Access Fund

Action Alert❗Take 2 minutes to thank Congress for protecting Wilderness climbing! 🤔 Wait, why are we thanking them? Because they listened to us! The Protecting America's Rock Climbing Act was a massive win for our community. Yesterday, climbers were represented in Washington D.C. by federal lawmakers. They heard your voice and took action to safeguard the places we all love so much. Wilderness climbing is now permanently protected! They did their part, and it's now our turn to show gratitude for their unanimous, bi-partisan support. You don't have to be an avid Wilderness climber to support this. The PARC Act protects the legacy of America's climbing and the dreams of climbers who hope to experience these places for themselves one day. Join us in thanking congressional representatives for listening to climbers, taking action, and protecting our public lands and the experiences they offer us. If we want to continue to make real change happen, we have to show our respect to those who can help us do that. 👉 Find your state Representatives and say thank you with our easy letter-writing tool: https://lnkd.in/gVA7HF6J And remember climbers, with this victory comes great responsibility. If we want to continue to enjoy and explore these incredible landscapes, we have to be good stewards of these Wilderness areas. 📸: Matthew Tangeman, Seth Anderson

Climbers, we did it! The Protecting America's Rock Climbing Act (PARC) just passed Congress! This groundbreaking legislation is part of the EXPLORE Act, a package of recreation bills, and will: 🧗Safeguard climbing access in Wilderness areas ⛰️Clarify that fixed anchors (bolts, pins, slings) are appropriate in Wilderness 🌎Promote the protection of Wilderness characteristics and resources 🫡Ensure public input on climbing management After more than 30 years, Access Fund is one step closer to permanently protecting over 50,000 routes in 28 states, including The Nose on El Capitan, big walls in Zion National Park, historic climbs in Washington's North Cascades, and many more. Next stop? The president’s desk. Access Fund applauds Representatives John Curtis (R-UT) and Joe Neguse (D-CO), the PARC Act’s original sponsors, for their visionary leadership in introducing the bill, and Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Joe Manchin (D-WV), John Boozman (R-AR), Maria Cantewell (D-WA), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) for standing up for climbers and moving this legislation forward. Special thanks goes to Senator Manchin for calling for a vote on the EXPLORE Act, including the PARC Act, as one of his final acts of his Senate career. This is such a huge moment for climbers! Whether you signed a petition, sent a letter, or spread the word on social media, you made your voice heard in Washington. When climbers stand together, we can create real change. You deserve to celebrate this win! Keep climbing. Keep advocating. Keep protecting the places we love. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gujk_RnG 📸: Chris Noble and Karson Leonard

BREAKING NEWS! National Park Service withdraws proposal to prohibit fixed anchors. Fixed anchors are essential pieces of a climber’s safety system. They allow us to safely and sustainably access vertical terrain, and without them, most of the iconic climbing locations in America become inaccessible. When this guidance was first proposed, thousands of climbers spoke up for sustainable Wilderness climbing. National Park Service leaders heard your collective voices loud and clear, and as of today, they have officially withdrawn their proposed fixed anchor prohibition! We applaud the Department of the Interior and National Park Service for listening to climbers and valuing the importance of the Wilderness climbing experience to the American public. YOU 👏 MADE 👏 THIS 👏 HAPPEN 👏 Let this decision demonstrate just how important your voice is. You have the ability to influence the future of climbing and the greater conservation movement, and we hope you will continue to use your power to advocate for this sport but most importantly to protect the places you love. What happens next is up to us as climbers. We must exercise restraint, humility, and respect as we climb in these amazing Wilderness areas to ensure that they remain accessible for generations to come. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g-jwV_Wk 📸: Francois Lebeau

Y'all got us all giddy and kicking our feet over here. As a climber-funded non-profit, we can't protect America's climbing alone—and these past two weeks showed us that we aren't alone. 1,500 climbers showed up and made a generous donation toward a sustainable future of climbing in the U.S. We have a big year ahead of us at Access Fund, and we are excited to share all our new projects with you (just not yet...👀). Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you'll join us in 2025 to celebrate the wins you helped fund. If you are an Access Fund member, what would you like to see from us in 2025? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let's celebrate the incredible impact we're making—together. From the entire Access Fund team: Thank you. Seriously. 📸: Tyler Gross

Final burn❗Today is the last day of Black Diamond Equipment matching all donations up to $75,000. Whether it's your first time donating or your 100th time, a gift right now makes an even greater impact. Click this link instantly double your donation: accessfund.org/conserve. You've heard from us a lot these past two weeks. We talked about everything from our policy work to conservation and sustainability efforts, but what we want to talk about today is you. You play the most important role in all this. Access Fund is built by climbers, staffed by climbers, powered by climbers, and funded by climbers. We can't do what we do without you. If you are passionate about climbing or protecting climbing landscapes, we are asking you to make a donation today to not only support Access Fund but to protect and conserve the sport, community, and places we all love so much. Let’s do this. Together. 📸: James Q Martin, Nathalie Dupré, Irene Yee, and Hans Ho

