E-News 72
October 2006
THE BETA
Cave Rock, NV Update: Access Fund Lawsuit Still
Pending, Climbing Remains Closed
Proposition 106 - Conserving Arizona's Future
AdkMCo- The Adirondack Mountaineering Coalition
Concho Valley Climbers Association, Texas
Denver, Colorado Climbers Needed
Third Annual Yosemite Facelift a Huge Success
EVENTS
DonÕt Wait
For Someone Else To Stuff Your Stocking!
Grant Writer Volunteers Needed
Vertical Times 72 The October Issue is Now Online!
NATIONAL NEWS
Over
a year ago in mid-August of 2005 the Access Fund filed its most recent legal
brief at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in the on-going attempt
to keep climbing open at Cave Rock, a popular and important climbing area on
the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. For more background see www.accessfund.org/pdf/CRbackgrounder3-28.pdf
In
January 2005 at the district court level in Reno a judge upheld the US Forest
Service (USFS) decision to ban climbing at Cave Rock; however, the district
court prevented the USFS from removing any climbing bolts pending the lawsuitÕs
result.
The
AF Board subsequently voted to pursue an appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals. For now, since all briefs have been filed, we continue to wait for the
9th Circuit Court of Appeals to schedule oral
arguments or render a verdict. The USFS declined to pursue mediation despite
the Access Fund's hope that the conflict may be resolved out of the courtroom.
The
climbing ban remains in place at least for the duration of the lawsuit, and
it's critical that climbers continue to respect the climbing closure at Cave
Rock while we work our way through the courts—ignoring the ban will only
harm our case in court and reduce the chances that it will reopen.
For
more information contact Access Fund Policy Director Jason Keith at Jason@accessfund.org.
By Erik Filsinger, Arizona Mountaineering Club Land Advocacy Chair
Passage of Proposition 106 on November 7th would allow about 400,000
acres of the 7,000,000 acres total of State Trust Lands to be used for
Conservation. Without that designation the current system of selling State
Trust Land to the highest bidder would continue and where there are now trails
and climbing areas there will be houses and gated communities.
The designation of 400,000 acres for conservation includes urban lands near
Phoenix that contain significant climbing areas. Without passage of Proposition
106 the State Trust Land's in north Scottsdale could be sold to the developers.
These climbing areas include Little Granite and Cholla Mountains. Elsewhere
State Trust Lands could impact climbing at Cochise Stronghold, Upper and Lower
Devils Canyon, and Jacuzzi Spires.
Proposition 106 has an even bigger impact for other outdoor recreational users
such as mountain bikers and hikers who will lose many hundreds of miles of
trails in urban areas of State Trust Land scattered around Arizona's cities.
For more information contact Erik Filsinger, Arizona Mountaineering Club Land
Advocacy Chair at smorefil@aol.com.
By Jesse Williams
The fall meeting of the
Adirondack Mountaineering Coalition is this Saturday, October 14th.
First on the
agenda—and a hopeful predictor of future beneficial collaborations with
the NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation—is a review of the
peregrine nesting closures from last season. Two factors contributed to a
smoother and more effective process: 1) an increase in (trained) volunteer
observations at popular cliffs, and 2) consultation with Coalition
representatives on the technical delineation of route closures.
Effective and timely
management of closures is contingent upon positive identification of nests. In
an effort to facilitate the efficacy of theses closures, a handful of members
of the AdkMCo participated in a volunteer observer training offered by the NY
state DEC's Wildlife Division. In the spring, Coalition members assisted
volunteers and seasonal wildlife staff in the recognition of nesting activities
at popular climbing cliffs. The training and observation sessions were also
excellent opportunities for climbers and birders to meet and establish a
rapport. Positive relationships with birders proved beneficial as in several
locations nests were (in an unusual season) abandoned and relocated mid-season.
Observations from volunteer birders were truly instrumental in the
corresponding opening and closing of climbing areas affected by the changes.
The second key factor in
the effective management of the closures was the willingness of local Wildlife
officials to sit down with Coalition representatives and discuss the actual
technical delineations of specific closures. Rather than relying on an outright
closure of ALL climbing routes, Coalition representatives provided insight on
the actual terrain features, lines-of-sight, primary descent routes and
proximity to popular 'classic' routes. It should be noted that at some cliffs—like
the expansive wall at Poke-O-Moonshine—this adaptive process yielded much
more open climbing terrain than in the prior year and accommodated spaces for
both peregrines and climbers. At the same time, Coalition representatives
acknowledged that the terrain at other cliffs such as the Washbowl Cliff at
Chapel Pond simply did not allow for climbing without the potential for
disturbance near or above nests and Coalition representatives agreed that the
cliff should remain closed to climbing until after successful fledging (or in
the worst case, nest failure).
