Join us to celebrate Ontario climbing at the 3rd annual Beaver Valley Climbing Festival (BVCF) on July 11!

Sign up here! Registration site now live.

For the first time, all 4 Beaver Valley Crags will be part of the fun. Never been to Devils Glen, Old Baldy or The Swamp? Here is your chance to visit! Each cliff will have an on-site greeter to answer your questions. Clinics will also be offered at all four crags by The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC), On the Rocks Climbing Guides, Free Spirit Tours, Overhang Adventures Inc. and Zen Climb.

OAC members who attend the BVCF will receive a new FREE Old Baldy interpretive guide to celebrate our most recent access win!!!

Your $40 festival ticket includes Saturday night camping, dinner and evening festivities. Dinner and evening festivities start at 4:30 p.m. at the Rob Roy Dog Farm.

Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. on the farm – for those wanting to get there bright and early, camping is available the night of Friday, July 10 for only $10 per person. For Directions, information and registration with clinics visit the BVCF website.

The 3^rd annual Beaver Valley Climbing Festival is brought to you by our headline sponsors ON the Rocks Climbing Guides, Climbers Corner and Boulderz Climbing Centre. Major Sponsors include Mountain Equipment Coop, ACC – Toronto Section, True North Climbing, The Landscape Company, Creative Paradox and Living Balance. There will be prizes up for grabs from many climbing industry leaders. For a complete list visit BVCF sponsors.

As always, all festival proceeds help support the OAC’s efforts in securing and maintaining access to Ontario Crags, to help you send your projects.

Don’t miss out! Come out and meet, play and party!

http://www.beavervalleyclimbingfestival.com/

The OAC invites all members to partake in our 2015 annual general meeting on June 22, 2015. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions about the organization and our on-going projects in addition to sharing your input on the future direction of the OAC.

The meeting will be held at Boulderz Climbing Centre – Etobicoke (80 The East Mall Unit #9, Etobicoke, ON) on Monday June 22nd at 7 PM.

To be eligible to vote at the AGM, one is required to be a member of the Ontario Access Coalition. To allow for the processing of new members, please ensure applications are submitted prior to June 5th. Please visit our membership page at www.ontarioaccesscoalition.com/join for further details.

The OAC is very interested in increasing its capacity by attracting new ideas, leadership, and energy. At this meeting, we will elect three members to the Board of Directors (all for a two-year term). As always, we are also looking for portfolio managers and general volunteers. While members can be nominated to the Board at the AGM, any nominations submitted by June 5th will have their profiles distributed to the membership in advance. This will facilitate a structured voting process. Interested members are encouraged to contact the OAC in advance.

Potential board members should have:
– An interest in (learning about) outdoor climbing access issues in Ontario
– A varied skill set with a self-starter attitude
– A positive, proactive team-based approach to problem solving

As a board member the individual will:
– Attend bi-monthly board meetings
– Lead projects and/or access portfolios
– Participate in developing and executing the OAC’s strategic goals

Further details will be provided to members 14 days prior to the AGM. If you do not receive notification by email, please send us a note ( info@ontarioaccesscoalition.com ).

Climbing at Cape Croker, which is private land, has traditionally been tolerated, and climbers have enjoyed visiting the surrounding area and the campground. We recently learned that climbing at Cape Croker is closed this year. We are in negotiations with the landowners—the Chippewas of the Nawash Unceded First Nation. For now, please respect the closure. Do not climb at Cape Croker until further notice. Disrespect of closures during negotiations hinders the OAC’s efforts.

On Saturday May 2, a few OAC members, the Friends of the Niagara Glen, and local Niagara community members got a chance to directly support the Niagara Glen community in a local reforestation project and learn about the benefits of trees, shade, and green urban spaces. As a result of its strong partnership with Forests Ontario, the Niagara Parks Commission has greatly expanded its tree planting program. In 2014, over 30,000 new trees were planted in the Park, including the restoration of over nine hectares (24 acres) at the Legends on the Niagara Golf Course Complex. In 2015, NPC intends to plant an additional 40,000 new trees and seedlings on the over 1,300 hectares of property it is entrusted to protect.

