New England Access Issues

5/28/03 Great Barrington and Farley, MA
Individual and WMCC efforts have been hard at work in Great Barrington and Farley Ledge to protect these valuable climbing resources. Here's the latest:

Great Barrington
Local climbers and representatives from the Town of Great Barrington have been meeting regularly to discuss the short and long term goals of securing access. There has been encouraging input from all parties in trying to preserve the area for not only climbers but other outdoor recreationalists as well. Locals are currently working to designate a parking area for day use and a place to install an informational kiosk. Local climbers would like to again remind everyone that access is NOT secured and that it is very helpful to keep a very low profile and not jeopardize these tenuous lines of communication. With the climbing season upon us it is imperative that everyone respect the abutting landowners and minimize our profiles in the neighborhood. We are fortunate to have had good relations with the landowners to this point but it only takes a single incident to destroy all the hard work. Please guide yourselves accordingly.

Farley Ledge
A final management plan has been distributed to all stakeholders in the project including: Northfield Mountain, Town of Erving, landowners, and MA Fish and Wildlife. So far, the plan has been widely accepted and initial efforts towards it's implementation have begun. Farley Ledge does however, remain closed due to the peregrine nesting habitat. This closure includes all bouldering and roped climbing until further studies by MA Fish and Wildlife can be conducted after the closure period. The future looks promising at Farley and everyone's support and respect for the closure can not be emphasized enough at this point. Talks of a trail day when Farley reopens in July are in the works. Stay tuned for more updates as they occur.

2/8/03 Great Barrington, MA
Tim Murdock and Jedd Hall met with some of the key people in Great Barrington to finally begin discussing both short and long terms goals for climbing there. We are hoping in the short term to "re-open" the area and have several proposals (including a kiosk and trail work) for the Spring. Parking is still a very sticky issue but there are several alternate areas that are being discussed. We are hopeful that a coordinated effort among user groups, the Town of Great Barrington and its Commissions (including the Conservation Commission and the Open Space Plan) are part of long term goals to permanently secure GB for climbing and for other user groups. What is most important now is that people understand that the dialogue is only in the beginning stages. There is real concern that if a large number of climbers are showing up on a regular basis that it will most likely jeopardize an already tenuous relationship. For the time being it would be very helpful to keep a low profile. There is going to be a real need at some point to let the rest of the community know just how many climbers are interested in both GB (and Farley). Right now it is still a time for consensus building and creating an open dialogue with the town, the state and the private landowners.

2/8/03 Farley, MA
Farley Ledges in Erving, Massachusetts is NOT closed. The problem is if too many people show up, are disrespectful, ignore recommendations made on the kiosk at the current parking area, etc., it makes negotiations for continued access that much more difficult. There has not been any new news on access at Farley in awhile because the WMCC is waiting on a survey from the MA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife regarding wildlife habitat that might be affected (peregrine nesting sites namely). The other parties involved want to see the results of this survey before committing to any agreement. If and when we do get legal permission to climb there and management of Farley becomes the responsibility of the WMCC (the proposed solution), the same issues are still going to persist. Donations to the WMCC have been used to build a kiosk, trail signs, and the WMCC is looking for land to establish a permanent parking area. If anyone wants a .pdf copy of the current management proposal, email the WMCC at WesternMACC@msn.com.

3/31/02 Sourland Mountain Reservation, NJ
The Rock Climbing New Jersey guidebook includes information on bouldering at Sourland Mountain Reservation in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The areas described in the guidebook are on county park land. Recently, some climbers have begun climbing on some boulders off of Lindbergh Road. The property owner has serious reservations about people climbing on her land, and for the time being has stated that any climbers caught trespassing on her land will be arrested and prosecuted. Locals and the Access Fund are working with the owner to come up with a solution to this issue. For the time being, please do not access the boulders from Lindbergh Road. Please park in the parking lot and stay on the established trails in the park. Any boulders not described in the guidebook are likely on private land. 

