Access Fund Conservation Team

02/24/2022

Another great season of climbing stewardship ahead!!

As the Conservation Team program was about to enter its 11th year, we reflected not only on the successes but also on how the program must adapt to fit the needs of the here and now at local crags across the country. Access Fund launched this innovative program in 2011 to bring professional…

11/23/2021

It's been a wonderful season in the Southeast! As the Conservation Teams head into their Fall Break, we wanted to look back on some of the amazing projects they worked on the past few weeks!

L&K had the immense pleasure of working alongside some of the country's leading (and largest) LCO's. They threw down in the Red for Rocktoberfest with the RRGCC, helping to raise funds for the Bald Rock Preserve acquisition and completing trail maintenance at the School Yard. The National Team then linked up with the Carolina Climbers Coalition C4 trail crew to install locust log steps at the new Chimney Rock Village Boulders. After that, they scouted for some future project work at Breaks Interstate Park with the Central Appalachia Climbers Coalition then made their way to the TAG region for a stint with the Southeastern Climbers Coalition. SCC brought them to help set a foundation for access to the Dispensary at the newly acquired Woodcock Cove, repairing access trails and installing a memorial kiosk at Tallulah Gorge, and removing graffiti at Currahee Mountain. They also got to throw down at the annual BYOB!

Meanwhile, Jake & Sam were digging into some critical infrastructure projects in the Southwest & Rockies. They teamed up with our Stewardship Director & Field Coordinator to launch the new Indian Creek Climber Stewards program and made some improvements on the Bridger Jacks approach trail. After that, they headed to support the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance and Trail Solutions on the Jacob's Ladder new trail project. Finally, they wrapped up a stint in the South Platte with the Boulder Climbing Community Front Range Climbing Stewards to help finish the new approach trail to Cynical Pinnacle.

Here's a few highlight pics from these final few months on the road. We are so grateful for the immense community of local, grassroots climbing advocates that are working so hard to sustain and steward climbing areas across the country. Our crags and boulderfields couldn't do it without you, and our Conservation Teams are continually fueled by your passion and commitment to preserving these places for current and future generations of climbers!

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11/23/2021

Great to see the grand opening of the Chimney Rock Village Boulders by the Carolina Climbers Coalition!!! Loryn and Kyle were able to help for a small stint this year. We're all so psyched to see the great work Mike Reardon and the C4 team are doing to establish sustainable climbing access to this new area!

10/26/2021

We're hiring for 2022 Conservation Teams! Please feel free to share this posting broadly so we can get some stellar folks for next year. New in 2022: we're restructuring the program to include 2 new teams, Special Projects & Community Connections. Read more for the beta and feel free to contact Andrea with any questions ([email protected])

Join us in our mission to protect America’s outdoor climbing areas.

10/22/2021

Keeping up with the National Conservation Team can make yer head spin! Loryn and Kyle have swiftly made their way along the East Coast to the South - and a few weeks ago they stopped in West Virginia to work alongside Mid Atlantic Climbers and of Seneca at Seneca Rocks!

Together, with the help of a bunch of stoked volunteers, Kyle built a 15 foot by 2 foot high retaining wall where the East Ridge trail crosses a major drainage. Loryn built a 7 step staircase/retaining structure. There were also some sections of trail maintained and restored throughout the park. Check out these photos and let us know how you like it the next time you get some pitches in at Seneca!

Loryn and Kyle are making their way to the Southeast to join the Southeastern Climbers Coalition and Memphis Rox Climbing + Community. Keep an eye out as they wrap up their 2nd year on the road!

10/20/2021

Check out all these smiling faces at Chimney Rock Village Boulders with the Carolina Climbers Coalition! Loryn and Kyle stopped by to work alongside the CCC C4 Team and local volunteers to help establish access to the new boulderfield!

👀Keep an eye out for future film tours as we believe Steep South was there working on their next film highlighting local climbing community, advocacy and conservation 💪

10/18/2021

Conservation Team Catch Up! Where in the world is CT National?

For the past few weeks, Loryn & Kyle have been making their way down the East Coast with some big hits along the way - including a super successful stop in the Adirondacks!

