AAC and Access Fund Set Sights on Capitol Hill

June 18, 2019, Golden, CO—The AAC and Access Fund (AF) are making another big ascent of Capitol Hill on September 18– 20, 2019 to discuss policy issues that impact the climbing community with those who hold the keys to our public lands. “Climb the Hill” event participants will receive training in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) as they prepare to present a comprehensive and equitable narrative around access to our climbing areas. They will speak to lawmakers about how public lands issues impact not just climbers, but all people and communities.

“We head to D.C. this fall to continue the discussion with our elected officials to let them know that we want our public lands to be protected, and that the ‘we’ includes women, POC, adaptive, indigenous and queer climbers,” says Shelma Jun, Flash Foxy founder and AF board member. Together, the climbing community will also advocate for reforms to energy development and leasing, improvement of recreation access, the protection of recreation and conservation land designations, and action on climate change.

The two organizations are tapping a wide delegation of renowned professional climbers and advocates including Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Conrad Anker, Majka Burhardt, and leaders from Brown Girls Climb, Brothers of Climbing, Flash Foxy, Adaptive Climbing Group, Latino Outdoors, Natives Outdoors, American Mountain Guide Association, The Mountaineers, and many other local climbing organizations and companies.

“I am excited to attend Climb the Hill because I believe the nation’s public lands are best protected by a diverse representation. As a rock climber, a woman of color, and advocate, it's important to me to steward public lands because they have such a positive effect in my life and I want to pay it forward. Supporting, protecting, and addressing issues our public lands affects all communities and I am looking forward to attending this year and speak on behalf of Latino Outdoors, Access Fund, and American Alpine Club,” says Maricela Rosales of Latino Outdoors.

“Public lands are a much bigger issue right now than they have been in the past… protecting our public lands is a very easy way to minimize our harm, because when you open up public lands to exploitation, that is now no longer a pristine, wild place. You can’t take your grandkids there someday, because there’s a freaking open coal mine or something. I just went down a dark path, and now I’m sad,” said Alex Honnold in an interview with ROAM at last year’s AAC Annual Benefit dinner.

Together, these groups will tackle important issues and hopefully, keep Honnold and the rest of us from being sad. If you've got some policy chops or a background in JEDI issues, we could use you in D.C. With strong voices and a stubborn inability to surrender our public lands, we won't give up on the beautiful, wild places in which we find sanctuary. If you’re interested in participating, you can apply here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Learn more about Climb the Hill: www.climbthehill.org

AAC Climate Researchers: What are they up to now?

Seth Campbell and Kristin Schild are doing amazing work in the climate space. They are an important part of the AAC community and we’re lucky to have them in our corner. Seth is the director of the Juneau Icefield Research Program and a professor at the University of Maine. Kristin is a Postdoctoral Scientist at the University of Oregon. They happen to be married. Watch this video to find out what they’re up to now:

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Will Congress Act to Help People Access the Outdoors?

Washington, DC: Congress is busy with a number of important issues, but our awe-inspiring public lands are still on their minds. Like us, many lawmakers and their staff love to get outside. Throughout the halls of Congress, you’ll find people who climb, ski, fish, kayak and backpack during their time off.

For plenty of climbers, guided trips and facilitated experiences provide important exposure to rugged terrain, vast wilderness areas and even easy-access crags for the first time. No doubt many of you have benefited from these kinds of opportunities through groups like NOLS, Outward Bound and private guides.

However, it’s not easy for these outdoor experience providers to make trips happen on our collectively-owned public lands. They are required to navigate an antiquated and complex federal system to get recreational permits from the Forest Service and Park Service in particular. Although agencies and Congress have made steps to remedy these problems, we’re still dealing with unnecessary red tape.

There’s good news, however: today, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act (SOAR Act) to increase recreational access to America's public lands. This legislation would improve the outfitter and guide permitting systems and positively impact small businesses, non-profit outdoor leadership organizations, university recreation programs, and volunteer-based clubs, including the AAC.

The SOAR Act still has a ways to go to become law, but we’re hopeful that Congress will pass this no-brainer, bipartisan legislation; a win for all of us! When the opportunity strikes, we’ll send out an action alert so that you can easily write your member of Congress and tell them to get on board. Until then, reach out to your policy team for more ways to get involved. #SOARfortheOutdoors

Maria Millard Povec: mpovec@americanalpineclub.org

Taylor Luneau: tluneau@americanalpineclub.org

AAC's Peter Metcalf on Secretary Zinke

"Since founding Black Diamond in the late 1980s, I’ve seen many secretaries of the Interior and many administrations come and go. But nothing can compare to what I’ve seen over the last year."

