Potential-Partial Solution?

[Jeff]

With the two recent threads, Torrent Closure and Global Village,
I've really been thinking alot about the problems facing us this year. They are not new problems,
but it seems they need addressed more now than ever before.
Both threads have been productive in the discussions they have generated.

What I propose is that someone who is a good writer, put together a fairly short article
(to keep the readers attention), about the history of climbing at the Red.
It could cover the facts of how climbing was almost closed on FS land and
how concerned climbers did something to keep that from happening.
How, years ago, climbers made good relationships with private land owners, gained their trust,
and were allowed access to these properties so that we all could climb.
How the RRGCC is purchasing land, but needs everyones help in raising money for it.
How generous folks like the Meyers, the Webers, Grant Stephens and partner are providing great opportunities for us, but opportunities we need to respect and maintain.
How a lot of hard work has been put into these issues in the past and got us where we are today.
There are a lot of climbing opportunities at the Red!
And finaly, how all of this past hard work is at risk of being lost.
It is something that needs constant attention and something that EVERYONE plays a part in maintaining.


If someone were to write something like this, I would personaly pay to have it printed and bound into a small pamphlet. Many copies.
Have them available and get the word out.

We need to do something soon.

Paul, you are an excellent writer, feel like taking it on?

[kirker]

Good, Postive, constructive idea...
PM me on the cost, I would like to contribute...

[Paul3eb]

actually it's something i'm really interested in doing and hopefully will have some time to take a swing at it. i know whitney boland has been pursuing this but i don't know if she still is. last i heard from her she put in a query to outside magazine for a "flash" type article and there was some interest from a newspaper in paducah..

thanks for the compliment! i'm really not that good but my editors are pretty great.. i'll let you know if i come up with anything soon. i'm also working on finishing up a newsletter for the coalition.. good thing there not much to be done, right?

[allah]

The main thing about having pamphlets made is getting everyone to read them. It could also be a good idea to have somthing p[rinted in the mags agian. saying that these placesher. will be closed unless certian things happen and make sure in these article we have some bad ass pictures so people can see what is a potential loss. I just done think pamphlets will work as well expecially with the younger and traveling climbers. But i know younger and traveling climbers do read Mags that are sitting around at miguels or in barnes and nobles. to I just think that the pamphlets might be a waste of money and time

[Guest]

The Access Fund can help bring attention to Torrent Falls. They publish access alerts monthly in their newsletter, as well as in the rags.

Great discussion, Jeff!

[squeezindlemmon]

http://www.accessfund.org/pubs/en/e-new ... of_Torrent

[Sunshine]

Ah, history! What goes around comes around. Like Joni said:

We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

[captain static]

Jeff, here is a letter from the RRGCC 2005 Annual Report that might fit what you are talking about. As soon as work on a cover for the Annual Report is completed it will be made available in both a .pdf format and hard copy. Pre-publication copies have been placed at both Miguel's & RRO.

The RRGCC is actively working to get RRG access information out through the Access Fund E-News & Vertical Times. Back issues of the Vertical Times were also placed @ Miguel's & RRO.

Any suggestions or help that can be provided in getting the message out are welcome.

Letter from the President

Two climbers founded the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition in November 1996 as a grassroots organization dedicated to advocating the interests of the rock climbing community to the US Forest Service. In 1993 the USFS banned climbers from installing new bolted safety anchors in the Gorge. The USFS lifted the bolting ban in 1996 but replaced it with severe restrictions on new climbing route development. These restrictions also threatened closure of entire climbing areas. Through the work of the RRGCC, blanket area closures were avoided and development of some new rock climbing routes was permitted.

In the late 1990’s many climbers, avoided this bureaucratic red tape by focusing on developing new climbing routes on private land. An area of private land known as the Southern Region, located to the south of Red River Gorge proper, saw the bulk of this new route development. Quickly, the Southern Region became known both nationally and internationally for both the beauty and difficulty of its’ climbing.

Recognizing that the threat of blanket climbing closures was even greater on private land than on public land, the RRGCC began to pursue the idea of securing climbing access through purchase of private land. Working with the Access Fund, a national climbing advocacy organization, the RRGCC identified a 700 acre tract in the Southern Region available for sale and executed an option to purchase it. Then in January 2004, the RRGCC made history by executing the largest direct US land purchase ever made by climbers to secure access.

Since the 700 acre Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve was purchased in 2004, the RRGCC has established designated parking areas, installed signs, maintained trails, and developed new climbing areas. In 2005 alone, over 40 new rock climbing routes were established on the Preserve. With over 200 existing climbs and the potential for hundreds of more routes, there is plenty of work to do, not the least of which is continuing to meet our obligations to pay for the property.

Even with the added responsibilities of owning and managing the Preserve, the RRGCC’s work with the Forest Service continues. Though some additional route closures in the Gorge were implemented in 2005, the USFS continues to work on their plans to reopen closed portions of the popular Military Wall climbing area by “hardening” the archaeological site with protective matting. Involvement in the USFS recreational planning process for Red River Gorge called Limits of Acceptable Change has been an important RRGCC concern in 2005.

As summer 2005 ended, a new era of Red River Gorge climbing was heralded by the release of Ray Ellington’s new climbing guidebook with 20% of the profits being donated to the RRGCC by Wolverine publishing. This was punctuated with a cover picture and feature article of Red River Gorge climbing appearing in Urban Climber magazine. No doubt, Red River Gorge will be a premier destination for an ever increasing number of climbers from around the world in 2006.

Bill Strachan, President

[mcrib]

The problem seems to be the people who maybe visit a few weekends a year. They need to realize that they too contribute to the wear and tear of the Red. They maybe more inclined to a fuck it attitude because they aren't around enough to see the damage they cause. For those of us who are at the Red on a weekly basis it is like our home. We don't want trash to pile up, trails to fall into disrepair, and we don't want to loose one of our favorite places on earth. I think the threat of loosing a place like Torrent will resonate with everyone who has ever been climbing in the Gorge. But a locally produced pamphlet, to agree with Allah here, will not have much of an impact with this particular demographic of climbers. There have been several articles written in climbing mags about what a great place the Gorge is to climb but now maybe time to have something written which discusses the impact of the immense growth in the popularity of the Gorge over the last five or ten years.

[Jeff]

That's good Bill.
It can help.
I am thinking of something that will teach the reader about the climbing history of the Red, the work that has been put into developing and maintaining the climbing at the Red, and something that might make the person say "Hmmm...I didn't know that, there's more to this climbing thing than what I thought...."
Peak interest and give the person a feeling of ownership and a feeling where they want to help to keep climbing around.

Like has been said before in diferent threads, we are preaching to the choir on this board
(but I still think there are places all of us can improve ourselves), we need to reach the ever-growing numbers of new climbers and travelling climbers.

It's our climbing paradise and it is up to us to maintain its existance.