WCCC Meeting of December 18th

The coalition meeting on December 18 had a low turnout, but we met some new folks, including the new Core Elements manager (Ryan Dutch) and a representative of the Colorado Environmental Coalition (Kate Graham). Board members Kris Hjelle, Jesse Zacher, and Eve Tallman attended. Newcomer Michael Hale also signed on. The bulk of our time was devoted to learning from Kate about the scoping comment period (through January 9) on the BLM's new Resource Management Plan. This plan will encompass several climbing areas, including Escalante, Unaweep, Gateway, Palisade, Bangs Canyon, and Rough Canyon. It also includes many mountain biking areas, including North Fruita. All WCCC members are encouraged to email their comments to the BLM. Find the link by googling BLM Grand Junction Field Office and look for the scoping comments form (PLEASE RESPOND BY JANUARY 9).
We sold several WCCC shirts to the gym climbers during the evening, and would like to encourage WCCC members to pick up a shirt for $10 at Summit Canyon Outfitters or (coming soon) to Core Elements.

Unaweep: Under New Ownership

Submitted by Eve Tallman, Secretary

Western Colorado Climbers’ Coalition

http://westernslopeclimbers.blogspot.com

Jesse Zacher, Chair

Western_co_climbers@hotmail.com

Mothers Buttress, a major crag in Unaweep Canyon near Grand Junction, Colorado, has been sold to the local climbers’ coalition by the parcel’s new owners, John and Marti Peterson of Gunnison, Colorado, where the Petersons work for Western State College. Local climbers formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in part to purchase the land so that climbers may access the granite climbing area in perpetuity. With grants from the Access Fund, REI, and donations from the National Outdoor Leadership School as well as gifts from several individuals, the WCCC raised money and in-kind donations to help the deal move forward.

Dave Foley, a surveyor, and Steve Johnson, an attorney, both from Telluride, donated hours of service to ensure the success of the exchange. Realtor John Eakins donated part of his fee to the project, as well. The coalition still seeks approximately $4,000 to seal the deal. Tax-deductible donations may be made by contacting the WCCC.

At the Adopt-a-Crag day on October 26, a small group from the WCCC built a new trail to access the crags from the highway. Donations of food and gear made for a happy crew.

REI Grant Award

A generous grant from REI will help us with the trailhead construction at Mothers Buttress. Get your WCCC T-shirt at the Adopt-A-Crag trail day on October 26!

Adopt-A-Crag Trail Building Photos

October 26th was trail building day at Mother's Buttress. The new trailhead is marked by a cairn and ribbons.

New Ladder Installed at Sunday Wall

WCCC members Kris Hjelle, John Eakins, and Jim Black replaced the decrepit fence crossing at the Access Fund trailhead to Unaweep’s Sunday Wall. Thanks to donations from the local Home Depot and the sweat equity of Kris and John, the new ladder should last another 20 years.

September WCCC Meeting

The WCCC met on September 9th at the Ale House at 7:00 P.M. The meeting agenda included an update on grants previously applied for, status of the Upper/Middle Mothers parcel that was purchased, and the lots that are currently for sale (Lower Mothers and Television Wall).
We planned for the Adopt-A-Crag day to help build a trailhead to Upper Mothers on the new Peterson property, and we approved an Adopt-A-Highway project in Unaweep Canyon to give climbers more visibility with homeowners.

Grand Junction in Rock and Ice Magazine

In the new Rock and Ice (Issue 172), Grand Junction climbing was profiled. In this article there was a section devoted to the WCCC and the challenges we face in Unaweep. This publicity will hopefully draw more attention to the issue of acquiring the two lots up for sale. The magazine should be available for purchase if you are not a subscriber soon.

Colorado Roadless Rule--Call to Action!

[This is a posting from Deanne Buck, who is working on behalf of climbers.]

Greetings all,
I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and let you know a little bit about the USFS Colorado Roadless Rule Campaign. I have been retained by the Outdoor Alliance (outdooralliance.net) to facilitate a concerted Colorado Roadless Rule effort by the
human-powered recreation organizations that make up OA (Access Fund, American Whitewater, American Hiking Society, American Canoe Association, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance).

The Outdoor Alliance member organizations chose the USFS and Roadless as a platform issue because it cuts across the mission of each member organization and changes to the 2001 Roadless Rule would have impacts on all human-powered recreational user groups.

The Outdoor Alliance orgs provided your names to me because you are leaders in the community. We would like to have at least one person who is already active in their respective organization attend each Open House hosted by the USFS (schedule and more information below) to be our eyes and ears. We are interested in finding out how many people attend, the general tone of the comments, etc. We would also like someone who can provide information to other human-powered recreational users, etc.

I realize that this is a very short turn-around time, especially for
those of you in the Pueblo and Monte Vista areas. Unfortunately, we
were not given much lead time to organize this. Please either call
720.933.8310 or email deannebuck@gmail.com, if you area available and
interested in helping.

Board meeting July 2

The board met on Wednesday, July 2 at 8pm. The minutes are attached here under comments. If you'd like more information, please call 241-0503 or 260-7551. Thanks!

Fundraising: late June news

Eve applied for a grant from the Access Fund to offset the cost of the 501(c)(3) application, and also to replace the sign at the Sunday Wall and seed money for T-shirts and other fund-raiser premiums.
Matt Seymour has worked up a financial activity report.
Eve sent checks to the Access Fund for the Mothers Buttress purchase on behalf of John Eakins and Eric Ming.
***More donations are needed! Please contact a WCCC board member to make a contribution. We hope to send in another batch of checks in the next couple of weeks.