Check out Peter Metcalf's Opinion piece in The Hill

AAC's Kris Tompkins on Conservation & Democracy

In 2016, AAC awarded the David R. Brower Award to Kris McDivitt Tompkins for her conservation work in South America. For more than two decades, Kris and her husband Douglas Tompkins have donated large tracts of land to the park systems of Chile and Argentina. A recent donation to the Chilean park system includes lodging, campground and dining facilities, and trails, bridges and roads. With this latest donation, more than 13 million acres have been conserved in the two countries.

Kris' recent New York Times Op-Ed is a beautiful piece about why democracy depends on preserving land for the common good. As Kris writes, "National parks, monuments and other public lands remind us that regardless of race, economic standing or citizenship, we all depend on a healthy planet for our survival...two hundred years from now let the elephants trumpet, the giant sequoias sway in stiff winds and our descendants enjoy healthy lives aware of their place in this wild thing we call nature."

Read her full piece here.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Under Threat

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is facing a tremendous threat. Its solitude and silence are one step closer to being replaced with noisy drilling equipment and heavy machinery.  Over the course of our 115-year history, the American Alpine Club has been committed to protecting our country’s most treasured landscapes, including the Arctic. With Congress’ budget vote last week, the future of this crown jewel is at risk.

Located in northern Alaska, the Arctic Refuge offers dramatic mountain summits, inspiration and endless adventure. As AAC Managing Director Keegan Young says, “These mountain ranges and untouched landscapes represent the wild places in our heart and mind. I’ve climbed all over the world but return to these peaks because they ignite my soul. It's not just the rugged terrain, it's the solitude and magnificent beauty.”

Last week, the United States Senate passed a budget resolution that charges the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with reducing the federal deficit through revenues created by oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Refuge. Since the House of Representatives already passed a similar budget provision early this year, both the House and Senate will work to reconcile their budget versions before final passage and delivery to the president.

The AAC has a long legacy of scientific exploration and adventure in the Arctic—pioneering cutting-edge new routes and supporting research expeditions that have contributed valuable information to our understanding of mountain, Antarctic and Arctic ecosystems. For example, AAC Board Member Kit DesLauriers completed the first known ascent of Mount Isto in the ANWR and has been working to merge environmental science with adventure. Check out her story here.

Help protect our last great frontier: As climbers, we have a duty to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. We still have time to urge Congress to protect the Arctic Refuge and stop irresponsible energy development there.

Check out how your Senators voted. Call and tell them that you think the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is too precious to be developed and tell them how you feel about their vote: (202) 224-3121.

Banner photo by Paxson Woelber. 

AAC Board Member Stacy Bare on Defending Public Lands

"Why do we love our public lands so much? Because so many of us have felt first hand the incredible benefits of spending time in the country we fought to defend. Time outdoors for many of us, regardless of the wounds we did or did not receive, and regardless when we served, has given us a pathway to a healthier and more fulfilling life."

Read Stacy Bare's commentary in the Salt Lake Tribune here.

Secretary Zinke Releases Interim Report on Bears Ears

June 12, 2017: This afternoon, Secretary Zinke released his interim report on Bears Ears National Monument. Despite overwhelming public support to keep Bears Ears as designated, his recommendations include a reduction to the size of the monument. 

Read our joint statement with Outdoor Alliance here.

Executive Power over National Monuments: An AAC Member and natural resource law Scholar weighs in on the future of Bears Ears

Photo by Taylor Luneau

Taylor Luneau, AAC member & Natural Resource Law Scholar 

As happens to many climbers on their first trip to Indian Creek, I got spanked! The splitter sandstone was relentless and the grades fleeting. With the absence of face features, it was a whole new ball game for a climber born and raised on northeast schist and granite. However, within a matter of days, the climbing style grew on me and by the end of my first week I was floating up Incredible and Generic Hand Crack, stuffing in a #2 cam every ten feet or so. The trip was a formative one and I was hooked.

Leaving our slice of Heaven was made easier only with the knowledge that the Creek would always be there, waiting for me, nestled there in the canyons with desert washes and endless red rock walls. And, as many did on December 28th, 2016, I celebrated after President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation establishing Bears Ears National Monument—a 1.35 million acre area area in San Juan County, Utah that encompasses Indian Creek, as well as the Valley of the Gods and Arch Canyon. This Presidential Proclamation is the first to recognize rock climbing as a valued activity and to ensure it as a priority in the management plan. It conserves these climbing meccas for future generations and for my chance of reunion. Or so I thought.

Today, the future of the Bears Ears is uncertain. Utah’s political leadership has formally requested that the President rescind Bears Ears National Monument through a joint resolution. As a legal scholar, I began to investigate if President Trump could actually lawfully abolish the designation of Bears Ears’ national monument status.

