A Way Forward

We are currently raising funds to help address the climbing stewardship crisis, with the following objectives:

• A nationwide inventory of climbing area needs & stewardship plans. We need to expand our efforts to assess climbing areas across the country, document urgent needs, identify future concerns and opportunities, and develop comprehensive stewardship plans. Each climbing area is unique and needs its own documented stewardship plan in order to obtain land manager approval, prepare for environmental review processes, and secure funding. These plans include prescribed infrastructure needs, management tools, implementation timelines, and maintenance objectives.
• Strengthen the Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team program. We already have 3 teams of trailbuilders/conservation specialists on the road for 10 months of the year helping local climbing communities address stewardship challenges. But the demands placed on these teams far outpace their current capacity. With additional support, we’ll be able to tackle more large-scale projects, train more advocates, leverage more volunteers, expand project scopes, and reach more communities in need.
• Grow the Climbing Conservation Grants Program to empower locals. Right now, Access Fund awards $40,000 a year in grant funds to local climbing organizations and volunteers tackling access and stewardship projects in their local communities. This fund is not nearly large enough to tackle the critical need. If we could double the grant fund in 2019, it would double our positive impact on the ground.
• Deepen our climber outreach and education initiatives. Many climbers lack the knowledge that there is a real problem, or that threats to climbing access even exist. We must expand our education and outreach to reach more climbers and help them understand how to limit their impacts.
• Increase support for local climbing organizations. For decades our most important local partner in stewardship work has been local climbing organizations. Every year we work with local volunteers and groups to support hundreds of Adopt a Crag trail days, and dozens of Conservation Team projects. Access Fund needs to expand services to our network of 120 local climbing organizations, offer more trainings in strategic stewardship planning, technical field skills, fundraising, and community outreach to increase their capacity to tackle lengthy and large scale stewardship initiatives.
• Further partnerships with land managers. Access Fund needs greater capacity to expand and deepen partnerships with public land management agencies. These relationships are the starting point for collaborative stewardship initiatives, ensuring science-based climbing management that allows continued access and ensures our climbing areas are ready to handle the growing population.