12/29/2011
Top 10 Victories for Climbers in 2011
Categories: Access and Conservation
As the new year approaches, all of us here at the Access Fund would like to thank you for your support in 2011 and share our Top 10 victories from the year.
- Mobilized climbing conservation with the launch of the Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team, staffed with expert trail builders who travel the country 10 months of the year, improving climbing access trails and helping climbers and land managers create long term stewardship plans for their local crags. The Conservation Team completed eight projects from Kentucky to California in their first two months on the road.
- Continued to strengthen the grassroots climbing advocacy network by hosting the National Access and Stewardship Summit, which brought together climbers from across the Americas to share best practices in climbing stewardship, land conservation, policy, and local support and mobilization.
- Prevented astronomical fee increases for climbing Mount Denali and Rainier, showing the federal government there needs to be public participation prior to implementing drastic recreation fee increases and that climbers are willing to pay their fair share but will not be an ATM when budgets get tight.
- Fought for adequate funding for American parks and public lands, testifying before congress and commissioning an economic survey to showcase the economic benefits of climbing and other human-powered recreation.
- Awarded over $40,000 in grant money to support local climbing access and stewardship projects across the country and, for the first time this year, gave you the ability to rate grant projects and influence how your membership dollars are spent.
- Continued to push federal agencies for a clear policy to allow the use of Fixed Anchors in Wilderness, conducting a nation-wide survey of the climbing community to solicit input, and advocating for clearer guidance from land management agencies.
- Expanded the Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign to support emergency stewardship action when the access road was washed out at Bolton Quarry, allowing CRAG-Vermont to immediately repair the road and re-build their stewardship funding.
- Raised $75,000 to protect and steward Jailhouse Rock in California, with generous support from the Conservation Alliance, Planet Granite, Touchstone Climbing Gym, and dozens of individual donors in the Bay Area. The money was put to use this fall when the Access Fund Conservation team and local climbers came together to create a new access point and trailhead.
- Offered local climbing organizations the opportunity to leverage the infrastructure and administrative capabilities of the Access Fund through a new joint membership program, allowing local advocates to focus on local issues.
- Brought together individual climbers, leaders in the outdoor industry, and Access Fund board members past and present to celebrate our 20th anniversary and recommit to the mission of protecting America’s climbing.
These victories, and many more, were made possible because of YOUR support.
Please consider making a special, tax deductible, end-of-year donation to the Access Fund. Your contribution will help us continue to expand the work of the Access Fund and protect America’s climbing into 2012 and beyond.
Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at the Access Fund
Blog Comments
How about finished paying off the Rumbling Bald Westside boulderfield in NC. Wheres that?
Posted by: Benjamin | December 29, 2011 at 11:34 AM
After seeing the changes to Muir Valley in Kentucky. I believe the access fund and I (in regards to MV) may have a different understanding of the word "victory" when applied to protecting access. I will be writing the AF soon, and until then I will be thinking twice before supporting the Access Fund.
Posted by: Steven Barry | April 26, 2012 at 10:51 AM