L&K teamed up with the Adirondack Climbers' Coalition and the New York State Department of Environment & Conservation at Deadwater Cliffs for TWO consecutive Adopt a Crags. With the help of stoked volunteers, they put in a 5ft by 5ft retaining wall with additional support of a 10ft by 10ft junk wall. In total, they moved about 12 TONS of material!

In addition to these awesome trail and staging area improvements, volunteers installed a new backcountry privy near the base of the crag. Have no fear, nervous , your new safe outdoor haven is nearby!

This crag is on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, known as the Iroquois by the French. Lorn & Kyle opened the day with this quote from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy: "The nations of the Haudenosaunee believe that we borrow the earth from our children's children and it is our duty to protect it and the culture of future generations. All decisions made now are made with the future generations, who will inherit the earth, in mind."

Kudos to these amazing climbing advocates for keeping the past, present, and future in mind with this project - to ensure sustainability of this climbing area for many generations to come! And an extra shout out to Will Roth for coordinating this project and Allison Rooney for providing housing (aka a flat parking space) for the Conservation Team! Stay tuned for more updates.

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09/17/2021

Whatcha know about climbing in the Upper Peninsula?!

Loryn and Kyle just wrapped up a visit with the Upper Peninsula Climbers Coalition at Silver Mountain - and report back that the volunteers were PSYCHED! Check out their recap below and some photos of the local climbers stewarding this beloved northern Midwest crag.

"We had 33 volunteers show up!! It’s a super passionate community that’s excited to steward the land. Mostly, we had a really productive walkthrough with U.S. Forest Service - Ottawa National Forest rangers and UPCC. While we were there, we did some GPS mapping for them as well. During the Adopt a Crag, volunteers closed down about 1,000 feet of social trail in order to minimize impact in the area and concentrate the use to one major trail which will route through future work. Looking forward to seeing what unfolds from the continued efforts of this great climbing community!"

Closing down social trails is critical to maintaining access by eliminating unsustainable paths. It takes a good bit of effort to make these rogue routes unattractive and allow the land to reclaim the area. In the photos, you'll see volunteers breaking up the hard, compacted soil and scattering organic matter including leaves and tree branches. Over time, vegetation will grow back and only the most viable trails will remain. A win for conservation and climbing access!

Huge shoutout to these stellar volunteers from the U.P. and a special thanks to local steward Paul Peppin for continuing the great legacy of stewardship at Silver Mountain as well as coordinating the Conservation Team visit with the rangers at Ottawa National Forest.

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09/17/2021

Have you checked your e-inbox?! The Access Fund Jeep Conservation Team is celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year!

"Since the program’s inception, Conservation Team crews have completed over a thousand projects to steward and restore climbing areas in nearly every state, mobilizing and training nearly 10,000 volunteers and climbing advocates along the way—showing land managers that climbers are responsible users and demonstrating effective strategies to protect the land."

What projects have you worked on with the Conservation Teams?🙏 We'd love to hear about them in the comments ✍️ 👇

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Access Fund’s strategy is for Conservation Team crews to train local volunteers to care for their climbing areas long after the professionals have left.

09/10/2021

Another C-TEAMs visit on the books! Loryn, Kyle, Jake & Sam teamed up again for the final stop of their Midwest Regional Training & Adopt a Crag Tour. They worked with the MCA - Minnesota Climbers Association at He Mni Can (also known as Barn Bluff in Red Wing, MN).

Volunteers decommissioned social trails and installed nudge features in the belay areas to minimize the range of impact. They also quarried, carried and split stone for retaining wall and step structures. Jake & Sam will stay on site this week to finish a staircase that provides access to belay platforms supported with retaining walls. Check out the photo stream for their process to build structures that will stabilize access trails to the bluff!

During the visit, the teams learned more about the Native American history of this area from locals and interpretive signage at the park. The bluff has a rich geological and cultural history. They learned that it is a sacred site for the Dakota people, who referred to this area as He Mni Can, meaning "Hill, Water, Wood".

A huge shoutout to Kendra Stritch from MCA for coordinating to host another successful Adopt a Crag and to the City of Red Wing for preserving access to this amazing climbing area.

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