April 2010 SLCA Update
This last weekend, Jeff Porucznik (SLCA Projects Chair) and I attended the Access Fund's 2010 Local Climbing Organizations Spring Summit down in Red Rocks. It had been a long time since I had attended a summit, and I was impressed with how far LCO's have come. In the Southeast, the Carolina Climbers Coalition and the Southeast Climbers Coalition have been busy purchasing crags from private landowners, while us westerners are navigating the bureaucracy of Federal and State agencies. One exception is the Washington Climbers Coalition's initiative to purchase the Index Town Wall. Interested in helping out? http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/IndexFund/ Of more local interest was a discussion concerning the BLM land north of Castle Rock State Park near the City of Rocks National Reserve in Idaho. Due to concerns over cultural resources, the State Historical Preservation Office is recommending the closing the area to climbers despite previous back country climbing activity on the parcel, and mitigation efforts with in Castle Rocks State Park. For those of you that make the pilgrimage to Yosemite Valley, the Merced River has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River which has triggered a new planning process to protect the river corridor. For more information check out the Access Fund at: http://www.accessfund.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=tmL5KhNWLrH&b=5071835&ct=7779257 The Las Vegas Climbers Liason Council, while acting as gracious hosts, related a couple of issues affecting Red Rocks. The BLM is reviewing the fixed anchor plan for the park, and development on top of the mesa east of the rampart is once again threatening the areas austerity. Want to get involved? http://www.lvclc.org/issues.php Speaking of fixed anchors, Jason Keith reported from his efforts to monitor the progress of the Federal land agencies in developing policy to manage fixed anchors. While no decisions have been made, it seems inevitable that regulation will happen. Stay tuned. There were many other great presentations from other LCO's and the Access Fund. Raptors, climbing management plans, and the Access Fund's Land Conservation Campaign were covered. It was all helpful information for the SLCA as we are involved in long-term planning for the Wasatch canyons. The conference is also a great chance for an LCO to put things into perspective. As Jeff said, we are pretty lucky to be free of major threats and issues right now. Let's hope we can work together as a community to plan for the future and avoid some of the hurdles that climbers face in other parts of the country. 
Just another reminder to fill out the third and final round of the Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow Final Surveys, and thanks to all of you that have taken the time to participate in the previous surveys. Envision Utah has narrowed it down to the brass tacks, and now is the time to make you voice heard. The next step will be a final report that will make recommendations in the development of the County's Master Plan. A fee system for the Cottonwoods is under consideration, along with the appropriation of the funds generated.
At stake for climbers is the proper representation of the climbing resource to ensure that our transportation and access needs are met. It is my opinion that a Climbing Management Plan will go a long way towards improving the quality of the local climbing experience, but we need to hear what you think about the future use of the Wasatch canyons. You can find the survey here. Have any questions or comments for the SLCA? Drop us a line on our public forum. - Jonathan Knight The SLCA has won the Access Fund's 2009 Stewardship Award! From their website: Clif Bar and the Access Fund are proud to present the 2009 Stewardship Award to the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA) for their dedication in restoring Ferguson Canyon. This year the Ferguson Canyon Adopt-a-Crag brought in over 100 volunteers who accomplished 7 different projects including trail maintenance, graffiti removal, and creation of belay platforms. We sincerely appreciate SLCA and all of its volunteers for their hours spent improving Ferguson Canyon. Please Save-the-Date for the first annual Black Diamond SLCA fundraiser celebrating the alpine spirit of Seth Shaw on Thursday May 20th, 2010. Stay tuned for more details. At the Black Diamond gear swap last week, the SLCA raised over $240 selling donated gear and coffee from a locally owned and climber operated coffee shop. Drop by and visit Kyle Dempster, grab a cup of coffee and chat about climbing at the coffee shop on 2000 E 3300 S. On April 10th, 2010 we will start things off with a climber's clean-up at Pete's Rock just off of I-215. Fire pits will be removed and large amounts of garbage will be collected and hauled off. This project is a grassroots movement spearheaded by SLCA member Hilary Lufkin and we are excited to help her out in cleaning up one of the most visible climbing areas in the Salt Lake Valley. Also, on May 8th we will be returning to the LCC - Crescent Crack Buttress/Egg Trail and on June 5th it's back to Ferguson Canyon. More information on these events and more will be available on our Projects and Feedback forum as the dates get closer. The weekend of April 9-10 is also the date of the 3rd Annual Climbers Festival. Slideshows Friday and Saturday night. Gear demos with the WSU Outdoor Program. Bouldering Comp on Saturday with an after-party at Roosters Brewery Saturday night. Most importantly, we could use your help at the Ogden Boulder Field Clean-up Saturday morning at 8:30am. The FrontRunner is an excellent route up to Ogden, or post on our forum to look for a rideshare. 
On Thursday, April 22 the Salt Lake City premiere of Chuck Fryberger's CORE will include two showings at Brewvies. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door. For more information see the Facebook invite or the Core website. As always, get in touch via email or our forums if you have any questions or ideas for projects or events that you would like to see from the SLCA. |
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