Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition
 |
|
| Local Climbing Orgization | |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Eastern Kentucky, United States |
|
Area served
|
Red River Gorge Region |
| Members | 500+ |
| Website | rrgcc.org |
The Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition (RRGCC) is an advocacy group for rock climbers in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Through relationships with local stakeholders and climbers from all over the world, the RRGCC has worked hard to maintain sustainable access throughout one of the world's top climbing destinations.
The Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition was founded by local climbers Shannon Stuart-Smith and Kris Snyder in November 1996 as a local climber's advocacy group to protect climbing at the Red River Gorge. Rock climbing in the Red River Gorge area had originally occurred primarily on the public lands of Daniel Boone National Forest and was therefore subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. In 1996 the Forest Service issued for the first time ever a Rock Climbing Management Guide for the Red River area. This guide, or RCMG, was viewed negatively by climbers. As a direct result of the issuance of the RCMG, Shannon and Kris decided to form a climbers' coalition to champion climbers' interests and to try to improve relations between the Forest Service and climbers. Their main concern was twofold, re-writing the RCMG to include climbers' input and thereby "improving" it and educating and empowering climbers to ensure the long-term future of climbing.
Today the RRGCC has grown to a several hundred member-strong, all volunteer, advocacy group that continues to work with the US Forest Service on ensuring access to climbing in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The Coalition has also expanded its efforts to include working with the Natural Bridge State Park, and many local private land owners as well. The RRGCC's main focus has been from its inception, protection and promotion of responsible climbing. This goal has taken many forms, from building environmentally friendly climber trails to popular crags, to articles in its quarterly newsletter on top-rope safety. Climbing continues to grow in popularity and change, and so do the issues surrounding it. For people to continue to enjoy the freedom to climb on public and private land, innovative and creative solutions will have to be sought. On February 7, 2000 the Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition and the U.S. Forest Service signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The signing of this MOU represents a significant breakthrough for Red River Gorge climbers and the Forest Service after years of skepticism, mistrust, and alienation.
...
Wikipedia