As a bonus, the OAC got to talk with those interested in learning more about the amazing bouldering opportunities within the Niagara Glen. Overall, it was beautiful sunny day that showcases how teamwork between the NPC and other area stakeholders can benefit the natural environment.

We are happy to answer your questions to the best of our abilities. Today we’d like to share answers to couple of questions that were posted on a climbing forum. Got more questions? Use the Contact tab (on your left) to ask. We’ll answer.

1) The $6000 that was handed over from the Beaver Valley Climbing Festival in 2014 was earmarked for a parking lot at Devil’s Glen. What’s the status?

The parking lot project at Devil’s Glen is a long term project. As with much of the Escarpment, change generally involves several different management groups coming together to agree on a particular item. Generally projects of this nature take time and resources. The OAC will continue to champion this project with park management.

2) The Swamp Study. The MNR undertook a major study last year to look at environmental impact. What’s the status? How was the money we donated used?

The data collection portion of the Environmental Study was completed last year. Thank you to those who donated their money and time to help collect data. Initial feedback looks positive. The MNR and OAC are waiting for the study’s completion and will work together to create an appropriate management plan at that time.

3) Old Baldy: Last post indicated that OAC had raised $130,000 to purchase land at Old Baldy. Has the rest been raised? (the sale price was listed at $290,000) What’s the status? What about permits?

The transaction has completed and has been announced on our Facebook page, our website, Gripped’s website, ontarioclimbing.com and print media. The OAC and the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority are working towards the next steps which will include installing proper signage, etc. Information regarding permits will be released very shortly.

4) 2015 Beaver Valley Climbing Festival: Dates have been announced, looks like at least $5000 has been pledged so far, with proceeds to the OAC. What’s the money going toward? Who is covering the insurance? (it sounds like Free Spirit Tours isn’t covering it this year…)

The OAC will be running the BVCF this year with significant help from On the Rocks. Details will be forthcoming. Discussions regarding insurance are not relevant given the change in this year’s format. This will be an exciting year with a new format and use of the Beaver Valley’s four big crags. We encourage everyone to attend the climbing festival and meet your neighbours.

On May 2nd, local climbers worked with Conservation Halton to make the OAC’s annual Crag Stewardship Day happen. Over 60 eager stewards gathered under beautiful sunny skies at Rattlesnake Point Conversation Area to help eradicate the invasive alien species garlic mustard, and to help clean up the area.

Brenda, Conservation Halton ecologist, helped participants learn to identify the vile weed and understand its nefarious effects. She described its invasion tactics in great detail: its roots emit a chemical that inhibits the growth of other species, like trilliums. Climbers can help by picking garlic mustard before it drops its seeds. Conservation Halton staff have been pleased to observe that our continued efforts have made an impact on the garlic mustard problem. This was further reinforced by one participant, who commented on the noticeable reduction in the area we have been working on, after not having participated in last year’s event.

After a few hours of work, filling the back of a truck with bags of garlic mustard, the participants gathered for a free barbecue courtesy of the OAC. Everyone ate their fill of hamburgers, hotdogs and fresh salads. While lunch digested, the OAC presented our past successes (Old Baldy purchase) and ongoing projects (the upcoming Beaver Valley Climbing Festival). As further thanks to the participants, we raffled a pile of great prizes. Prize sponsors included Mountain Equipment Co-op, The Toronto Section of the Alpine Club of Canada, Conservation Halton, The Rock Oasis, Columbia Sportswear, Outland Adventure Gear, and Ice Climbing Team Canada. Some lucky winners even walked away with OAC T-shirts!

Conversation Halton has been a decades-long supporter of rock climbing and of the OAC since its inception. Other land managers and conservation authorities in the province look at the model of our great relationship in crafting their own management plans. This annual event is a great way for climbers to give back, and say thank you to Conservation Halton for their continued support. Once again, thanks to climbers for helping out, and we look forward to the 2016 Crag Stewardship Day!