3/18/02 Lincoln Woods, RI
The Good News:
In August 2001, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) proposed new "Park and Management Area Regulations" for all Rhode Island state parks and management areas. These regulations included the following statement regarding rock climbing: ""Rock climbing restricted to designated areas with official written permission. Participants must sign a liability waiver form. Designated areas for rock climbing are Lincoln Woods, Wickaboxet Management Area and Durfee Hill Management. Permits are available from the office at Lincoln Woods, Arcadia Headquarters and George Washington Headquarters." Prior to drafting these regulations, rock climbing was generally allowed at all parks and management areas, and a liability waiver was required to climb at Lincoln Woods, the most popular area in the state. Rhode Island isn't exactly a mecca for rock climbing, but there is climbing at several other state parks and management areas not covered in the regulations including Snake Den, Arcadia State Park, Burlingame Management area to name a few. The closing of these areas would have been a big loss to local climbers. Led by Brian Phillips and Joe McLoughlin, with input from many Appalachian Mountain Club members, the locals drafted a response letter which requested: 1) The permit or liability waiver requirement is not necessary; 2) In the alternative, DEM can make the permit or liability waiver requirement as unobtrusive as possible; and, 3) Any permit or waiver should cover all State Parks and Management Areas instead of just those designated areas mentioned in the Draft. The letter outlined the rationale and supporting statements for these requests. Joe McLoughlin and John McLean presented the climbers concerns and answered DEM questions at a public meeting in August. The meeting seemed to go well, and most of DEM's concerns were addressed.

In February 2002, DEM released the final "Park and Management Area Regulations" which states, "Rock climbing is permitted at state parks and management areas except at Fort Wetherill State Park." Despite losing access to Fort Wetherill, locals have almost unanimously called this final rule an overwhelming success. The locals coordinated, coherent, and civil responses to DEM's proposed regulations and questions went a long way toward a final rule which represented an almost best case scenario for the climbing community. Though a huge success has been achieved, the locals will continue to foster good relations with the state by act responsibly while climbing at state parks and management areas, and by organizing events like the annual Lincoln Woods cleanup day. Click here to check out a short video about the September 2001 cleanup day.

The Bad News:
     This past weekend the owners of the horse farm which abuts Lincoln Woods to the west approached a group of boulderers at the Horse Cave and requested that they not climb there anymore this season. Their horses will be grazing in the fields quite a bit in the next few months and  they were concerned about the horses being "spooked by weird colors & sounds in the woods." The owners said the boulder is on their land, but were polite and specifically noted that noone was being loud or rowdy. Out of respect for the owner's concerns, we request that climbers not climb at the Horse Cave until further notice. We will be talking with the owners and the park staff in the coming weeks to come to an agreeable solution to this matter.

11/18/01 Great Barrington, Massachusetts
     Parking at Great Barrington is growing more precarious due to recent home development on the switchback. Once the home is purchased all the parking at the switchback must stop. Before any access problems arise, local developers are asking that everyone park at the school off East street, shuttling people and pads at the top of the switchback. Access has been secure for over a year and we do not want to endanger this resource as well. GB is a great place and climbers can't afford to loose another area to crowds and parking problems.

11/15/01 Farley, Massachusetts
     With the explosive popularity of bouldering at access sensitive areas in Western Mass, a group of concerned climbers and boulderers are forming the Western Mass Climbers Coalition. While a mission statement and formal organization are in the early phase of development, the pressing access issue at Farley Ledges has prompted the group to ask for a voluntary cessation of bouldering at this area for the time being. Recent reports have land owners threatening to stop all bouldering activity at Farley. The Group is asking that people seek out the other fine areas with secured access for the time being (Pawtuckaway, The Gunks, Lincoln Woods, Rumney) until some negotiations and dialogue can be created between landowners, local government, and the climbers. Progress is expected to be slow, but it is hoped that by next season access to this fine area will be secured.

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