Access News - June 6th, 2007

Information from the Access Society.
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Access News - June 6th, 2007

Post by Access Society of BC » Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:48 pm

CLIMBERS' ACCESS SOCIETY OF B.C.
ACCESS NEWS - June 6th, 2007

A. SKAHA

SUMMARY

Fundraising continues, to ensure a future for climbing at Skaha. About half of the needed $1 million has been raised or pledged. We need to raise the rest by the end of June. If you haven't already made a donation, please do so now. Every bit helps! Mountain Equipment Co-op will match its members' donations, and the better support we have from our own community, the more it helps with fundraising from other sources. (There are other fundraising initiatives in progress, which we'll report on when there's news.) The total so far is over $450,000:

Mountain Equipment Co-op (donation): $250,000
Access Society: $10,000
Black Diamond Equipment: $10,000
Cliffhanger Vancouver and Cliffhanger Coquitlam: $2,500 each
General donations: $52,561
Stock donation: $51,535
Mountain Equipment Co-op: matching member donations, up to $100,000
Donations and pledges directly to The Land Conservancy $9,495
The fund-raising concert in Vancouver on May 11th went quite well. About 50 attended the event, which featured singer Mia Harris and pianist Karen Lee-Morlang. Thanks to the Harris family for the initiative!

FUNDRAISER - SQUAMISH BREW PUB - JUNE 9th
There will be a Skaha fundraiser at the Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company in Squamish on Saturday June 9th, at 9:00 PM. Thanks to Alec Fernandes for the initiative, and the Brew Pub for its hospitality. Details:

Doors: open 9:00 PM, admission by donation, suggested minimum $5.00.

Raffle: Each person gets one raffle ticket, with entrance. Additional raffle tickets $5.00 each. We have some great prizes from Arc'Teryx, Valhalla Pure Outfitters, Climb On, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and others. The raffle will be at 11:00 PM.

Entertainment: Presentations by TLC, Rich Wheater, and others, and presentation of a donation cheque. Followed by dancing to a DJ, and a big party.

Volunteers: We need some volunteers to help with this event, from 7:00 PM - 12:30 AM. Tickets, door, memberships, donations, setup, and so on. Contact the Access Society at (604) 228-1798 or info@access-society.ca if you can help.

MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP - MATCHING MEMBER DONATIONS

Mountain Equipment Co-op will match donations by its members, up to $100,000 total.

BACKGROUND

Access to Skaha is in place for 2007, and The Land Conservancy of B.C. (TLC) and Skaha rockclimbers have been working hard on public access to Skaha for 2008 and beyond, with support from Mountain Equipment Co-op, the Access Society, and others. TLC has agreed to buy 300 hectares of nearby private land (sublot 18 - southeast of Braesyde). When/if the land is bought, and needed work done, it will provide permanent public access to Skaha. All the land, added together, will make a respectable provincial park, valuable for both recreation and conservation. Thanks to TLC’s partners, a generous donation by the current owner, and other donations, much of the needed money has been raised. We need to raise the balance of $1 million by June 30th, and we need your help to do it.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Make a donation to TLC, and encourage all your friends to also do so. If you're a member of MEC, make your donation at www.conservancy.bc.ca/MEC-skaha, and double the amount.
Join the Access Society, renew your membership, make a donation. Members + resources = more effective. Memberships, renewals, and donations are all helpful - $10,000 is a lot of money to us. www.access-society.ca/getinvolved/membership.aspx
If you can help with fundraising, or have ideas or connections that may help, contact TLC or the Access Society. Other climbing manufacturers and retailers that can help should contact TLC - John Keller, at (604) 733-2313 or jkeller@conservancy.bc.ca
Make sure all your friends know what's happening, especially climbers, and that they're helping. Spread the word!
SUPPORT THE LAND CONSERVANCY

Please send donations to TLC. They also encourage you to become a member.

Donations & Membership: Go to www.conservancy.bc.ca, and click on the ‘Skaha Bluffs’ icon. You can also join or donate by mail.
Contact Information: TLC's head office is at #301 - 1195 Esquimalt Road, Victoria, B.C. V9A 3N6, phone (250) 479-8053.
Capital Campaign & Corporate Donors: If you can contribute a substantial amount, or know someone who might be able to, contact John Keller at TLC, at (604) 733-2313 or jkeller@conservancy.bc.ca
If the purchase doesn't work out, TLC will keep aside all money raised, and use it either for whatever other solution is arrived at for Skaha, or for another project of direct benefit to the climbing community of B.C.

SKAHA THANK YOUS

Many organizations and companies have have helped a great deal with the Skaha purchase. We've worked with many of them in the past, and will do so again. Please take the time to personally thank them - it's well earned. They're human beings, too. No one likes being taken for granted, and everyone likes being patted on the back for a good job. They all have websites, phone numbers, and an info@ e-mail address. Give it a try!

B. SQUAMISH MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL 2007 (July 13th - 21st)

The Squamish Mountain Festival 2007 will be on July 13th - 21st, 2007. Lots of events and fun for everyone. Proceeds to the Access Society and the Squamish Access Society. SMF 2007 will involve clinics, speakers, films, yoga, raffles, pancake breakfasts, events for the general public, dyno and speed climbing competitions, prizes, and lots of fun. And Adopt-a-Crag stewardship events both weekends. Much more information at www.squamishmountainfestival.com, including registration for clinics, speakers, and other events.