The short answer is NO!

But that answer is riddled with caveats and requires an understanding of The Antiquities Act, the law that enables the President to designate National Monuments.

The Antiquities Act of 1906

The Antiquities Act has been used to create more than 100 national monuments and protect 80 million acres of federal land since it was passed in 1906 (1). While the Antiquities Act gives the President authority to declare national monuments, it’s silent about the abolishment of a national monument. The core provisions of the Antiquities Act:

1) Give the President the authority to declare historic landmarks, prehistoric structures and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be National Monuments.

2) Allow that the amount of land reserved must not exceed the smallest area necessary for its proper management. (2)

The Antiquities Act is clear about the President’s authority to create national monuments, but does the President have the authority to reverse a national monument designation?

In 1938, President Roosevelt considered abolishing the Castle Pickney National Monument in South Carolina. However, his Attorney General, Homer Cummings, said the President had no such authority because the law did not authorize the President to abolish national monuments (3). As a result, President Roosevelt did not change the status of the monument. While Roosevelt could not undo Pickney National Monument, it was eventually abolished by Congress in 1956 (4). Although Cummings advice was not a judicial ruling, his statement was the only legal authority to provide a statutory interpretation (5). Cumming's legal analysis was challenged for the first time ever this past week by conservative legal scholars at the American Enterprise Institute but their argument raises constitutional issues and overreach by the Executive Office. 

Although Presidents do not have the authority to abolish national monuments, they have altered monument sizes in order to meet the smallest area compatible criteria. (6) For example, Woodrow Wilson reduced the size of Mount Olympus National Monument in 1915. (7)

If President Trump attempts a full revocation of Bears Ears National Monument, litigation will follow. While courts would likely deny an Executive Order to fully repeal Bears Ears, the President may attempt to alter the size of the monument to meet the smallest area compatible to protect the cultural resources. Such an attempt would require the President to establish that the Monument was designated unnecessarily large for the protection of the scientific, historic or archeological objects of interest-- a fact that would likely be challenged by the Native American Tribes who claim ancestral ties to the landscape. Another consideration here is that The Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) bars the Secretary of the Interior from altering the boundaries of monuments on BLM land so any Executive Order that attempts to direct the Secretary to make adjustments would not be legal (8). 

Congressional Discretion & Implications for Bears Ears National Monument

While the President does not have legal authority to undo a national monument, Congress does. Congress has broad discretion over national monuments primarily because of the Constitution’s Property Clause, which provides Congress the power to make decisions about public lands in the United States. Therefore, Congress does have the constitutional authority to create, modify, and abolish national monuments and it has exercised each of these powers in the past. (9)

What now?

The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, in cooperation with the Bears Ears Commission, will continue to work together to create and implement a management plan for the new national monument. Recreation, conservation and tribal groups will be watching closely as the Trump administration and Congress sets its public lands priorities.

In the meantime, as climbers, we must continue to speak up together about why public lands matter and why we value the Bears Ears area in particular. Let’s push back against efforts to weaken federal land protections and undermine conservation designations. We need to vigilantly remind our legislators that we want to keep our public lands in public hands.

Finally, I encourage you all to continue to support groups like the American Alpine Club and Access Fund that persistently look out for the preservation of our climbing landscapes. I’ll be there with you, because the indigenous peoples, the land, water, and wildlife of the Bears Ears region deserve this monument designation. And … I want a second chance at sending Anunnaki in the Creek.

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Taylor Luneau, American Alpine Club Member

Dual Masters Candidate, 2018: Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Vermont Law School and Master of Science in Natural Resources, University of Vermont

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ENDNOTES

[1] Coggins, Wilkinson, Leshy, Fischman, Federal Public Land and Resources Law, p. 394, 7th Ed., Foundation Press, 2014.

[2] Id.

[3] 39 Op. Att’y Gen. 185, 187 (1938).

[4] Vincent, Carol Hardy, National Monuments and the Antiquities Act, Congressional Research Service, p. 2, 2017.

[5] Id.

[6] Antiquities Act 1906-2006, National Parks Service Archeology Program, https://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/antiquities/MonumentsList.htm (Last updated Dec. 28, 2016).

[7] Id.

[8] Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976, https://www.blm.gov/or/regulations/files/FLPMA.pdf

[9] U.S. Const. art. IV, §3, cl. 2.

Standing Up for Indian Creek

John Climaco Climbing in Southeast Utah in the 1980s.

