01/20/2012

I love it when climbers come to visit our office

Categories: Perspectives , Access and Conservation

~ Brady Robinson, Executive Director

If you’ve been following the Access Fund through social media, e-news, Vertical Times, or this blog, you probably have a good idea of the work we do. You probably know we have a powerful presence in Washington, D.C. and that we shape public policy to support climbing on public land. You may even know that we launched a new program last year in partnership with Jeep—the Access Fund Conservation Team—and that this team of professional trail builders consults with local climbers and land managers across the nation, helping to create and implement long-term stewardship plans.

You would have heard about our many excellent affiliate local climbing organizations (LCOs) scattered across the country, our base of 10,000 members, and the nationwide Adopt a Crag program that helps organize climbers to give back and steward the places they love. You’ve heard that we launched a revolving loan program to support the acquisition and conservation of privately held climbing areas, and that we have completed seven projects to date.

You may know all of these things, and that usually builds up an image in your mind of what the Access Fund office must look like. And that image is usually exaggerated.

Our office is small. No receptionist. No bronze statues. The carpet is getting shabby. None of the desks match, and a few are delaminating a bit. In spite of our recent growth and success, we’re still lean and incredibly focused on one thing: keeping climbing areas open and protected.

Visitors usually leave with the impression that the Access Fund punches far above its weight class and that, in such an organization, each and every membership and donation really does matter.

So thank you for your support and generosity—every membership and donation really does make all of our work possible.

And please do swing by to see us if you’re ever in town.

Access Fund Headquarters is located at 207 Canyon Blvd, Suite 201, Boulder, CO.