In the future, the
AdkMtCo looks forward to working with NYS DEC Wildlife to continue and refine
this collaborative process of adaptive management throughout the season.
Coalition members benefit from the involvement and consultation in managing the
closures and have demonstrated a willingness to provide a balance between
protecting habitat for New York's peregrine population and allowing access to
our favorite climbing areas.
At this weekend's meeting
we hope to hear the final numbers on the peregrines' reproductive success this
season, and we hope the process proves to be equally beneficial for the
peregrines.
By Dave Kennedy,
Regional Coordinator San Diego County
Santee Boulders
The very popular Santee
Boulders, long known to be on private property, now see housing development
threatening access. Local climbers are imploring the city of San Diego to set
aside the parcel containing the boulders for mitigation. It has proven difficult
to penetrate the multi-level bureaucracy overlaying the development plans.
Meanwhile, the nearby Magnolia Boulders (which are actually owned by the city
of Santee) are seeing much surrounding development; however the top of the hill
has been set aside for recreation and is now under the control of the State
Fish & Game Dept.
El Cajon Mountain
Through many meetings
and letters, the USFS has rescinded a slated seasonal raptor closure of El
Cajon Mountain. The meetings have consisted of relationship building,
familiarizing USFS staff with climbing and the climbing community, and
remaining patient. A decision regarding other crags with raptor nests is
forthcoming. To continue to build
on these relationships, a San Diego Alliance of ClimberÕs Adopt-a-Crag is
scheduled for Nov. 11, when climbers will clean the El Cajon Mt. trailhead and
possibly do some trail work. In addition, the climbing community has united
against unilateral removal by one individual of placed bolts (which has
occurred here in the past). The climbing community believes that once bolts
have been placed they should not be removed unless there is consensus among the
local climbing community favoring their removal. We will work very hard to
ensure that this standard is practiced by all in the San Diego climbing
community.
Other News
Tom Donnelly has come on
board as a co-Regional Coordinator for San Diego County, and as co-head of the
San Diego Alliance of Climbers. Fall through Spring is the best time to climb
in SD, and with a new guidebook due shortly, don't hesitate to come and sample
some of the more than 2000 routes the county has to offer, from boulder
problems to 6-pitch climbs. 2006 has seen much happen with regard to San Diego
climbing access, and the year's not over yet!
By Rob Sparks
Through positive communication with the local
government and presenting climbers as a legitimate and viable resource to their
community, the Concho Valley Climbers Association (CVCA) works with the City of
San Angelo, Texas, through the Parks Dept. to develop and open climbing areas
in the region.
The organization has a written contract for the
work they perform including conserving the climbing areas, and have already
discussed the future projects with them. Two of four climbing areas currently
under the umbrella of the CVCA were prior locations that were in jeopardy of
being closed and the other two are soon to be newly opened and approved by the
San Angelo Parks Dept.
Much of the success of the CVCA is due to the
hard work of a small but very active group, and with new and enthusiastic
people contacting the CVCA regularly wanting to get involved in the sport of
climbing.
AF Note: We are
excited to have the CVCA join the Access Fund Affiliate program. Welcome! If
you are a local climber and are interested in starting an Affiliate
organization in your area, contact Deanne Buck, Programs Director at Deanne@AccessFund.org or 303.545.6772
x112.
Wanted: Climbers in and
around Denver, Colorado interested in becoming active in climbing access and
conservation. Please contact Deanne Buck, Programs Director at Deanne@AccessFund.org or 303.545.6772
x112
The Third Annual
Yosemite Facelift hosted by Ken Yagar of the Yosemite Climbing Association was
an incomparable success this year encompassing five days of stewardship
projects and community events during the last week of September in Yosemite
National Park. The Facelift was once again the Access FundÕs largest
Adopt-a-Crag event of the year, incorporating over 1,100 volunteers
throughout 5 days to remove over 25,000 lbs. of trash from Yosemite! Simply amazing!