By AAC member John Climaco

Canyonlands first captured me in the spring of 1984 as a skinny, 16-year-old Ohio boy. Years earlier I’d stumbled across a 1966 issue of National Geographic covering the first ascent of the Titan. Entranced by this wild adventure, I stole the only copy from our school library just to have it to myself. I devoured every story of the hard-living desert climbing pioneers I could, but nothing I’d read prepared me for the descent into Indian Creek and the desert of my dreams on my first time. No words could possibly capture the quiet, and the freedom.

In those days, you could have Indian Creek all to yourself on a spring weekend. The Anasazi art and the even more ancient sandstone towers were your silent and only companions. It was a place where you were free to create your own adventures and be the outlaw of your youthful imaginings. Looking back, it recently dawned on me that the very thing which seduced me about the desert may be precisely what imperils it. As the vast emptiness of the desert begets a feeling of endless freedom, it is easy to lapse into a comforting sense of the timelessness of the landscape. It is too easy to let that freedom lull us into assuming that what was here yesterday to be enjoyed today will still be there for us tomorrow.

The fact is that while we see these lands as our birthright, others see them as a vast piggy bank. Whether it was silver to fund a booming new nation, uranium to fuel the cold war or petroleum to fill our tanks, these lands have always held the promise of riches far more bankable than the ephemeral wealth we build there. Only a tiny portion of our public lands are entirely secured from those who wish to tap, mine or drill for personal profit. Would anyone seeking those rewards see our climbing community as a legitimate constituency to be respected and accounted for in use planning and public lands access? Maybe not a generation ago, but things are changing.

Like the echoes of pitons being driven into sandstone, the outlaw era of climbing is gone. Today, climbing is a mainstream sport. The power of our collective voice has grown and so has our capacity to give back to the lands that have given us so much. In speaking together, we have made a significant difference in communicating the value of these lands. The recent Bears Ears National Monument proclamation was the first ever presidential proclamation to list rock climbing as an acceptable and appropriate activity. We spoke up together and we were heard.

Unfortunately, efforts are already underway to dismantle Bears Ears National Monument. The Utah legislature recently passed a resolution, HCR 11, asking the Trump administration to rescind Bears Ears National Monument. Undoing the monument would be unprecedented and would put our other national treasures at risk.

A call to your congressman today will take less time than racking up for tomorrow’s adventures. Thousands of such calls, mainly by hunters and fishermen, recently led Representative Chaffetz (R – UT) to withdraw his disastrous bill which would have allowed a massive transfer of public lands into corporate ownership. If each of us made a single call to protect Indian Creek and the surrounding Bear’s Ears National Monument, could we secure it forever? I’d like to think so.

A few years ago, on yet another climbing and exploring trip from my home in Northern Utah, I saw a sight so incongruous with my sense of the desert landscape I had to stop the car and stare: a drilling rig tapping away yards from the entrance to Canyonlands National Park. I gawked at its gravel containment platform and wondered what law could ever permit this eyesore? Who will clean it up? Was anyone out there who cared enough to do something about it? 

Finally, it struck me: I was.

John Climaco today with his children

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Here's How You Can Take Action:

It is imperative that we communicate our stance on public land policy to our elected representatives. Contact of your federal representatives by calling the Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected.

Can’t remember who your representatives are? Look them up here:  

U.S. Senate: https://www.senate.gov/ 

House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

And if picking up the phone terrifies you, consider writing an Op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Not sure where to start? Check out this great resource from our partners at Outdoor Alliance.

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For some legal background on the future of Bears Ears, check out AAC Member Taylor Luneau's article Executive Power Over National Monuments

Protect Bears Ears National Monument

Photo: Emma Longcope 

Southeast Utah is one of the most revered climbing destinations in the United States, and climbers have been strong and influential advocates for its protection. Our collective efforts paid off when on December 28, 2016, President Obama declared the region a national monument and listed climbing in the proclamation.

However, efforts are underway to dismantle the newly designated Bears Ears National Monument. In the upcoming weeks, newly appointed Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (former Montana Congressman) will set his priorities for public lands. He will be in a position to influence President Trump's decision on whether or not to rescind Bears Ears National Monument.

Please help us speak up for Bears Ears! We need as many climbers as possible to urge Zinke to protect the national monument. The easy letter writing tool has content you can use and as always, we love when you add your own voice from a climber's perspective.

TOGETHER WE'RE STRONGER.
 

We joined our partners at Access Fund, Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, Friends of Indian Creek, and Salt Lake Climbers Alliance to ask Secretary-designee Ryan Zinke to protect Bears Ears National Monument and the Antiquities Act as a tool to protect public lands.

