Andrea Hassler didn’t grow up outdoors beyond playing in the woods behind her childhood home, but today, she’s one of the leading voices in climbing stewardship and education. Her journey from a college freshman on an indoor climbing wall to Access Fund’s Stewardship & Education Director is marked by one unshakable theme: connection. To land. To people. To purpose. Whether she’s training a Climber Steward, running a stewardship workshop, coordinating with land managers, or picking up microtrash everywhere she goes, Andrea embodies a philosophy that stewardship isn’t just a responsibility—it’s a meaningful relationship. In this spotlight, Andrea shares what drives her, what inspires her, and how we can all do our part.
Andrea working for Rocky Mountains Field Institute, doing post-fire restoration in the Waldo Canyon Burn Area. © Christian Murdock
Q&A with Andrea Hassler
Q: You often describe climbing access and stewardship as a reciprocal relationship. What do you mean by that?
A: Climbing gave me so much—a way to connect with my body, the land, a community of people, and a meditation practice. But these places we climb don’t stay beautiful and accessible without care. If we use the land for recreation, resources, and food and don’t give back, our use becomes extractive. From the author Robin Wall Kimmerer and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge, I have learned about the concept of reciprocity, the act of giving back to that which we take from, and I see stewardship as a mechanism for maintaining that balance. To me, giving back isn’t optional—it’s vital. It’s how we protect the future of this planet, our access to climbing, and the well-being of our communities. Stewardship deepens our relationship with a place and has the ability to change our perspective from that of a visitor into a caretaker. We deepen our connection to these places when we take care of them, and in turn, both we and the land benefit. I believe everyone who has meaningful experiences in the outdoors has the capacity to fall in love with them, and once you love something, you ought to want to take care of it.
Q: What does it mean to really take care of the land we recreate on?
A: Think of it like a bike or a car or even your body—if you use something constantly and never maintain it, it breaks down. It’s the same with the land. Aldo Leopold explains in his concept of the land ethic that when we treat the land as a community to which we belong, we no longer abuse it as a commodity, but become members and citizens of it. The land ethic, as he calls it, embraces this vast community that encompasses plants, water, soil, animals, and us. We become a part of nature, not apart from it, and thus, stewardship is a process by which we take care of the land and ourselves. It’s important we think beyond just ourselves, to include every living thing that relies on these landscapes for sustenance, shelter, and habitat.
So, what does it really mean to take care of it? At its most basic, it is simply a process of keeping an eye out for changes in a place that prevent it from fully functioning and thriving. It can be as simple as picking up trash and repairing trails, or as complex as building infrastructure that allows water to flow gently into a nearby stream or keeps people on one path without damaging the surrounding landscape. Stewardship can also be honoring closure areas, staying on designated trails, parking, or camping in designated places as determined by the land manager to prevent further impacts. Finally, stewardship can look like advocating for land protections that guarantee critical habitat can stay intact in perpetuity or building coalitions and partnerships with other users and land managers to help restore a degraded wetland, return healthy fire cycles, or prevent destructive activities.
Andrea leading a trail day with her students at University of Colorado Colorado Springs in her Geography of Trails course.
Q: How do you approach sparking stewardship in others?
A: First, make it fun! Stewardship work is physical, but you’re outdoors, often with some of the most inspiring people in the climbing community. You can learn a lot about the soil, the rock, the land’s history, native plants, wildlife, you name it. You might even find a new climbing partner! And most notably, you leave a legacy. There’s something deeply rewarding about coming back to the base of a climbing wall you helped stabilize, stepping on a staircase you built, or walking through a canyon you helped clean.
Q: What are some simple actions climbers can take that make a real difference?
A: Microtrash matters—think corners of bar wrappers, pieces of tape, that plastic piece at the end of your rope. Even in the most remote places, if you get eye-level with the earth, you’ll likely see them. Wind makes quick work of snatching these small bits from your fingertips. I challenge everyone: next time you're at the crag, pick up what you see. You can even make a game out of it—see who can pick up the most microtrash in 60 seconds, and the winner gets a beer or a donut! Another way to make a real difference is to bring a friend to a trail day or climber coffee, or share this experience with them through storytelling. We have so many amazing stories in climbing—about mentorship, perseverance, and growth. Sharing those stories and experiences helps keep access open and the culture of climbing healthy.
Andrea inspired a microtrash cleanup after an Access Fund staff retreat climbing day.
Q: You’ve worked with so many people across climbing and land management. How many folks would you estimate you’ve connected with on these topics?
A: Oh boy…it’s probably in the tens of thousands, maybe more. From my time as a field instructor with Rocky Mountain Field Institute leading volunteers at Shelf Road and Garden of the Gods, to traveling the country on the Conservation Team working in over 50 climbing areas with thousands of volunteers with my best friend Annabelle McClure, to now as Education & Stewardship Director at Access Fund overseeing our Conservation Team and Climber Stewards, I’ve had the chance to speak with everyone from new climbers to federal land managers, and each connection matters.
Q: Are there moments that stand out—when you saw someone’s perspective shift in real time?
A: Definitely. One that sticks with me was at Indian Creek, explaining raptor closures. Someone made a comment, “Why shut down so many cliffs when falcons nest on buildings in cities?” I explained something I learned from the wildlife biologist, that each nesting pair of raptors is unique. And just like us, they come to this place for the same reason: wide-open vistas, big warm sunny rocks, and expansive yet quiet landscapes. They return to these same cliffs, year after year, but instead of sending cracks, their objective is to nest, incubate, feed, and raise their young until they can fly on their own and “fledge” the nest.
