Story in the Grand Junction Sentinel!

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/group-secures-three-key-cliffs-ensuring-space-for#

Group secures three key cliffs, ensuring space for climbing

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Eve Tallman, of the Western Colorado Climbers’ Coalition, scales a cliff in Unweep Canyon. The local nonprofit organization now owns three important cliffs in Unaweep Canyon — Sunday, Fortress and Hidden Valley — after a land transfer from The Access Fund. The move secured 50 acres of climbing space that includes about 200 top-rated, granite climbing routes. “This marks a key milestone in the 25-year history of conservation and public access in the canyon,” WCCC said in a release.

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By Amy Hamilton
Monday, October 26, 2015

A local nonprofit climbing organization now is the owner of three important cliffs in Unaweep Canyon, a move that secures 50 acres of access for climbers that includes about 200 top-rated, granite climbing routes.
Grand Junction’s Western Colorado Climbers’ Coalition reported the land transfer from The Access Fund for the cliffs known as Sunday, Fortress and Hidden Valley.
“This marks a key milestone in the 25-year history of conservation and public access in the canyon,” WCCC reported in a release.
The Access Fund said in the release that it will retain a permanent conservation and recreation easement on the properties “to back up WCCCs’ longterm commitment and ensure conservation and climbing access into perpetuity.”
The Access Fund originally purchased the cliffs in 1991 along with three local climbers. WCCC purchased the Upper Mothers Buttress with the help of two climbers in 2010. In 2014, WCCC finalized negotiations and obtained a $134,000 Access Fund Climbing Conservation loan to purchase Lower Mothers Buttress and Television Wall areas.
A fundraising campaign by WCCC included obtaining grants from The Access Fund, Alpenglow Foundation, Shaw Construction and Realtor Christi Reece, among others.
WCCC said it will maintain the cliff line, while subdividing and selling residential lots along Colorado Highway 141.
“Protecting Unaweep Canyon’s cliff line is an important part of WCCC’s work and mission as the local nonprofit organization for this region,” said Jesse Zacher, who is the president of WCCC.
For more information on WCCC, visit its website at westernslopeclimbers.blogspot.com.
The group’s next meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Grand Valley Climbing Center, 611 25 Road.

Unacceptable Chipping at Bullet Holes Boulder

I have recently come across some new chipped holds on the Bullet Hole boulder. This chipping happened sometime after April 2015. I’m not posting this to call anyone out; it is quite possible that the person or persons responsible do not know that chipping is unacceptable in this area and is highly frowned upon by land managers. This new “route” is just to the right of another chipped route and in an area where chipping happened in the past. Most of the chipping in this area is decades old and is looked at as an eyesore. If you are the person or persons responsible, please stop this practice.

Chipping, gluing or otherwise “improving” the rock to enhance a route is never acceptable. It robs future climbers of the potential to establish harder and harder routes. Chipping or adding holds to a route or potential route presumes that no one will ever be able to climb at a higher standard; therefore the thinking goes it is deemed to be okay to alter the rock. This thinking has been proven to be in error time and time again. This practice is also looked at as vandalism by many land managers, including the City of Grand Junction, which owns and manages this property, and it makes us climbers look bad as users of this property.

Please respect a no-chipping ethic. If you can't do this problem, try another.

Randall Chapman

Access Fund Transfers Unaweep Cliffs for Local Safeguarding

Access Fund and WCCC are pleased to announce the transfer of three major cliffs in Unaweep Canyon from Access Fund to WCCC. This marks a key milestone in the 25-year history of conservation and public access in the canyon. 

This transfer consolidates and permanently protects 50 acres of land under local nonprofit ownership by WCCC. The 50 acres includes eight cliffs and approximately 200 high-quality granite climbing routes, acquired by either Access Fund or WCCC since the early 1990s. Access Fund will maintain a permanent conservation and recreation easement on these properties to back up WCCC’s long-term commitment and ensure conservation and climbing access into perpetuity.

“Conservation of Unaweep Canyon has been a partnership since the beginning,” says Access Fund Executive Director Brady Robinson. “Our goal is to empower and support local climbing organizations like WCCC to own, manage, and steward their local climbing areas.”

Access Fund purchased the cliffs known as Sunday, Fortress, and Hidden Valley in 1991 in partnership with three local climbers. Further west, WCCC secured the Upper Mothers Buttress with the help of Colorado climbers John and Marti Peterson in 2010. Then in October of 2014, WCCC completed a long negotiation to purchase the Lower Mothers Buttress and Television Wall areas with a $134,200 Access Fund Climbing Conservation Loan.

WCCC conducted an extensive fund-raising effort that included grants from the Access Fund and Alpenglow Foundation, as well as gifts from Shaw Construction, realtor Christi Reece, and others. WCCC will maintain the cliff line and public access while subdividing and selling residential lots along State Highway 141. A similar conservation strategy was successfully employed by Access Fund in the 1990s and allowed WCCC to secure Upper Mothers Buttress in 2010. The Access Fund easement will protect the land for public access, and the transfer will enable WCCC to adjust property lines for the future sale of road frontage. WCCC is currently working on the pending subdivision and sale with a potential buyer that has expressed a shared interest in climbing and conservation of Unaweep Canyon.

“Protecting Unaweep Canyon’s cliff line is an important part of WCCC’s work and mission as the local nonprofit climbing organization for the region,” says WCCC President Jesse Zacher. “We’re fortunate to have great partners and supporters to make this project happen.” WCCC extends its thanks to Steve Johnson, Marc Kenney, and Dave Foley for providing pro bono legal, engineering, and survey work.

WCCC needs the continued support of climbers, recreationists, and the people of western Colorado to fundraise for the acquisition and stewardship of Unaweep Cliffs. Donations are encouraged and can be madehere, on our website.

New Member Special: Join THE ACCESS FUND this Week and Get a Free T-Shirt!

If you're not already a member of the Access Fund, you can join this week for just $35 and get a free t-shirt with exclusive Hueco Tanks artwork by Fred Nicole (a gift normally reserved for $50 members)! AF is the major partner of the Western Colorado Climbers' Coalition.  When you join the Access Fund you are joining thousands of other climbers who are dedicated to keeping our climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment. Your $35 membership can make a big difference, helping to: Put threatened land in climber friendly hands Keep climbing areas open that might otherwise be closed  Educate climbers on how to have minimum impact  Clean up our crags  Advocate for climbers' interests in Washington, DC  We can't do this critical work without the support of climbers like you. If you're already a member--THANK YOU--and please consider forwarding this offer to your friends and climbing partners. accessfund.org