Read our letter below:

Climbers and Climate Change: Nathalie Chardon

Did you know the AAC supports cutting-edge scientific research? Through the Research Grant program, we provide funding to multiple researchers across the country every year. The scope of work Our Researchers conduct is broad, but a common thread among many of them is investigating the effects of climate change. A timely topic, we've asked several of our researchers to sit down and chat with us about climate change, their research and their climbing. 

AAC member Nathalie Chardon is a 4th year Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado, Boulder in the Environmental Studies Program. Nathalie's research is surveying alpine plant species on popular trails on many of Colorado’s “14’ers” (mountains with summits greater than 14,000 feet). Jonathan Oulton, AAC member and geologist, spoke with Chardon to find out more:

Q&A With Nathalie Chardon

Oulton: Why is your research important to climbers?

Chardon: My research is largely focused on how plant communities in extreme environments respond to human disturbance. Without a clear understanding of how these communities respond to increasing human traffic, we can’t effectively conserve these areas.

Areas that may have been relatively untouched in times past (e.g. alpine ecosystems) are especially vulnerable to negative impacts from human disturbance. As climbers we are frequent visitors to these sensitive regions and thus have the responsibility to be aware of the consequences of our actions.

Oulton: Looking ahead, what do you foresee as the most significant challenges to addressing climate change?

Chardon: I anticipate there being two primary issues to solving the climate change problem. (1) A lack of funding for long-term climate change research, and, (2) A lack of public knowledge on what processes are actually happening. This ends up leading to political decisions, from the citizen to the senator level, that don’t support scientifically backed claims.

Relatively quick climate change impacts will occur on 10-, 20-, or 50-year timescales. To conduct thorough research on these impacts, we need consistent funding over the same time-scales. Our current political/economic system typically focuses on short term profits, perhaps 5-year profits at the most. Resultantly, obtaining that kind of funding is extremely difficult.

Nathalie Chardon surveying plant communities at ~13,500 feet on Mt Belford

Alpine sunrise on Quandary Peak during Nathalie's field work

Oulton: A common sentiment is that "the actions of an individual can't influence an issue as massive as climate change." This attitude is dangerous, as it can lead to complacency. What actions can an individual take to have a positive, real influence on climate change?

Chardon: I disagree firmly with that sentiment. Anyone can have a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gases. My recommendation boils down to three things: buying local food, drastically reducing waste, and driving only when necessary.

Consider for a moment how far most food needs to travel to make it to your table, and how much fossil fuel is burned to accomplish that. Multiply that by 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, every single month, etcetera, and pretty soon you’ve racked up an extensive fossil fuel bill.

If you do these three things, you will drastically reduce your greenhouse gas emissions! This would be incredibly impactful, because greenhouse gases directly ‘fuel’ climate change.

Oulton: That makes sense, thank you. That wraps up our main climate change questions. You’ve spent countless hours doing research on Colorado’s 14’ers. Do you have a favorite/least favorite 14’er?

Chardon: My least favorite is Bierstadt, it’s depressing to me how the trail has become a highway. Choosing a favorite is harder… I think it must be the South Side of Mt. Elbert, from the Black Cloud trailhead. The whole hike is super steep with spectacular views, I absolutely love it! Over the two times I’ve been up I think I’ve only seen four people total. You’re so removed.

Oulton: Have you had any ridiculous tourist interactions on Colorado’s 14’ers?

Chardon: For my field work I’ve built a 1x1 meter grid that I can assemble on-site, but that means when I’m hiking I have four white poles sticking out my pack. It’s an unusual sight. The two funniest inquiries I’ve had are “Is that a hang gliding get-up?” and “Are you carrying a volleyball net?”

Nathalie's field assistant, Clea Berholet, assembling the surveying grid on Grey's Peak

Oulton: That’s fantastic. What is one of your most memorable climbing experiences?

Chardon: Climbing limestone tufas in Kalymnos, Greece. Hands down, it was incredible. I’ve never experienced any climbing like it, ever. Ever. The moves you make there have nothing to do with climbing as I knew it. At one point, I put my feet against one tufa and my back against another – it was the only time I’ve taken a no-hands-rest on an overhung route. I loved it!

Oulton: If you were given a 3-month, all expenses-paid climbing trip, where would you go/What would you do?

Chardon: Well, I would do two things. I would start out sport climbing near Yangshuo, China, where they have those huge limestone arches. Then I’d take some time in the Karakoram Range, Pakistan to do some SkiMo (Ski Mountaineering), without a doubt. Let me know if that trip ever happens!

We’ll keep you posted, Nathalie! Thanks for chatting with us.