Presenting sponsor: Arc'Teryx.
Chief sponsors: Black Diamond, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Flashed, Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company, and Gripped.
Media sponsors: Gripped, Climbing, Urban Climber, The Chief, KVOS television.
Bluff sponsors: La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, Five Ten, Prana, Valhalla Pure Outfitters, Adidas, The Edge.
SMF 2007 Volunteers

We need some committed volunteers to make the festival a success, particularly July 13th - 15th (day and evening), July 16th - 20th (evenings), and July 21st (day and evening). There's lots to help with, including information and registrations, competitions, speakers and parties, event set up, and walking tours. Essentially, we need people to help with every aspect of SMF 2007.

If you can help, sign up through the website - www.squamishmountainfestival.com. Or contact the Access Society at info@access-society.ca or (604) 228-1798. Tell us who you are, how we can contact you, what days or events you can help, and any special skills or interests you have. The more flexible you are, the better. And the sooner you let us know, the better.

Volunteers get to help at the heart of an event that's important to the climbing community and Squamish, free admission to the event they're helping with, a lovely tee shirt, and a volunteer party on July 21st, with great draw prizes. Volunteers are expected to put in at least eight hours - most "jobs" are four or five hours long.

C. MISCELLANEOUS
1. Upper Malamute - Logging

Much of the upper Malamute at Squamish was logged in March 2007. The logging occurred without notice, or a required municipal permit. Neither the Ministry of Transportation & Highways nor the Sea-to-Sky Highway Project contractor was responsible for it. The District of Squamish issued a stop work order as soon as it heard what was happening.

Climbers are encouraged not to use the upper Malamute until a solution is found. Anyone visiting the upper Malamute should be aware of dangerous logging debris. Discussions continue between the owner, the District, and other parties as to what will be done, and we'll report as soon as there's any news.

The Access Society believes that the upper Malamute, at the heart of Squamish, should be protected for the benefit and use of all the public, particularly for climbing, walking, nature viewing, and sightseeing. As with Skaha, the area has great value to the entire public. Climbers have been visiting the upper Malamute since the mid 1970s, very actively since the mid 1990s. The land has long been privately owned, and we can be grateful that the former and current owners have allowed climbing there.

2. Little Smoke Bluffs - Parking

There have been reports of climbers parking at Squamish Hospital, and walking to the Bluffs from there. Climbers are reminded that parking at the hospital is for hospital staff, patients and visitors only. The only public parking for visitors to the Bluffs is the lot on Loggers' Lane, just past Squamish Adventure Centre.

3. Adopt-a-Crags 2007

The usual range of volunteer crag stewardship events will be held in 2007, from spring through autumn. The first was on May 4th - 6th at the Eldred Valley (Powell River). Others include Fleming Beach (Victoria), Squamish & Cheakamus Canyon, Skaha, Crest Crags (Campbell River), and more. Some are large and very organized, others less so. Let us know if you want to know what's happening, or can help out.

4. Stawamus Chief - 2007 Peregrine Falcon Closure

The peregrine falcon nesting closure continues through July 31st. If it is changed, B.C. Parks will post the information at the Chief, and on its website. For details of the closure, see http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explor ... sitoralert

B.C. Parks also asks that all users of the campground store all food and other bear attractant items in the storage lockers located in the campground.

5. United States - Access Fund

See the Access Fund website for what's happening in the United States - www.accessfund.org. You can also subscribe to an e-newsletter.

6. Access News - Information and Submissions

Access News is published about once a month, or as need demands. We welcome information relating to climbers access in B.C. If there's any news in your area, please send it along!

7. On-Line Memberships, Renewals & Donations

To join the Access Society on-line, renew your membership, or make a donation, see www.access-society.ca/getinvolved/membership.aspx, (credit card needed.) If you have problems joining, renewing or donating on-line, please e-mail info@access-society.ca, so we can fix it. (If you complete the first page, click "next" and get a page of gibberish, try clicking "refresh".)

NOTES
The Access Society faces many challenges in our pursuit of public access to B.C.'s cliffs and mountains, and conservation of them. Please support the Access Society in any way you can - become a member, make a donation, or volunteer! We believe the Access Society is doing an important job. We represent the entire climbing community of B.C., and all those who support public access to, and conservation of, the cliffs and mountains of B.C.
We hope this message is useful. Please forward it to all your climbing friends. Our apologies if it is unwanted! If so, please let us know and we'll remove you from our list. If your e-mail has changed, please let us know. (In a few cases this message is a duplicate, due to overlapping directories.) Also, we welcome information and contributions - please send to info(at)access-society.ca.

Climbing and related activities are dangerous, and can injure or kill you. The Access Society tries to ensure that this information is accurate, but you rely on it at your own risk!

copyright (c) Climbers' Access Society of British Columbia, 2007.
Box 72013 - Sasamat R.P.O.
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada V6R 4P2
(604) 228-1798
info@access-society.ca; www.access-society.ca

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