The numbers:
1,157 ~ Number of
volunteers
9,256 ~ Number of
volunteer hours
25,000+ ~ Pounds of
garbage removed
132 ~ miles of road,
trail and river cleaned
$166,978 ~ value of
volunteer efforts
$12,000+ ~ Value of
raffle prizes donate
The Access Fund provided
support and volunteer incentives through the Adopt-a-Crag program, a good bit
of our own sweat and elbow grease, and a $1,000 grant to help cover the cost of
clean-up tools and materials.
Additionally, by working
with the Volunteer Office at Yosemite National Park the Yosemite Facelift
translated its 9,256 volunteer hours into a value of $166,978 that the
Volunteer Office can use to create a percentage increase to their budget for
the following year. This participation-directs-dollars incentive exists within
the Volunteer Office in every National Park and is a great reason why climbers
should contact the volunteer office on all stewardship projects conducted
within National Parks.
The size and scope of
this yearÕs Third Annual Yosemite Facelift was so tremendous that Steve
Shackelton, Yosemite Chief Ranger, awarded Ken Yagar the Yosemite Award on behalf of Yosemite National Park. Normally
given as a Òlifetime achievementÓ type award, the Park felt that Ken had
accomplished in three years with the Facelift a lifetimeÕs worth of stewardship
within Yosemite. With no intentions of slowing down, Ken will continue to
organize and expand the Facelift again next year and will continue his
important work of preserving YosemiteÕs significant climbing history through
the Yosemite Climbing Association. For more information visit www.yosemiteclimbing.org.
By incorporating a
variety of park user groups and organizations to perform stewardship projects
throughout the park and providing evening events to bring the climbing
community together, the Yosemite Facelift taps into the two major elements that
create a successful Adopt-a-Crag; stewardship and community. The Access Fund,
Yosemite Institute, the National Park Service, the Delaware North Corporation
(DNC), local schools, park visitors, employees, and CLIMBERS all participated
in stewardship projects that best matched their skills. Evening events included
two separate screenings of the Reel Rock Film Tour, narrated film presentation
by Allen Steck of his third ascent of the Salathe Wall, Oktoberfest
Celebration, and a Facelift celebration party and extensive raffle for event
volunteers.
Thank you to the
volunteers, Yosemite National Park, all the sponsors, and of course, Ken Yagar
and the Yosemite Climbing Association for making this event possible.
Access
Fund member Katie Brown's new website, YourClimbing.com, will donate up to $10 to the
Access Fund whenever you post a photo, story or video to the site during
October.
All
you need to do is head to www.yourclimbing.com/accessfund
and submit! But hurry. This offer is only good through October.
ItÕs
a fast and easy way to protect your climbing future. Do it! Please?
ÒIf you donÕt vote in an election, you
canÕt criticize its outcome. Likewise, if youÕre 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.Ó
Excerpt from the
Spring Õ06 Black Diamond catalog
Now We Need Your
HelpÉand WeÕre Busting Out The Schwag!
ItÕs Easy: Know a climber whoÕs not a member? Get them to
join and receive free stuff. The more people you get to join, the more free
stuff you get!
á REFER TWO FRIENDS and receive a Nalgene Flask.
á REFER FOUR FRIENDS and receive a Nalgene Flask and a dri-release
wool T-shirt from Outdoor Research.
á 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:
http://accessfund.org/join/indiv.php
á They must enter your name in the ÒReferred byÓ
box on the join form in order for their membership to count towards your total
tally.
á Awards will be sent on a monthly basis as your
referrals accumulate.
á Program will reset December, 31st 2006 so you
have until the end of the year to receive these gifts.
á The Access Fund reserves the right to substitute
any gift based on availability.
EVENTS
An amazing event and
huge AF benefit! WeÕre looking forward to next year. Special thanks Andrew
Chasteen for putting on an amazing event and contributing so much to the AF.
Watch this thing grow!
Smith Rock Detour
Big thanks to all who
contributed gear for AF fundraiser raffles and donations at breakfast! Special
thanks to our outstanding Oregon Regional Coordinators!
Pocatello Pump
Another huge year.
Thanks to Peter Joyce for again, raising AF awareness to every single person at
the event and bringing in the big money.
New River Rendezvous
Thanks for the joint
fundraising Kenny, Gene, Maura, Kurt, and Elaina!
Visit www.accessfund.org/events/events.php for more information.
