October 21, 2006 was a very busy day for the Gunks Climbers' Coalition and volunteers. At 10:00am at the Peter's Kill section of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, over 20 volunteers gathered for the annual Adopt-A-Crag day Access Fund event, organized locally by the Gunks Climbers' Coalition.
The park dumped piles of mulch which the volunteers spread out with wheelbarrows and rakes among the entrance trail to the cliff. Logs were moved around to form a definitive border to the trail. Then we spread out all over the area to collect micro-trash. One volunteer found a valuable piece of litter - a purple camelot! The 4 youngest volunteers, ages 9 through 12, got into a contest with each other on who could collect the most micro-trash and had to be forcibly dragged from their quest to eat lunch! We had a delicious pot-luck lunch of all kinds of delicious foods, and then split into various groups to go climbing, free for the day, at Peter's Kill.
But the day wasn't over yet! At 6:00pm, the Gunks Climbers' Coalition had a meeting to vote on the new by-laws, and at 7:00pm, we hosted a slide show by Eric Hörst. First Chris Spatz and Bob O'Brien gave a quick update on the exciting projects the GCC is actively working on trying to gain access to, including opening more cliff areas to climbing in Minnewaska and a world-class bouldering area in Rosendale. Then Eric took the stage, first with a slide show of his climbing adventures around the world, then a primer on "Training for Climbing", his area of expertise and subject of books that he's authored. Afterwards, the GCC had a terrific raffle for everyone who attended, giving away 3 Cilogear backpacks, books and CDs from Eric, and other climbing gear and tshirts.
It was a fun filled productive and educational evening, and the GCC thanks all who volunteered, especially Eric Hörst for his generous donation of time and expertise.
This year's annual Access Fund / Gunks Climbers Coalition Adopt-a-Crag event was a meaningful success and we at Minnewaska State Park Preserve would like to thank the participants. Both the young and the not so old came out in force to support the future of climbing. The group again performed some long term improvements to the Peters Kill Climbing Area.
The 40 meter entrance way to the cliff was in desperate need of bedding material and the spreading of chips by the crew will aid in keeping the area dry on wet days alleviating the widening of the trail by those avoiding the mud.
At first a few of the group thought the idea of collecting micro-trash was a bit silly, but I feel this second half of the project produced the result we were looking for. This half of the work day was a sort of treasure hunt beneath and above the cliffs as well as in the parking area. The treasure was not. What was found was over five pounds of micro-trash collecting in small pockets. By micro-trash I mean that small piece of shiny stuff that catches the eye and takes away from the visiting climbers overall experience. Some of this stuff was really tiny and most of it had been here since the 60's and 70's. Of course the occasional bottle and plastic objects were also collected but not weighed.
As each year passes the efforts of the GCC and the volunteers who come out to help in this national effort continue to impress us here at the park and we are sure has a positive and lasting effect on the visiting and local climbers.
Thanks to all of you, job well done!
Bob O'Brien
Robert T. O'Brien
Research / Invasive Species Management
NY OPRHP Environmental Management Bureau
Minnnewaska State Park Preserve
P.O. Box 893
New Paltz, NY 12561
845.255.0752 / 0753
Robert.O'Brien@oprhp.state.ny.us