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For more information on Nathalie, her research, and other AAC Research Grant recipients, please see the following links:

AAC’s “Meet Our Researchers” Webpage

Nathalie’s Trip report for the AAC

Nathalie’s CU Boulder Profile

President Signs REC Act: Victory for Climbers

REC Act Victory

Emma Longcope

Just how much does the outdoor recreation industry contribute to our nation’s economy? A hell of a lot. But, unlike other industries, we don't know for sure because the federal government has never quantified outdoor recreation’s economic impact.

Thanks to the work of the Outdoor Industry Association and many of our partners, President Obama just signed the REC Act, which will be a game changer. The Act directs the Bureau of Economic Analysis to quantify just how much the outdoor industry contributes to job creation and consumer spending. The AAC is particularly psyched about this because:

1.) This analysis will provide a way to recognize the environment’s connection to our well-being-- politically, economically and personally. It’s an acknowledgement that the mountains and deserts and recreational landscapes do not exist in a void, but instead are intrinsically connected to our jobs, spending, income, and health.

2.) More information about the importance of recreational activities will help us make a stronger case for the importance of our public land for the economy, as well as for future generations and other species. Keeping our public lands in public hands has become increasingly important in today’s political landscape, and we are optimistic that conservation efforts will rise as a priority when policymakers receive quantified information regarding the recreational value of these wild places.

3.) We advocated for passage of the REC Act, and we’re excited to see our efforts result in action! In February 2016, along with a group of our board members and partners, we climbed Capitol Hill to talk with policymakers and advocate for the places we climb.

As Mark Butler, AAC Board Member and 37-year veteran of the National Park Service, said, “It is critically important for climbers to be represented in public policy at all levels of government. If we are not at the table, our issues will not be considered when the laws and policies affecting climbing are developed.” We will continue our advocacy work in DC and will keep you informed on the evolution of public policy that impacts climbers and the places we love to climb. We ask that you continue raising your voices in support of the places and pursuits at the heart of our AAC community. Cheers!

Banner photo: AAC member Austin Siadak

A New Political Climate: What's Next for Climbers?

As climbers, we have a unique connection to public lands and our environment. Beginning with its early founders, the American Alpine Club has a long history of environmental conservation and ethics, wilderness management and the scientific exploration of mountain regions.

The recent election has brought uncertainty about the future of our public lands and our environment. While our membership is politically diverse, we can agree that as a climbing community we bear a responsibility for protecting the places we climb and for protecting our right to clean air, clean water, healthy forests, rivers and deserts. Our mutual admiration for climbing and climbing landscapes unites us and transcends partisanship. Together we are stronger. And together we can do a lot of good.

Here are some of the ways we can get involved in protecting the places we climb and working toward our vision of healthy climbing landscapes:

• Stay informed: For public lands information, follow our partners at Outdoor Alliance. Learn about the latest environmental science with Yale Climate Connections, Protect Our Winters and NRDC. For updates on what Congress is up to, subscribe to The Hill.

• Learn how to be an advocate: Check out OA's Advocacy 101 series. 

• Act locally: Engage with your local AAC Chapter and organize a trail stewardship day. Apply for an AAC Cornerstone Conservation Grant. Connect with your local land trust, work with your local city council on sustainability initiatives, find ways to volunteer.

• Reduce your carbon footprint: Carpool to the crag. Ride your bike to work, walk or take the bus when possible. Reduce your water usage, reuse and recycle. Support clean energy sources.  

• Learn about AAC’s researchers and the work they’re doing on alpine science. Applications for research grants are open from November 15-January 15.

• Tell us about your local stewardship work so we can help spread the word.

AAC’s second president John Muir once wrote, “The mountains are calling and I must go and I will work on while I can, studying incessantly.” Most people don’t realize that quote doesn’t end with “and I must go.” Muir saw responsibility and purpose as well as pleasure in the mountains. So do we.

AAC Speaks Up to Protect Southeastern Utah

Check out the below letter of support written by the American Alpine Club's CEO Phil Powers, Board President Matt Culberson, and Board Member/Policy Committee Member Peter Metcalf. 

Forest Service Eases Access for Groups

The next generation climbing on our public lands. Photo credit: AAC's Ron Funderburke

Our national forests provide awe and inspiration for millions of climbers. Their vertical playgrounds capture our spirit of adventure and challenge us to dig deep for our best selves. Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell announced that they will make it easier for outfitters, guides, schools and non-profits to take groups into our national forests. This announcement begins an important turning point in climbing access. Historically, individuals and organizations that teach climbing have faced challenges in obtaining permits from the USFS. They are often subject to significant fees, commercial use authorizations, and other requirements. The American Alpine Club has long been advocating for reforming the system.

