The NC Wall Adopt-a-Crag hosted by REI Pineville. meet at 10am., Joey Norman, jnorman@rei.com

09/23 Muir Valley Nature Preserve, Rogers, KY. GATHERING 2006 hosted by Friends of Muir Valley. Two day event, September 23-24, 2006., Karla Carandang, friends.of.muirvalley@gmail.com

09/23 Flatirons, Boulder, CO. The 3rd Flatiron Decent Trail Project hosted by the Flatirons Climbing Council. 8:30am at Chataqua Ranger Cottage. Bring lunch, water, gloves, shoes, and sun protection. For more info visit www.flatironsclimbing.com, Dan Howley, fcc@flatironsclimbing.com

09/27 Yosemite National Park, CA. The 3rd Annual Yosemite Facelift hosted by the Yosemite Climbing Association. 8am - 5pm, September 27th through October 1st. This 5 day event was awarded the Adopt-a-Crag Conservation Award in 2005. Visit yosemiteclimbing.org for details., Ken Yager, yager@inreach.com

09/30 Rifle Mountain Park, CO. The Rifle Clean-Up hosted by Climbing Magazine., Greg Loomis, gregloomis@climbing.com

09/30 Great Falls Park, VA. The Great Falls Adopt-a-Crag is hosted by the Maryland Access Fund Regional Coordinator with support from many local climbing organizations. the event is from 9am-2pm, check-in at 8:30am., Thomson Ling, mailto:thomsonling@gmail.com

MEMBER BENEFITS

Get member only discounts on all the new stuff in the Access Fund MemberSHOP! www.accessfund.org/membershop

The Lucky Winner!

Thanks to everyone who responded to our e-renewal offer to
receive a free signed copy of the 30 Years of Climbing anthology
book and a chance to win a custom Black Diamond bullet pack.

This month’s winner is Dennis Rosen of Melville, NY. Dennis has
been a member since 1996, and we sincerely appreciate his support.

Congratulations Dennis!

Pass It On!

Hey Climbers—give back to the Access Fund when you purchase your

National Parks Pass from our website! $10.00 of each pass purchase will

be donated back to the Access Fund!!!!!

Check it out on our MemberSHOP or at www.nationalparks.org/accessfund

Buy your pass today…and be sure to pass the word on to your friends & family!

Get your LIMITED EDITION AF Hoodies!

Thanks to prAna, these Limited Edition Hoodies are a smokin' deal! This is the only place you can purchase these hoodies and every penny goes to keeping your climbing areas open (not to mention the added benefit that you'll look good at the crag). Super-sweet 100% cotton lightweight fleece with contrast stitching. Full zip. Artwork by prAna. Quantities limited- get ‘em before they're gone! S-XL $42 non members/$38 member price.

Men's T-shirts

100% Organic Cotton prAna T-shirts. Those old T-shirts you've been wearing have more perforations than Swiss Cheese at City of Rocks. By purchasing our T, you can rebel against corporate dress codes and battle for climbers' rights at the same time. Artwork by Mike Tea. Sizes S, M, L, XL. Color: Black, Olive, Curry, Sand, Brown. $20 non members/$18 member price

Women's T-shirts

100% Organic Cotton prAna T-shirts. Designed for a comfortable fit and ideal for steep sport climbs, bold runouts or just hanging out. Artwork by Mike Tea. Sizes S, M, L. Color: Black, Brown. $20 non members/$18 member price.

Outdoor Research Windshirt

Uber-ultralight, ripstop nylon shell with a breathable, wind and water-resistant polyurethane coating keeps epic conditions at bay. 3/4-length zipper allows easy on and off without adding unnecessary bulk. Stuffs into its own zippered pocket. Drawcord hem adjustment and elastic cuffs snug things down when the wind makes you rethink the crux moves. Ropegun pictured not included. 3.5oz./100g. Sizes M and XL Only (quantities limited). Color: Phyllite. Retail $89! $32 non members / $27 member price.

AF Extras

Cruise to the AF website and play ASANA PackWorks' video game Gunther's Big Day www.accessfund.com/extras/game.php Click through to ASANA's site to purchase the full version. $10 from each purchase made through this link will be donated to the AF. Go Gunther! Thanks ASANA!

View Access Fund Ambassador Chris Sharma sending a first ascent in the boulderProject promo spot www.accessfund.org/extras/promo.php

Grant Writer Volunteers Needed

The Access Fund is looking for volunteer grant writers to help us write proposals for the programs that support our mission. If you have grant writing experience and would like to volunteer please contact Whitney Self at whitney@accessfund.org.

Vertical Times 71: The Adopt-a-Crag Issue is Now Online!

Please check out the August Adopt-a-Crag Issue at www.accessfund.org/pubs/vt/VT71.pdf (1.4Mb)

Combined Federal Campaign

Are you a federal employee? Did you know you can donate to The Access Fund through the federal government's Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)?

Federal employees, including federal civilians, military personnel, and U.S. Postal Service workers, can now donate to AF 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: www.conservenow.org, click on Search for a Charity, type in Access Fund and make your contribution there.