Episode #21- Conservation Team National

The Climbing Advocate

My guests today are Loryn Posladek and Kyle Leihsing. Together they make up the Access Fund–Jeep National Conservation Team. As the national team, they are lucky enough to travel across the country for 10 months out of the year, stopping at many different climbing areas along the way to conduct trail work, educate climbers on sustainable trail use, and host tabling events at gyms and climbing festivals. Their current project involves working on an accessible/adaptive trail to a crag outside of Estes Park, Colorado. Working closely with adaptive climber Quinn Brett, they are aiming to set a standard for adaptive access on trails to climbing areas. Prior to their work in Estes, they were quarantined in Indian Creek for an extensive period of time, working on trails with the West Conservation Team with no volunteers! This speaks to the level of passion and dedication they have for caring for our nation’s climbing. The importance of volunteering and stewardship as a main pillar of Access Fund’s mission to “protect America’s climbing” is undeniable. They say that climbers should be drawn to a “higher calling” to be a steward and advocate for this sport. Otherwise, just as a trail is not permanent, neither is access to our beloved climbing areas. Stewardship can be interpreted in multiple ways, and getting out there and getting your hands dirty is just one of them. Enjoy! 0:23 – Current fieldwork 1:30 – Accessible/adaptive trail work 10:4 5– “Invisible” recreation management 12:56 – Team intros 15:21 – Defining stewardship 21:27 – Geographical differences in stewardship 23:44 – Managerial differences in stewardship 25:00 – Structural considerations for building trails 27:46 – Implications of COVID-19 on stewardship 33:44 – Being “guest facing” and interacting with climbers 39:34 – Importance of volunteering 44:00 – Operations of the national team vs. the regional teams 46:55 – The importance of stewardship in “protecting America’s climbing” Climbing Area Stewardship- https://www.accessfund.org/learn/for-advocates/climbing-area-stewardship Restoring Climbing Areas- https://www.accessfund.org/our-causes/sustainable-climbing-areas Can climbers have save the economy- https://www.accessfund.org/open-gate-blog/a-bold-plan-can-climbers-help-save-the-economy Idaho Conservation Corps- https://www.idahocc.org/ Rocky Mountain Conservancy- https://rmconservancy.org/