Public Lands Policy & Advocacy
Nearly 60% of climbing areas in the United States are located on federally managed public lands.
In recent years, a growing contingent of special interest groups have launched a sustained attack on America’s public lands—eroding environmental protections and trying to open protected public lands to damaging extraction and exploitation. We say not so fast.
Tommy Caldwell, Chris Winter, and Erik Murdock outside the White House with Brenda Mallory. Ancestral lands of Nacotchtank (Anacostan) and Piscataway. © Access Fund
Access Fund represents the collective voice and interests of American climbers, working to protect the land and develop smart climbing management policy that ensures sustainable access for climbers. With a sustained presence in Washington, D.C. and boots on the ground at parks and forests across the country, we work with lawmakers, policy makers, and land managers to protect these incredible landscapes.
How We Make a Difference
Every year, Access Fund spends hundreds of hours working with legislators, members of the administration, state agencies, Tribal governments, and officials from the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management to make sure that climbers’ interests are represented in public land planning. We work directly with these agencies to educate and advocate for:
Balanced management strategies that protect natural and cultural resources and sustainable climbing access
Responsible placement and replacement of fixed anchors
Sustainable care and management of climbing areas
Recognition of the social and economic benefits of climbing
But the policies that are set in Washington, DC are just half of the equation. Access Fund also partners with local climbing advocates to work directly with individual park and forest offices to make sure that national and state level policies are being implemented fairly and effectively at our local climbing areas.
Linville Gorge, North Carolina. Ancestral lands of ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi, S’atsoyaha, and Mánu Yį Įsuwą. © Bryan Miller
Access Fund is a founding member of Outdoor Alliance, which unites the voice of the human-powered outdoor recreation community—climbers, backcountry skiers, mountain bikers, and paddlers—to increase our influence in Washington, DC and promote the ethic of sustainable recreation on public lands. By joining together on the common issues that impact us, we amplify our voice and greatly improve our ability to impact public policy.
Learn more and read all of our Climbing Advocacy Statements.
For more information, contact policy@accessfund.org.
