projects
The Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign has four successful projects underway and is working with local climbing organizations across the country to identify additional areas to protect.

Lower Index Town Wall, Washington
The AFLCC's first pilot project was a $10,000 bridge loan to secure an option agreement for the acquisition of the Lower Index Town Wall in Washington. The Access Fund partnered with the Washington Climbers Coalition (WCC) to save this popular Seattle-area cliff from being lost to a quarrying operation. The option agreement gives the WCC the sole right to purchase the 20-acre parcel that holds the cliff for long-term management or assign the property to Washington State Parks. “The Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign stepped in at just the right time to loan WCC the funds necessary to secure this option,” says WCC Secretary Matt Perkins. The AFLCC also loaned the WCC an additional $5,000 to help fund the title work at Index and kick-start fundraising operations for the remainder of the project.
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Steele Cliffline, Alabama
The second successful AFLCC project is a $20,000 bridge loan to Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) to help facilitate the purchase of a 29-acre cliff line in Steele, Alabama. The SCC was set to close on 25 acres of the Steele property using money from its own fundraising efforts when it learned that an additional 4-acre tract containing cliff line came up for sale, expanding access to a dozen more classic lines and new potential routes. The Access Fund loan will enable the SCC to close on the 25-acre tract and acquire the additional parcel later this summer. “The Southeastern Climbers Coalition greatly appreciates the bridge loan from the Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign to complete the purchase of the Steele tract,” says Brad Mcleod of the SCC. “Without this loan we would not have been able to close on time and secure the purchase of this portion of the cliff line.”
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Rumbling Bald West Side Boulders, North Carolina
The Carolina Climbers Coalition and the Access Fund will purchase and conserve the Rumbling Bald West Side Boulders in North Carolina. The Access Fund will provide a bridge loan of $72,000 from the new Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign to finance 90% of the purchase price for the 6.12 acre tract that is currently under contract by the Carolina Climbers Coalition. The two organizations are working together to finalize the purchase of this popular bouldering area from a private developer. Developed in 1999, the parcel hosts 30 boulders with approximately 200 high quality boulder problems. The area sees considerable use from southeast climbers due to its central location to several nearby metropolitan areas, including Asheville, NC; Charlotte, NC; Greenville, SC; and Spartanburg, SC.
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Farley Ledge, Massachusetts
The Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign is providing Western Massachusetts Climbers’ Coalition with short-term financing to pay off an existing $30,000 bank loan on 7 acres of land at the base of Farley Ledge in Erving, Massachusetts. The Western Massachusetts Climbers’ Coalition has paid down 90 percent of the original $300,000 bank loan. By refinancing the remainder of the loan under the AFLCC, the Coalition will save approximately $3,500 in interest and fees that can be invested in other projects that benefit the Massachusetts climbing community. Farley Ledge contains arguably the best climbing in southern New England between Rumney, New Hampshire and the Gunks in eastern New York. In 2007, the Coalition purchased the undeveloped tract at the base of the cliff to protect the access point and allow for a parking area. The Access Fund provided a $10,000 grant to assist with the original purchase.
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Pendergrass-Murray, Kentucky
The Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign provided Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition with a $65,000 loan to pay off the current seller-financed loan on the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Through aggressive fundraising and two grants from the Access Fund, the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition has paid down a significant portion of the original loan. By refinancing the remainder of the loan under the Access Fund’s new program, the Coalition will save approximately $10,000 in interest and fees that can be invested in other projects that benefit the Red River Gorge climbing community. The refinance will also eliminate the risk of losing the property to a private third-party, since a missed annual payment under the previous seller-financed loan would have returned the property to the seller and the funds raised by climbers would have been lost.
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