Western Mass Climbers Coalition

06/12/2026

New opportunities to help with site prep for the new parking lot at the Rock Property!
June 19th (3:00pm) & 20th (9:30am).

We need 4–5 volunteers each day to help Andy with the chipper. Please sign up at the link in our bio. You don’t need to come both days - just one is fine or if you can do both, that’s great!

Sign up at the link in our bio.

06/08/2026

Trail Day at the Stevens Property with the Hilltown Land Trust!
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/yZknG9TEXiC7Cwft6

Phragmites Cut with Hilltown Land Trust
Stevens Property, Westhampton
Saturday, June 20 (Rain date Sunday, June 21)
9am up to 5pm

In 2024, WMCC and Hilltown Land Trust partnered to officially open HLT's Stevens Property for climbing in exchange for stewardship support from WMCC. If you're looking for a way to help the moose, bears, otters, and minks of Western Mass, sign up for this spring's collaborative workday and take on the ever-encroaching invasive reed phragmites!

At the bottom of Stevens' blue-blazed trail loop there's a wetland, critically important to the wildlife throughout the Pisgah Mountain Corridor. Recently, phragmites has begun to invade the area, choking out native plants and threatening to swallow up open water. We need to act quickly. So, we are calling on all intrepid souls to grab a brush saw and a pair of muck boots and help us cut down the phrag. When it grows back to just the right height late in the summer, the HLT team will be able to return to more safely and effectively treat the regrowth with herbicides.

The workday will require a one-mile hike on an old access road to carry in equipment and 6 to 8 hours of work in muddy and wet terrain. We have a preference for folks with brush saws with metal blades (not w**d whackers!) to sign up for the workday, as HLT has limited access to the critical tool. If you don't have one, we can also work with machetes or sickles and will have some loaner brush saws. Other equipment needed will be muck boots, safety glasses, and ear protection. HLT will provide snacks, gas, and some extra gloves and tools.

Reach out to Mariel, HLT Stewardship Specialist, with any questions: [email protected]

06/01/2026

We are blown away by our amazing community. When an anonymous donor proposed a $125,000 donation if it could be matched by the community, we weren't quite sure if we could do it. It's more money than we've ever raised before, and we only had one month.

But you all showed up! Over 700 of you answered the call and in just 31 days, we raised over $150,000. With the match, that's $275,000!

Now what? Well, it's time to start preparing the site of the new parking lot. The WMCC purchased the Rock Property in December, 2025 with the help of a loan from the Access Fund. Now, we need to start tackling the invasive species and clearing brush. You can sign up for a trail day to help with these tasks on Sunday, June 7th.

Our volunteers are talking to contractors, purchasing native plant species for screening, and so much more. There is a lot to do and this is a big project! Do you have skills that might be relevant? We're looking for people join the Rock Property committee. DM us if you're interested in learning more!

05/30/2026

Join us on Sunday, June 7th to prepare the site of the new Farley parking lot. We'll be removing invasive species, clearing brush, and other tasks. We need your help!

Please sign up in advance so we can easily share more details with you, as well as cancellation if it rains: https://forms.gle/mc1WYxrvJZrjeqd77

Photo from the parking lot expansion project in 2022.

05/29/2026

Just three days left to have your donation tripled!! We are raising $250,000 to build the new Farley parking lot so we can re-open access to the west side of Farley.

The final $10,000 is triple matched by yet another anonymous donor!
That means:
$50 = $150
$100 = $300
$250 = $750

Thank you to everyone who has already donated. If you haven't yet donated - now is the time. DON'T WAIT or you'll miss out on this amazing opportunity.
https://donorbox.org/farley

05/25/2026

Another generous anonymous donor has offered to help bring us over the edge in the final days of the campaign by providing a $10,000 match, on top of the current match!

That means your donation is tripled:
$50 = $150
$100 = $300
$250 = $750

We're almost there - you can help us secure this funding so that we can build a new parking lot and open up Farley!

Donate here: https://donorbox.org/farley

05/07/2026

Want to learn more about our plan to re-open Farley Ledge? Watch our video about the Rock Property purchase.

https://youtu.be/m4wRY5YGWcw?si=dFAyYFfK-_-TxLuh

This video was finished a few months before Farley was closed on April 3rd. The WMCC was already working on a plan to build a new parking lot that accessed the west side of Farley without crossing private property. This video does an amazing job explaining the need for the new parking lot and risks associated with our current access point.

Please share and, as always, message us if you have any questions.

Huge thank you to Calum Brockie for creating such a great video!

9 likes, 3 comments. "The Rock Property - Protecting Access to Farley Ledges"

05/03/2026

Thanks to the for hosting another great Climbjng Advocacy Conference! Our operating executive, Stephanie Giguere, and WMCC member, Jess Gross, represented the WMCC along with other Local Climbing Organizations from the northeast.

The Access Fund is an important partner for Local Climbing Organizations like the WMCC. They provide advice, grants, and loans. The Access Fund provided the loan for the purchase of Hanging Mountain, and more recently, the Rock property, where the new Farley parking lot will be!

05/01/2026

Save Farley Ledge!

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗠𝗖𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝟭:𝟭, 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 $𝟭𝟮𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿.

That means your impact is doubled:
Your $25 = $50
Your $100 = $200

Farley Ledge was closed on April 3rd when a private landowner posted No Trespassing signs on their property, cutting off access to Farley from the current WMCC owned parking lot on Route 2.

However, about 60% of the climbing, including crags such as the Wall of Early Morning Light, the Lowlands and Crag X, are located on FirstLight power land. The WMCC was already working on a new trailhead to access these crags - we purchased the 70 acre parcel known as the ‘Rock Property’ with the help from the Access Fund and received special permits from the town in 2025.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆.

When we show up together, this community can do great things. Thank you for your support!

🔗 donate: https://donorbox.org/farley

Photo by Bissell Hazen

04/23/2026

Spring trail days!!

We're itchin' to get our hands dirty and put some time into our trails. Never been to one of these spots? A trail day is a good chance to get the lay of the land and meet people who know the area well. You might even make a new friend!

Join us at one or both of our upcoming trail days:

𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝑫𝒂𝒚
Sunderland, MA
Saturday, May 9th
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/swDfkHDZJQUNfDVC6

𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝑫𝒂𝒚
Sandisfield, MA
Saturday, May 16th
sign up here: https://forms.gle/NpWzBcTt2iGjyEwY6

Check the sign up link for more details.