The OAC will be attending the 2011 National Access and Stewardship Conference hosted by the Access Fund. This year’s conference is in Golden, Colorado and runs from Friday, September 30 to Sunday, October 2. The conference represents a great opportunity to network, learn and provide insight into facilitating climbing access in Ontario. The OAC is able to attend this conference thanks to financial support from two great organizations.
The OAC has been awarded funding to attend the conference from the Access Fund and Mountain Equipment Co-op. The Access Fund is the national advocacy organization that keeps U.S. climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. Founded in 1991, the Access Fund supports and represents over 2.3 million climbers nationwide in all forms of climbing: rock, ice, mountaineering, and bouldering. www.theaccessfund.org
Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC) has stepped forward with additional funding to support our representation at the conference. A familiar retailer to most climbers, MEC’s support has been instrumental in helping climbing access in Ontario. www.mec.ca
Attending on behalf of the OAC is Director, Renu Monica Chattha. Renu’s work with the OAC has kept popular crags in the Beaver Valley/Collingwood area open and promoted climbing as eco-tourism in Grey, Bruce and Sauble counties. The OAC would like to sincerely thank the Access Fund, MEC and Renu for making this possible.
The 2011 National Access & Stewardship Summit presentations will cover a range of topics, including stewardship and education, local support and mobilization, land conservation, and public policy. The educational summit brings activists and volunteers together to learn about ways to preserve access to places we love and protect them for future generations. To learn more about the summit follow the link below.
http://www.accessfund.org/site/c.tmL5KhNWLrH/b.7553843/k.C86A/2011_National_Access__Stewardship_Summit.htm