Owning Up to Your Area
(5 tips for climbers' advocacy)

Tips to help you organize your local posse of climbers.

You've got buddies, you've got pads, you've got beer... but how do you move from being a small group of hardcore climbers to an effective climbing advocacy group for your favorite area?
Here are tips from successful climbing advocacy group leaders:

1. Start a climbing forum.  The World Wide Web is not only great for surfing while you are at work (come on, you all do it), but you can easily keep your group informed and pass on information effectively and efficiently.
2. Hold Meetings in Cool Locations. Climbing shops and gyms, brew pubs, climbing industry warehouses, bowling alleys, even the local crag all make for fun places to meet. Libraries and town halls can be a buzz kill.
3. Host a Clean-up.  Connect with a land manager who is concerned about impacts at a particular crag, and work with them to organize a stewardship project. Nothing brings out new members and the media like a well organized and fun trail project or crag clean-up.  Register your event as an Adopt-a-Crag and find resources and tips on how to make your event a success at www.accessfund.org/adopt.
4. Involve a Broad Spectrum of Climbers.  Represent the entire climbing community, from beginners to experts, boulderers to bigwallers, as long as they support the purpose of the group.
5. Emphasize Responsible Bouldering and a Commitment to Stewardship Ethics.  Do only what you gotta do to send, and let others have a similar experience..