The Access Fund is a founding member of the Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of user groups that work to ensure the conservation and stewardship of our nation's land and waters through the promotion of sustainable, human-powered recreation. Our six groups came together to pool our resources and protect the places we care about. We work together to make a difference — for today and tomorrow.

Keep reading to learn more about the current issues that the Access Fund and the Outdoor Alliance are working on:

Advocating for Mining Law Reform
Today, hundreds of our favorite climbing areas—like Canyonlands, UT and Ouray, CO—still suffer from the toxic legacy left behind by decades of irresponsible mining practices. In late February, the Access Fund submitted testimony on behalf of the Outdoor Alliance to the US House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee for a legislative hearing on hardrock mining reform.

This testimony provided specific recommendations for meaningful mining reform, including a fair royalty system to fund abandoned mine cleanup, elevated environmental protection standards, and the protection of special places, such as designated wilderness, national monuments, wild and scenic rivers, wilderness study areas, and inventoried roadless areas.

These recommendations strive to achieve a balance between continued mining and protection of our federal lands that are valued for their landscapes, ecosystems, and recreational opportunities.

The Outdoor Alliance believes that in addition to the natural and social values embodied by America’s unique public lands, the economic benefits of outdoor recreation in places like Moab, UT, should be protected from past and future practices of the mining industry. Learn more about our mining reform testimony.



Climate Change and Public Lands Protection
As climbers, we know the direct impact of climate and healthy landscapes on our outdoor pursuits. Many of us have seen firsthand the disturbing changes being wrought upon our favorite ice pitches and alpine routes. Now, more than ever, it’s critical for the outdoor recreation community to have a voice in climate change policy.

In early March, the Outdoor Alliance testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on the importance of not only protecting flora and fauna, but also taking into account the human use aspects of federal land, including outdoor recreation, when considering climate change “adaptation” policies. Our testimony also advocated for the protection of federal land as natural carbon reservoirs that help mitigate global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and encouraged thoughtful use of that land for renewable energy projects.

Our public lands provide places for Americans to stay connected to the natural world, creating a bond that will reinforce our commitment and collective endurance to help stabilize our climate. Learn more about our climate change testimony.

The FLAME Act
Many of us have seen our local climbing areas closed for extended periods of time due to wildfires and the depletion of Forests Service budgets needed to fight these fires. Turkey Rock in CO, Corte Madera in CA, and Paradise Forks in AZ are just a few such areas.

Today, nearly one-half of the Forest Service’s annual budget is consumed by fighting forest fires. When these fires get out of control, the Forest Service is forced to take money from vital land management programs intended to care for access roads, trails, crags, and river access points.

On March 10, both the US Senate and the House took decisive bi-partisan action on this issue by introducing the FLAME Act (Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement). The FLAME Act attempts to get some much needed control on how we pay for forest fire fighting by setting up a special account in the US Treasury to fund the suppression of extremely large, expensive wildfires. The FLAME Act also requires the federal government to develop a comprehensive wildland fire management strategy to improve fire prevention on our public lands.

The Access Fund and the Outdoor Alliance applaud this critical step in getting a handle on catastrophic wildfires. In recent months we have met with Congressional staff regarding the impacts of fire fighting on other critical public lands management programs, including outdoor recreation. We will continue to work with Congress and the Obama Administration to get the FLAME Act signed into law. Learn more about our position on the FLAME Act.

The Ongoing Struggle to Protect Roadless Areas
Many of our climbing adventures take place in unspoiled backcountry roadless areas that don’t have the same constraints of regulated wilderness areas. These pristine roadless areas not only provide high value recreational opportunities, but also clean drinking water and habitat for many imperiled species. (View a short film on the topic.)

In 2001, President Clinton issued the Roadless Area Conservation Rule in order to protect these habitats from development. Then in 2005, the Bush Administration sought to replace the rule with a discretionary state petition process. Today, conflicting and pending court decisions leave the status of the Roadless Rule uncertain. As a result, 58.5 million acres of inventoried Roadless Areas are at risk, which could make them ineligible from future protections.

Given the current legal uncertainty for the future of these areas, the Access Fund and the Outdoor Alliance are advocating for a freeze on new developments in these Roadless Areas until a clear mandate on their future management is established. Learn more about our position and advocacy on this issue.

To learn more about the Outdoor Alliance, visit www.outdooralliance.net or contact Jason Keith, Access Fund Policy Director, at jason@accessfund.org.