2006 Adopt-a-Crag Wrap-up and Awards

2006 Adopt-a-Crag Wrap-up and Awards
Presented by REI, GORE-TEX Products, & CLIF Bar

The Access Fund would like to thank everyone who participated at an Adopt-a-Crag event in 2006 and congratulate the event organizers who made the 7th Annual Adopt-a-Crag the biggest year ever!

Adopt-a-Crag is the largest communal climber volunteer effort every year and shows land managers how climbers take care of the places they play while celebrating their crag through stewardship efforts that maintain the climbing environment and strengthen the reputation of the climbing community.

Newly incorporated as a ‘year-round’ program, Adopt-a-Crag 2006 was able to better accommodate event organizers in arranging stewardship projects dependent on need, season, and other local factors. The majority of events still occurred during the traditional months of September and October, which has become the Adopt-a-Crag Celebration Season.

Adopt-a-Crag 2006 exceeded expectations with 5,500 volunteers logging over 30,000 volunteer hours at 120 events in 33 states, Puerto Rico, and British Columbia. This amazing effort from the climbing community equates to over $540,000.00* of volunteer time devoted to conserving our climbing areas.

Each year awards are given Adopt-a-Crag events and organizers that went above and beyond. This year’s Adopt-a-Crag Awards are presented to:

The Access Fund and REI are proud to present the Adopt-a-Crag of the Year Award to:
Ken Yager, the Yosemite Climbing Association, and all who participated in the 3rd Annual Yosemite Facelift.

This year’s event broke all of its own previously established Adopt-a-Crag records and would not be possible without the tireless drive and enthusiasm of event organizer and Yosemite Climbing Association President, Ken Yager. For 5 days at the end of September over 1,100 volunteers representing a variety of park user groups contributing over 9,200 volunteer hours collected over 25,000 pounds of trash in Yosemite National Park!

Ken Yager’s enormous efforts are further evidenced by being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from Yosemite National Park and the Bebie Leadership Award from the Access Fund this year. The Access Fund also provided a grant that provided clean-up tools for the Facelift. With no intentions of downsizing or slowing down we look forward to next year’s Yosemite Facelift. In 2005 this event was awarded the Adopt-a-Crag Conservation Award.


The Access Fund and GORE-TEX® Products are proud to present the Adopt-a-Crag Stewardship Award to:
Cameron Cross, David Trevino, and the City of Fort Collins for the Piano Boulders Trail Day.
On October 7th 23 volunteers at Horsetooth Reservoir in Colorado created a user friendly and environmentally sustainable trail system at the newly opened Piano Boulders. Previously closed to climbing, Dave Trevino and other members of the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program contacted the Access Fund and local climbing activist Cameron Cross to officially open this bouldering area to the public. After receiving a grant from the Access Fund for necessary materials, volunteers conducted trail improvements, restoration and revegetation projects, informational signage, and installed a fence at the parking area to redirect foot traffic. This exemplary project shows the effectiveness of locals, land managers and the Access Fund working together to responsibly improve climbing access. Thank you to all the volunteers involved.


The Access Fund and CLIF Bar are proud to present the Adopt-a-Crag Conservation Award to:
Rick Bost and the East Tennessee Climbers Coalition for the 7th Annual Obed Adopt-a-Crag.
Hosted on September 9th, this year’s event was the Obed’s best Adopt-a-Crag ever with over 130 volunteers contributing nearly 500 volunteer hours to a variety of projects throughout the Obed. Fueled by a free breakfast provided by the National Park Service, volunteers participated in trash removal, trail improvements, anchor replacement, restoration of fire rings and many other projects at 5 different areas. Proceeds from the day’s sale of water were donated to the Access Fund. We extend a big thank you to all the volunteers and applaud their efforts to conserve the climbing environment at the Obed.

Since 1991, the Access Fund has been the only national advocacy organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. The Access Fund supports and represents over 1.6 million climbers nationwide in ALL forms of climbing; rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and bouldering. Five core programs support the mission on national and local levels: public policy, stewardship & conservation (including grants), grassroots activism, climber education, and land acquisition. For more information visit www.accessfund.org/ or www.boulderproject.org/