Action Alert❗Save Moe's Valley Moe's Valley is at risk of being sold for development. This incredible landscape encompasses 3,341 acres of Mojave Desert habitat. Moe's is an outdoor escape for mountain bikers, hikers, horseback riders, and rock climbers and is home to critical desert wildlife and endangered species. Our job now is to protect this place. It's already available for bid, so we need to do something now. Join us in asking the state of Utah to delay selling the Greater Moe’s Valley to housing developers. 👉 Use this link to access our easy letter-writing tool and ask the Utah State Institutional Trust Lands Administration to save Moe's Valley: https://lnkd.in/gHMTBnBD You don't need to be a Utah resident to support this cause. If you care about protecting our environment and sustainable access to outdoor recreation spaces, we need your help. 📸: Dane Brooks

Hey folks! Chris Schulte here, boulderer, climbing advocate, and Access Fund Member. If you care about access to your local crag, I have a simple task for you. How many threats does it take to close a climbing area? The answer is ONE. All it takes is one issue to arise for a crag to be closed and your access to be lost. From being sold off for development, to erosion and overuse, there are countless ways that we can lose access to the crags we love. The only way to protect them is by working together. Access Fund cannot continue their critical work conserving and preserving crags across the country without the help and support from climbers, like you! And if you donate today, your gift makes an even bigger impact. Black Diamond Equipment is matching every donation up to $75,000, meaning even $15 goes twice as far. Make a generous donation today at accessfund.org/conserve. Black Diamond Equipment is joining me in support of Access Fund. Will you? Join climbers across the country in protecting America’s climbing at accessfund.org/conserve.

We can't do this alone. In the past year, we have worked to preserve climbing access in 216 different areas across the country. But we couldn’t have done that without some help. Access Fund isn’t big enough to show up at every crag in America, which is why we rely so heavily on partnerships with local climbing organizations (LCOs) to do a lot of the boots-on-the-ground work. We work with more than 120 LCOs around the country to ensure our favorite places are taken care of and conserved, and you can give to more than half of them as part of your Access Fund donation. LCOs are the first line of defense for regional climbing areas. They maintain a sustainable crag, rally the community, and help with access issues when they arise. Access Fund provides LCOs with policy expertise, conservation grants, stewardship work, acquisition loans, national support, and non-profit guidance. Just like there is no one threat to climbing, no one person can do this critical work alone. When climbers come together, amazing things happen. Join as a joint member to support your LCO and Access Fund as we work together to Protect America's Climbing. When you sign up today, Black Diamond Equipment will match your Access Fund donation to help continue our work and support of LCOs across the country. Will you join us? Find your local climbing organization: accessfund.org/advocate Photos by Caleb Timmerman, Karson Leonard, Access Fund

How much does climbing mean to you? And what would you do if it all went away? If you had the opportunity to protect the places you love today, would you do it? Here's your chance to make a HUGE difference. Black Diamond Equipment has come forward to help Protect America's Climbing. From now until December 14, every donation from climbers like you will be matched up to $75,000. Donate now at accessfund.org/conserve. Whether it's tenuous protections for public lands, ill-conceived federal policy, land being sold off for development, or erosion and overuse of iconic crags, climbing areas across the country are under threat. We won't stand by and let that happen, and we hope you won't either. Access Fund is committed to protecting the climbing landscapes we love, and a donation today supports: 🧗 Representing climbers with decision-makers to craft laws and policies that protect and conserve America’s climbing. 💰 Buying threatened climbing areas to save them from development. ⚒️ Putting Conservation Teams on the ground to build sustainable climbing infrastructure. 🌎 Educating climbers about local ethics and low-impact practices. 🤝 Rallying climbers across the country to join the fight through our network of more than 120 local climbing organizations. We can't do this without you. Every donation counts—even just $10 goes a long way. Don't miss this opportunity to protect the places you love. Protect America’s Climbing at accessfund.org/conserve Photo by Hans Ho

Denny Cove, Tennessee. It's known for many things. It's a hiking favorite for locals and a destination-worthy crag for climbers across the country. It's also the poster child for climate resiliency, meaning its diverse wildlife has the ability to adapt even in the face of uncertain climate. And in 2016, Denny Cove was facing deforestation by a private timber company. That's when Access Fund, Southeastern Climbers Coalition, South Cumberland State Park The Land Trust for Tennessee and The Conservation Fund joined forces to save Denny Cove. Together, we purchased 685 acres of land, built trails and a parking lot, and made road improvements before transferring the property to South Cumberland State Park for permanent protection. Denny Cove's preservation is not only important to climbers and recreationalist, but also for our environment. You can learn more about climate resiliency and our conservation efforts in Tennessee in our latest podcast: https://lnkd.in/gXNvsAhF Photos by Nathalie Dupré and Caleb Timmerman