The education and mentorship provided by guides, outdoor leaders and instructors are critical for the development of competent climbers who travel light on the land. We believe that individuals and organizations that teach climbing should have easy access to the land they need for classes. Doing so will lead to a greater appreciation for public lands and will help cultivate the next generation of stewards.  “We need to be active in meeting a changing population of climbers and other visitors to our National Forests. Good instruction gives people the skills for a lifetime of enjoyment they can pursue safely and with the knowledge to care for the land we all love,” says Phil Powers, AAC CEO.

The Forest Service states that its new, streamlined approach to special-use permitting will be implemented over time and will make it easier and faster to receive or renew permits. Steps being taken include:

• Increasing consistency in the permit process across the country.

• Increasing use of allowable waivers when a special use permit is not required.

• Investing in technology, including an electronic permit application process.

However, sufficient funding is critical to making it happen. Without the resources to implement these steps, land managers won’t have the capacity to process new permits. Budget cuts on top of the growing costs of fighting wildfire has come at the expense of the staff who administers permits. We still need Congress to pass a real budget fix. A fire funding solution will help ensure that the USFS will be able to welcome those who want to learn how to climb through instruction on public lands.  We take our responsibility for caring for these lands seriously and we applaud the Forest Service’s efforts. 

A Shared Love for Southeast Utah

May 23rd, 2016: Climbers and tribal representatives gathered together to discuss the future management of southeast Utah. Photocredit: EcoFlight 

The climbing in southeast Utah is some of the best in the country, beckoning rock climbers from around the world. It tests our physical and mental boundaries and provides adventure, fulfillment and personal growth. The Bears Ears area of southeast Utah is particularly important. It’s a 1.9-million-acre region north of the San Juan River and east of the Colorado River that includes Native American archeological and cultural sites and exceptional climbing such as Indian Creek, Lockhart Basin, Arch Canyon, Comb Ridge, and Valley of the Gods.

Climbers aren’t the only ones with a profound love of southeast Utah. Its sacredness runs deep. Home to more than 100,000 cultural and archaeological sites, the Bears Ears area is the most significant unprotected archeological area in the country. Tribal leaders and medicine people continue to conduct ceremonies, collect herbs for medicinal purposes, and practice healing rituals there. In a recent meeting with representatives from the Bears-Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, the AAC and Access Fund had the opportunity to connect with them over our shared love and respect for the land.

These treasures—climbing areas and spiritual sites—may be at risk. With two land management proposals on the table, the stakes are complicated. Congressmen Bishop and Chaffetz’s Public Lands Initiative (PLI) could—among other things—open the land to resource extraction. Not good for the tribes or for climbers. Here’s where it gets tricky: if instead, the Bears Ears area becomes a national monument, cultural resources will be protected, but it’s possible that there could be new restrictions on recreational uses. We’re working with the Access Fund and the Inter-Tribal Coalition to keep climbing open in the Bears Ears region while ensuring much-needed protections for cultural resources. 

Partnering with local Native American tribes is critical in protecting the breathtaking beauty of the Bears Ears area and ensuring that we can continue to enjoy its world-class climbing. On May 23rd, AAC and Access Fund joined with representative from the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition to discuss the proposed monument and do a fly-over with EcoFlight. We spoke about how respectful climbing practices are compatible with natural and cultural resource protection and shared information about the ways in which climbers serve as stewards of public lands. Tribal representatives explained their grave concerns about resource extraction, the proposed PLI and emphasized the lands’ sacredness. We shared our report on a joint AAC/Access Fund letter writing campaign to President Obama which captures how much climbers value southeast Utah. They were impressed and encouraged to hear that 1,135 climbers wrote in response to our call to action.

It is clear that climbers and the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition share similar feelings about this area: both groups have reverence for the land and want it to be protected. We don’t support resource extraction in places with such extraordinary cultural and recreation value as Bears Ears. As policy decisions unfold, the AAC and Access Fund will continue to do everything we can to ensure that land management policies protect Native American cultural and archaeological sites while recognizing climbing as an appropriate activity in southeast Utah. 

Climbers Speak up to Protect Climbing in Southeast Utah

Can you imagine the splitter cracks of Indian Creek, the stunning towers of Valley of the Gods, and the sandstone sculptures of Arch Canyon surrounded by oil rigs or off limits to climbers?

Right now, two initiatives are under consideration that may impact access to Indian Creek, Castle Valley, Fischer Towers, San Rafael Swell, Valley of the Gods, Comb Ridge, and countless remote climbing objectives both known and yet to be discovered.

1. The Public Lands Initiative (PLI) outlines an extensive plan to manage state and federal lands in southeastern Utah. It threatens designated Wilderness, supports the transfer of federal land to the state, and for the majority of the lands in question it prioritizes resource extraction over both recreation and conservation.