Since climbers have been helping observe and respect closures, more raptors have been born and successfully fledged. That’s a huge win. The shift happened when they saw their role in protecting something bigger than themselves.
Andrea (left) as a student on EarthCorps building trails in Colorado 14ers at the base of Blanca Peak.
Q: What are some different forms of stewardship you’ve seen that inspire you?
A: Stewardship isn’t one-size-fits-all. I'm inspired by groups like Rise Outside, who mentor new climbers, facilitate access, and promote stewardship, as well as Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, who create career pathways in conservation for Tribal youth (and build some of the best retaining walls on our trail projects in Indian Creek). I’m also inspired by leaders of local climbing organizations who step up to rally support for public lands in their backyards and individual climbers who give up a day of climbing to give back to their community. I'm encouraged by individuals advocating for Indigenous land stewardship and rights, like the efforts of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition to facilitate co-management at the Bears Ears National Monument. And I’m continually inspired by people who are going the extra step, whether you’re removing trash from ledges on El Cap, sharing info about a closure to a friend while planning a big trip, or planting native species in your backyard to help bee populations thrive—it all counts. What we have in common is where we stand in that moment, and hopefully, we have a shared desire to protect it.
Annabelle (left) and Andrea (right) on the Conservation Team at Red Rock during the Red Rock Rendezvous after leading a trail reroute project at the Kraft Boulders.
Q: Looking back, what are you most proud of?
A: It has to be the community. I’m really proud of the climbers who have collectively stepped up and gotten some really awesome sh** done! This work isn’t glamorous, but it fills up your cup. Climbers return to the same crag, year after year, often at the same season, and so we are really in tune with changes in the environment. Over the years, I have witnessed our community step up in huge ways to show that we’re not just here to recreate—we’re here to care.
Q: And looking forward—what are you most excited about?
A: Honestly, it can be hard to stay optimistic with shrinking public land budgets, staffing cuts, and growing threats to our environment and vulnerable communities. But I could say I’m excited about the opportunity we have to rally together to stand up for what we believe in. I’m hopeful for the growth of our Climber Steward program, for new partnerships, and for evolving how we connect climbers to stewardship. I’m excited to keep learning, to meet more volunteers and climbing advocates, and to keep carrying the torch.
Andrea in Indian Creek after training the Climber Stewards and Conservation Team. © James Q Martin
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Andrea’s career in conservation is much like her favorite climbs: long, wandering, and adventurous. While pursuing her master’s degree in Applied Geography at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), she started field work as a research assistant studying post-fire restoration for watershed and native plant restoration, while leading crews and volunteers in the Hayman burn area, a case study she used to inform her thesis. She then served as an Americorps participant on the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI) EarthCorps program, where she spent 30 days living at 12,000 feet completing technical alpine trail construction while studying geology, botany, geomorphology, public land, wilderness, water law, and wildfire management and policy. On weekends and summers while in school, she would lead volunteers and crews in the Garden of the Gods, Shelf Road, and Pikes Peak, implementing social trail closure and climbing access infrastructure. During this time, Andrea joined the Board of the Pikes Peak Climbers Alliance, serving as their Treasurer and Stewardship Chair. Andrea also pursued her passion for education and sustainability, working for the Catamount Institute, teaching K-12 environmental education, and serving as the UCCS Green Action Fund coordinator, overseeing campus sustainability projects. In 2013, she completed her master’s thesis, which integrated GIS modeling of post-fire watershed recovery with qualitative data on stakeholder values to inform motivations and best practices for socio-ecological values in restoration, which identified recreation as a core value driving community-based stewardship and education.
After graduating, she became the Trails and Outdoors Coordinator at UCCS, developing and implementing a campus trails master plan that integrated city and county trail networks and leading campus outdoor trips, workshops, and gear rental programs. She also developed and taught courses on the Geography of Trails and School in the Woods, sharing her passion for sustainable access and environmental education. After looking at spreadsheets in an office with no windows, she bought a van and hit the road for Yosemite, where she made her first attempt on El Cap, then returned to Colorado as a field instructor for RMFI’s EarthCorps, constructing a sustainable trail to Kit Carson in the Sangre De Cristos, and as a Fellow at the Colorado College Teaching and Research in Environmental Education Program, leading college students to teach local 5th graders in the outdoors.
In 2017, she and her best friend, Annabelle McClure (RIP <3), joined the Access Fund Conservation Team, where they travelled the country for 2 years, living out of a jeep and sleeping in a tent. When their time on the road was done, Andrea moved to Chattanooga, TN, where she served as the Executive Director of the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, leading the LCO through the Covid pandemic and equitable access movements in 2020, grew the staff organization and committee structure, and purchased Woodcock Cove in Dunlap, TN. During this time, she was also a founding board member of WeClimb, whose mission is to use rock climbing mentorship as a tool to help under-resourced youth become better versions of themselves. In 2021, she returned to the Access Fund stewardship and education team to launch the first-ever Access Fund Climber Stewards program in 2021, and has been kicking around the country’s climbing areas, training stewards, conservation teams, advocates, land managers, and volunteers, ever since.