Update on Lower Mothers

We have heard from the realtor, and the seller of the Lower Mothers Buttress/Television Wall parcel is not interested in a climbing easement or subdivision for climber access at this time.
The seller is Mike Fitzgerald, a former climber from Tempe. Further update at the WCCC meeting on Thursday (see below). There is considerable interest from a potential climber/buyer for this parcel, and we hope to update members at the meeting on Thursday. See you there!

Lost & Found

Lost prescription sunglasses at the Zappa Wall, Escalante. 260-7551. Thanks

WCCC Meeting May 22

WCCC met on Thursday May 22 at 7pm. Rain reduced attendance, but six climbers met to discuss further updates on the Lower Mothers (for sale) issue and the ongoing progress with the Upper Mothers deal. Steve Johnson of the Access Fund has been helping out, and arranged for a volunteer surveyor from Telluride to measure the Upper Mothers parcel; we still seek a local surveyor who might donate time to move the contract process along.
Eve met with Rob from the Mesa Land Trust to discuss options for securing access to the climbing areas. Tax-deductible land easements are an option that she will investigate in the coming week.
A little more gear was sold to raise money for the WCCC. Update on financials is forthcoming.
We still seek contractors and others who can provide labor for in-kind donation toward the purchase of Upper Mothers. Got a backhoe?
Materials for a pipe safe were exchanged at the meeting.

WCCC board met May 1

The board met Thursday, May 1 to finalize the 501(c)(3) application and discussed the breaking news that the "Fitzgerald Parcel," aka Lower Mothers Buttress, had just been listed for sale. Also discussed was the REI grant application; since the meeting and further research, it was decided to wait until next year to apply for the funding, as REI specifies that no funding may be used for land acquisition.

Thanks to donors--Time to pledge!

Donations for the purchase of Mothers Buttress have been accumulating! Now is the time to send your check for your tax-deductible contribution. To date, we have received some fat checks and hope to receive many more! Rick Smith, William Pike Howard, K.C. Baum, and Eve Tallman have contributed so far, and Thad Harlow, NOLS, the Access Fund, and John Eakins are on deck. Several others pitched in at the fundraiser. Special thanks to the Palisade Brewery, Petzl, Metolius, Crossroads Fitness, and Core Elements. In-kind donations to assist in the development of the property (surveys and etc.) have been offered by Ryan Cowan, Brad Winters, and others.
Keep it coming! And thanks for saving Mothers Buttress!

Plank or timber needed for creek crossing

The creek is up at the Sunday Wall trailhead! The plank for crossing the stream is gone, so if anyone can supply a tree trunk or plank for the wet season, please go for it!

Board Meeting Summary

The WCCC board met on Thursday, April 17 at Kannah Creek Brewery. Jesse Zacher, Matt Seymour, Thad Harlow, Eric Ming, and Eve Tallman attended. Due to technicalities, Matt Lisenby was unable to Skype to the meeting. The main topic of discussion was fundraising and brainstorming about future revenue sources for the purpose of purchasing Mothers Buttress.
A motion was made by Thad and seconded by Matt Seymour to approve the bylaws as written. The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion ensued about local contractors and construction tradesmen who have offered in-kind work or reduced rates as a trade for part of the purchase agreement for the land deal. Ryan Cowan and Brad Winters were mentioned. Jesse will attempt to facilitate a meeting with John Peterson, the land owner.
Eve reported that she applied for a grant with a local foundation that has previously funded land acquisition projects in Mesa County. Discussion ensued about a grant opportunity with REI, and Eve will follow up with the grant coordinator at the Access Fund to discuss possibilities.
Work will continue on the 501(c)(3) paperwork required for the tax-exempt nonprofit status of the WCCC.

Access Fund Sign Vandalized

Special Thanks to Jim Black for removing the trailhead sign at the Sunday Wall, which was vandalized. The signs were installed years ago by the Access Fund and included a trail map and warnings about the risks of rock climbing. The WCCC will work with the AF to replace the sign.

Crossroads Fitness membership, anyone?

Crossroads Fitness (airport location) has donated a one-year membership with a value of over $600. If you are interested in making a pledge to the WCCC (it's a tax deductible donation!) in exchange for this membership, please contact evetallman[at]gmail.com or western_co_climbers[at]hotmail.com. It's a deal!

News Flash

This article was published in the April 24 Daily Sentinel. It is about climbing legend and Fruita resident Pat Ament.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/search/content/news/stories/2008/04/23/042408_1b_Rock_climber.html

This article was published in the April 8 Free Press (page one):
http://gjfreepress.com/article/20080408/COMMUNITY_NEWS/678578362

Join Now!

The WCCC membership has topped 80! There were several new folks at the April 1 meeting.

To join, contact Jesse Zacher, chair, at western_co_climbers[at]hotmail.com.

Board members: Jesse Zacher, chair; Kris Hjelle, vice-chair; Matthew Seymour, treasurer; Eve Tallman, secretary; Matt Lisenby, Thad Harlow, and Eric Ming.

Send donations!

We are ready to receive tax-deductible donations for the puchase of Mothers Buttress. We have opened a bank account at Wells Fargo. For information about where to send payment and how to receive a tax-deductible donation letter for tax purposes, please email me at evetallman[at]gmail.com or Jesse at western_co_climbers[at]hotmail.com. Pledges are trickling in, and we are inching our way toward our fiscal goal.
Thanks!