Access Fund 2016 Climbing Preservation Grants

From Acadia National Park to Madrone Wall Park, from Maine to Oregon, local climbing communities will be sprucing up crags with trail work, new toilets, improved
parking, graffiti removal and educational exhibits—all thanks to the Access Fund’s
Climbing Preservation Grants Program and your membership dollars and contributions.

This year, in the first round of grants, the Access Fund, has awarded $25,000—up to $40,000
each year—to local climbing communities with “worthy projects that preserve or enhance climbing access in the United States.”

The Access Fund’s grant selection committee chose the seven “worthy” projects listed below, with the input from Access Fund supporters. These are your
membership dollars and contributions in action!

2016 Grant Recipients – From the Access Fund

Acadia National Park: Climbing Exhibits

Acadia National Park in Maine was awarded funding to design, construct, and install exhibits that outline park regulations, Leave No Trace guidelines,
and safety information to help educate the climbing community. The park will install these exhibits at the two most popular climbing areas in the park:
Otter Cliffs and the South Wall Champlain (Precipice). This effort is a collaboration between the National Park Service and a volunteer climbing advisory
group.

BETA Fund: Jackson Falls Parking Improvements

BETA Fund, a climbing advocacy group, was awarded funding to improve parking and access at Jackson Falls in Southern Illinois. As recreational use increases
at this popular site, erosion and limited parking are impacting both natural resources and the visitor experience. Working in partnership with Shawnee
National Forest, this project will include new graveling of the existing parking lot and grading of additional areas where parking occurs already.
BETA Fund will match grant funding to initiate and conduct these improvements.

Climbing Association of Southern Arizona: Windy Point Stewardship

The Climbing Association of Southern Arizona (CASA) was awarded funding to further its education efforts and graffiti removal at the Windy Point area on
Mt. Lemmon. CASA aims to steward and deter vandalism at this popular Forest Service site on the 27-mile Catalina Highway. CASA strives to engage local
climbers and the outdoor community through its efforts in education, stewardship, and by partnering with local land managers and user groups. Grant
funds will be used to match an AAC Cornerstone grant awarded last year.

High Mountain Institute: Mill Creek Collaborative Stewardship Project

High Mountain Institute (HMI) was awarded funding to conduct trail work at the popular Mill Creek climbing area in the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Utah.
For 10 days in the fall of 2016, twelve young outdoor enthusiasts with HMI will work under the mentorship of the Front Range Climbing Stewards and
Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team at this Forest Service site. The work will focus on constructing a sustainable access trail to the most heavily
impacted climbing sites. This collaborative project aims to protect a special sport climbing resource for the Utah climbing community and to engage
young climbers in a real-world, climbing conservation project.

Madrone Wall Preservation Committee: Vault Toilet at Madrone Wall Park

Madrone Wall Preservation Committee (MWPC) was awarded funding to match funds raised for the construction of a vault toilet at Madrone Wall Park in Clackamas
County, Oregon. Madrone Wall is a civic treasure that features climbing on the edge of the Portland metropolitan area. The area was closed in 1997
when the County pursued an effort to quarry and log the site. After nearly two decades of closure, the County owned park will re-open once the necessary
improvements of the access road, parking area, vault toilet, and trailhead kiosk are completed in the next year.

Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA): Grit Mill & Climbing Master Plan Project

Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA) was awarded funding to kick off a large-scale stewardship project in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Just minutes from Salt
Lake City, Utah, the canyon’s superb granite routes have been an invaluable resource to rock climbers for over fifty years. The area is being negatively
impacted by high use. Numerous social trails are hindering search and rescue efforts and impacting the Salt Lake City watershed. Grant monies will
be used to hire professional trail crews and give them the materials needed to protect the watershed and access to this invaluable climbing resource.

Southeastern Climbers Coalition: Denny Cove Acquisition

Southeastern Climbers Coalition was awarded funding to acquire Denny Cove in Tennessee. The Denny Cove project is a landscape-scale conservation project
that involves multiple public and private organizations working together to protect the South Cumberland region for its scenic beauty, ecological
services, and recreational benefits. At 671 acres and a purchase price of $1.2M, Denny Cove represents the largest potential acquisition that the
SCC has ever made, with 200+ high quality sport climbing routes similar to Foster Falls and the Red River Gorge. This funding is crucial to moving
the Denny Cove acquisition forward.

For more information and to become an Access Fund member, visit www.accessfund.org.