CRAG-VT’S Work
CRAG-VT Annual Report – 2021
Vermont Climbing Access
- We build long-term relationships with landowners to maintain access to cliffs located on private property
- We collaborate with the VT Agency of Natural Resources to ensure that climbing on state lands is done so responsibly and in alignment with environmental and recreation management plans
- When necessary, we purchase property & obtain conservation easements to ensure long term access to threatened climbing areas
Stewardship
- We organize and conduct trail maintenance and volunteer clean-ups
- We collaborate with the Vermont Nongame and Natural Heritage Program to protect the threatened and endangered species that live in cliff ecosystems
- We inform climbers, land managers and the public of access, environmental and historical climbing information
Community Events
- We host events including member meet-ups, stewardship days, speaker series, film showings, and the Vermont Climbing Festival
- Serving as a central locus of the Vermont climbing community!
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Hosted inaugural Vermont Climbing Festival (2019)
- Purchased and permanently protected the Bolton Dome (2017)
- Formed a relationship with the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont at Rock point and 0pened Lone Rock Point to climbing (2017)
- Developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Climbing Management Plan with the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (2016). This 5 year effort established CRAG-VT as the de facto liaison between the State and the climbing community, and helps in the management of areas including: Mt. Pisgah, Smugglers’ Notch, Mount Wheeler, and Marshfield Ledge.
- Rebuilt the driveway to the Bolton Quarry (2012)
- Purchased the Carcass Crag and added the cliff to the Bolton Quarry Conservation Easement (2010)
- Purchased Upper West Bolton and acquired a conservation easement to ensure permanent climbing protections (2009)
- Acquired a conservation easement for the 82 Crag to ensure permanent climbing protections (2008)
- Purchased the Bolton Quarry and acquired a conservation easement to ensure permanent climbing protections (2004)
- Lower West was donated to the newly formed CRAG-VT (2003)
CRAG-VT a not-for-profit (501(c)(3)) organization dedicated to preserving access and conservation of Vermont’s climbing resources. We serve the climbing community of Vermont through a variety of mechanisms:
- Preserve and aid in the protection of climbing opportunities in Vermont by building and maintaining long-term relationships with landowners. Current and future access will be fostered through outright purchases of property, obtaining conservation easements, or securing landowner agreements.
- Serve climbers, land managers, landowners, and the general public as an educational resource for responsible climbing, access status, historical information, species and habitat protection, and legal matters.
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Promote responsible stewardship and reduce environmental impacts by conducting trail maintenance, volunteer clean-ups, and producing educational materials
CRAG-VT’s mission is to support climbing access, share the story of Vermont’s climbing history and offer a vision for its future. Historically, much of our effort has focused on where we climb; we now recognize that the barriers to climbing extend beyond land ownership and parking concerns. Many people feel unsafe or unwelcome in the climbing community due to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of bigotry. Looking forward, we are committed to expanding our definition of securing access to include addressing the social and economic barriers that limit who climbs.
Regardless of intention, climbers can perpetuate an exclusive climbing culture that curtails accessibility. We believe in the Vermont climbing community’s ability to resist these forces and we are committed to working to make climbing available to anyone who wants to rope up or drag a crash pad into the woods. We believe CRAG-VT plays a vital role in breaking down the barriers to the sport we love, and will actively engage in the following activities to help better ourselves and our community:
- Understand and learn from the implicit biases that each of us carries, and actively work to change them
- Define norms and expectations to guide our property management and climbing acquisition work that consider the access needs of our community
- Create educational materials, host events, and build community with all climbers, regardless of experience level, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, belief system, or neurodiversity
- Continue to listen to and learn from our community by directly confronting and learning from mistakes and experiences
We are committed to nurturing a diverse and strong climbing community, and to the continual process of learning and action needed to do so.