Did you hear?… Castleton Tower Preservation Initiative celebrates success

The movement to save Utah’s Castleton Tower — the Castleton Tower Preservation Initiative — celebrated its success of thwarting a sale of land that would have cut off access to climbing with a celebration at Outdoor Retailer. Dave Early of Utah Open Lands told SNEWS® that he was thrilled at the industry response which, on the heels of an aggressive fund-raising campaign, culminated in an agreement to sell a 221-acre parcel directly under the spire for $640,000 to preservationists. That parcel contains the campground and access to the spire’s climbing routes. The Conservation Alliance stepped up to the plate early on with a grant of $35,000, along with the Access Fund adding another $20,000 to the pot. REI responded with a challenge grant of $15,000 followed by Petzl with a $7,500 challenge grant of its own. Peter Metcalf, CEO of Black Diamond, kicked in $3,000 along with an open call to other industry CEO’s do ante up as well, inspiring pledges from Eagle Creek, Nike ACG, Trango, La Sportiva, Patagonia, Neptune Mountaineering, and WaterMark.