10/27—10/29 Indian Cove, JT National Park, CA. Climb
Smart
10/14—10/14
Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins, CO. 2006 Neptune Mountaineering Horsetooth Hang www.horsetoothhang.net
10/27—10/29
Indian Cove, JT National Park, CA. Climb Smart
10/27—10/27
American Mountaineering Center, Golden, CO. Best of Mountainfilm in Telluride on Tour
11/18—11/18
Moss Rock Preserve, Hoover, AL. Chalky Dreams Bouldering Comp www.seclimbers.org
Register Your Adopt-a-Crag Now!
10/15
Lumpy Ridge, Estes Park, CO. The Lumpy Trails Day hosted by the American Alpine Club -
Central Rockies Section. 7:30am-4pm., Greg Sievers, mailto:gsievers57@cs.com
10/21
Minnewaska State Park, NY. The Peters Kill Adopt-a-Crag hosted by the Gunks Climbers'
Coalition. 10am, bring: work gloves, clothes, shoes, a dish for a potluck,
climbing gear for the afternoon. Sign up by email at mailto:gcc@gunksclimbers.org and gain
free entrance to the park that day.
Chris
Moratz, mailto:wcmoratz@hotmail.com
10/21
Stoney Point, Chatsworth, CA. The Stoney Point Adopt-a-Crag hosted by REI of Northridge and
Santa Monica. 8-12 pm. Clean up, graffiti removal, and erosion control. Adam
Reyes, mailto:areyes@rei.com
10/22
Lincoln Woods State Park, RI. The Lincoln Woods Clean Up hosted by New England Bouldering. Meet
at parking area below "warm up area" at 10am; bring work gloves and
motivation! Dana Seaton, mailto:dseaton25@yahoo.com
10/28
Black Cliffs, Boise, ID. The Black Cliffs Clean Up hosted by the Boise Climbers Alliance.
9am. Brian Fedigan, mailto:fedinidaho@hotmail.com
11/04
North Scottsdale, AZ.
The AMC Adopt-a-Crag hosted by the Arizona Mountaineering Club. 8am. Erik
Filsinger, mailto:erikfisinger@aol.com
11/11
Jamestown crag near Ft. Payne, AL. The Jamestown Adopt-a-Crag hosted by the Southeastern Climbers
Coalition. 9am CST. Bring your climbing gear for the afternoon. More info at http://www.seclimbers.org, Jeremy
Boydston, mailto:jaboydston@yahoo.com
11/11 El
Cajon Mt., CA. The
El Cajon Mt. Blast hosted by the Access Fund Southern California Regional
Coordinator., Dave Kennedy, mailto:dpoint@utm.net
MEMBER BENEFITS
Get member only
discounts on all the new stuff in the Access Fund MemberSHOP! www.accessfund.org/membershop
Super-Sized Holiday
Package includes: Access Fund membership including T-shirt, Black Diamond
Bullet Pack, The North Face Access Fund Beanie, Petzl
TIKKINA headlamp, Marmot Travel Mug, Higher Ground Coffee Access Fund Blend,
Royal Robbins First Aid Kit, Seasonal Clif Bars.
3 sizes available: $48,
$55, or $75
Quantities
Limited—Order Today!
á
Higher Ground Coffee Access Fund Blend—Ten Percent of proceeds fund
preservation and maintenance of our climbing areas.
á Buy a CLIF Bar Cool Tag: renewable wind energy
credit keeps about 300 lbs of CO2 out of the air and helps the Rosebud Sioux
Tribe build a wind farm in South Dakota
á Did you know that Access Fund members receive
free shipping from Mountain Gear?
á
Purchase your
National Parks Pass from our website and the AF gets $10.00 from each pass
sold—www.nationalparks.org/accessfund
Ébe sure to pass the word on to your friends & family!
Access
Fund member Katie Brown's new website, YourClimbing.com, will donate up to $10 to the
Access Fund whenever you post a photo, story or video to the site during
October.
All
you need to do is head to www.yourclimbing.com/accessfund
and submit! But hurry. This offer is only good through October.
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 Ôem before they're gone! S-XL $42 non members/$38 member price.
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
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.
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 zipper 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.
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 at www.accessfund.org/extras/promo.php
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.
Please check out the
October Issue of the Vertical Times at
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.
If you have additional
questions on these programs please contact Whitney Self at: whitney@accessfund.org.