The Access Fund is pleased to report that this fine climbing area is now open and access will be preserved under a purchase agreement which will make Foster Falls part of South Cumberland State Park. This agreement was concluded in January, after several years of negotiations. A major letter-writing campaign organized by the Southeast Climbers Coalition (SECC) and the Access Fund played a significant role in convincing Mead Paper Corporation to donate its timber rights on the 500-acre property--a condition required by the state before it would acquire the land.
Jim Prince, the former owner of Foster Falls, has been friendly to climbers, and publicly expressed his wish that the area be kept open to climbing. Prince praised the SECC and the Access Fund for providing support throughout the negotiating process, and Mead Paper's agreement to quit-claim its logging rights over to the state.
The acquisition of Foster Falls has broad public and environmental benefits. The property includes a portion of the famous Fiery Gizzard Trail, one of the most popular hikes in the South, and its scenic value is important to the adjoining Small Wild Area owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority and operated by the state, which features a scenic overlook, picnic area, and campground. Cavers are active at Foster Falls, and there are some archaeological sites and an old-growth forest in the Foster Falls gorge.
SECC and Access Fund representatives toured Foster Falls with state parks officials on March 2 to determine what trail work and other improvements are needed at the site. The Access Fund has pledged to help fund trail construction, erosion rehabilitation, and other climber-support projects as needed here.
Located near Chattanooga, Foster Falls features more than a hundred quality routes on the golden sandstone which has made the Cumberland Plateau famous among climbers. The area's incorporation into the state park will be celebrated in a dedication ceremony sometime this spring. The campground serving this area will be open as of April 15. For more information, contact Regional Coordinator Truly Bracken at 404.874.8391.
Society Turn Crag, Telluride,CO
Thanks to the foresight of local climbers and the philanthropy of a land developer, the Access Fund will add yet another parcel of land to its growing portfolio of property holdings.
Access Fund board member Chris Archer announced in January that the Access Fund will accept a donation of land near Telluride known as the Society Turn Crag, pending review of environmental conditions at the site. This area has been popular with local climbers for years, and is used frequently for group instruction.
The Access Fund first became aware of the Society Turn Crag two years ago, when Telluride climber Steve Johnson (responsible for drafting the management plan which will open Bridalveil Falls to ice climbers) learned that a land swap between Aldasoro Development Corporation and the US Forest Service would include the crag. Johnson alerted the Access Fund, then facilitated a dialogue between Aldasoro and the Access Fund.
New Access and Acquisitions Director Rick Thompson has taken the lead in negotiating for the Access Fund on the donation of the Society Turn Crag. Thompson reported that donation of the 30-acre parcel should be completed by April of this year, and complimented Aldasoro for its support of outdoor recreation and Telluride residents' interests.
Howard's Knob, NC
By February of 1995, Joey Henson, from Boone, North Carolina, dared hope his work was nearing completion. After all, he'd been calling, faxing, writing, copying and otherwise cajoling people for two years to support the Watauga High Country Land Trust in its efforts to preserve the Howard's Knob boulders from development. Students from Appalachian State University had gotten behind the Land Trust; so had many Boone residents. The Access Fund got involved, paid $2500 for an appraisal of the land, and helped initiate contact with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which also joined forces with the Land Trust. When the land developer who had bought Howard's Knob refused to sell the land for a price close to its appraised value, many felt it was just a matter of time before he would accede to the groundswell of local preservationism.
But a deal arranged by TPL and the Watauga Land Trust, which would have used a portion of university student fees to make up the difference between the owner's asking price and the appraised value of Howard's Knob recently fell through. A university referendum to authorize the allocation of student funds for this purpose was held in the beginning of February but failed to pass. So Henson, the Land Trust, and all its supporters are back to looking for a large grant or other major funding to enable the Howard's Knob acquisition.
What is it about Howard's Knob that has generated such fervent support for preserving the area? According to bouldering maven John Sherman, Howard's Knob is one of the finest bouldering areas in the country. The boulders sit atop a beautiful ridge overlooking Boone which is thus far unsullied by development. Dale Allen, director of TPL's Southeast Regional Office, called the area "environmentally significant and important to the public interest."
The Watauga Land Trust, the Access Fund, and TPL have pledged to continue to raise money and negotiate for eventual purchase of the property.
If you or someone you know would like to make a tax-deductible contribution of land or real estate to the Access Fund, contact our Access and Acquisitions Director Rick Thompson at 412.452.8004.