2. Unhappy with the PLI, an Inter-Tribal Coalition proposed the Bears Ears National Monument to the Obama administration, with a focus on preserving Native American traditional values. If the President proclaims Bears Ears National Monument, the climbing community needs to ensure that the proclamation acknowledges and protects the world-class climbing in the area along with the other important values in the Bears Ears region.

Together, the American Alpine Club and Access Fund rallied climbers everywhere to protect this area. Climbers shared their experiences in southeastern Utah so that as these initiatives are considered, it is clear that outdoor recreation is important and needs to be protected.

We received 1,135 thoughtful letters about the importance of protecting climbing southeast Utah. Eight AAC and AF staff read every single letter. We are thrilled with what came over the wire. Our team put together a report based on your letters that we shared with policymakers and partners in Washington, DC. The response we got in DC proves again that your voice matters and makes a difference.

Sustainable Summits Conference 2016

“We must continue to persevere, to protect, and restore public lands, provide stewardship of the places that inspire us and guarantee responsible access to public lands and water.”

— Peter Metcalf, CEO/President of Black Diamond Equipment

What does the Sustainable Summits Conference address?

• Practical solutions to sustaining our mountain environments

• Features talks, workshops, panel discussions, poster presentations, field trips and social events

• Outstanding international presenters from Alaska, Austria, France, Nepal and New Zealand

• Optional final day field trip exploring the Hooker Valley or glacier skiing in Aoraki/Mount Cook National park.

The 2016 conference follows two successful conferences in the USA in 2010 and 2014, organized and hosted by the New Zealand Alpine Club. The NZ conference is celebrating 125 years of NZ mountaineering in association with the New Zealand Department of Conservation and with the support of Ngāi Tahu, the Māori people of the southern islands of New Zealand.

For More Information Visit: 

• www.sustainable-summits.com

• https://www.facebook.com/SustainableSummits/timeline

Register for email updates Enquiries: info@sustainable-summits.com

The Value of Public Lands - A climber's perspective

 Andrew Forkes-Gudmundson

AAC Conservation and Advocacy Team

As climbers, we have a unique connection to public lands. According to research by Access Fund, more than 70% of climbing in the west happens on publicly owned lands. Can you imagine if the splitter cracks in Indian Creek, the bloodthirsty off-widths of Vedauwoo, or the bold, big walls of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison were suddenly off limits to climbers?

As you read this, all these climbing resources and many more across the west are in danger. Members of Congress, state legislators, and various presidential candidates are promising to transfer these public lands to state governments, sometimes with the express purposes of selling them off. Even worse, last year it went beyond promises: the United States Senate passed a budget amendment that would pave the way for large scale transfers to the states. [1]

What does it mean to transfer public lands to states?

By their very nature, federal lands are owned by the public. We all have a right to be on them and to have a say in how they are managed. The transfer of public lands from the federal government to state governments is being promoted as a way to make land management more local. This narrative is fundamentally incorrect, for a very important reason. Federal lands are held in trust for all the people of America, while state lands are merely a source of revenue for the state that owns them. State lands can be sold by the state to anyone, largely without citizen input. Transferring public lands to the states would actually reduce the amount of say the public has in management of the land. [2] 

People fear the specter of distant bureaucrats controlling the lands in their backyard. The reality is that management of federally owned lands is incredibly decentralized. More than 80% of federal land management staff for the Department of the Interior are already based in local places out west. The AAC works diligently to provide both national policy makers and regional land managers with public input, bringing the voices of climbers to the management discussion.

At the AAC, we believe that public lands, including all the climbing resources located on them, belong to us all, and we are part of a coalition of nonprofits and outdoor businesses who believe the same.[3] Together, we are tracking state legislation and speaking up when damaging public lands bills are introduced.

In the last 18 months, nearly 50 bills in 11 Western states have been introduced in state legislatures demanding transfer or sell off.

We need you to help stop this from happening.

Until people who love to recreate outdoors speak out, policymakers will continue to entertain bills that give away our lands. Our public lands need defending. If you believe that public lands belong to everyone, not a few private interests, please let your legislators know. Sign the petition now. This petition is the first and most important step, and will keep you updated with what is happening in your state. So far, we have 15,000 signatures. Let’s get 15,000 more.

Sources

[1] http://www.outdooralliance.org/blog/2016/2/24/house-bills-threaten-to-sell-off-national-forests

[2] http://www.protectourpublicland.org/news-collection/2015/7/28/7-differences-between-state-lands-and-public-lands

[3] http://www.protectourpublicland.org/#supporters-sectio