Great News for Rock Climbers in the U.S.A.
A new act was just passed by the House which aims to protect access to the American outdoors
Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the EXPLORE (Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences) Act with “overwhelming bipartisan support.” The House passed the act on April 9, it now goes to the Senate.
National Park Service director Chuck Sams before the act passed that it “will help provide a consistent process for installing new or replacing existing fixed anchors in wilderness and ensure that we are managing these important areas for the benefit of current and future generations.” And Matt Wade, executive director of the American Mountain Guides Association, said: “The EXPLORE Act includes provisions that will remove old roadblocks to access and enable more Americans to experience the joys of rock climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing on America’s public lands.”
The legislation aims to support and expand efforts to broaden access to the outdoors in the U.S.A, including climbing on public land. According to the EXPLORE Act one-pager, the outdoor user economic impact includes: $1 trillion annual gross economic output, five million jobs, and 2.2 per cent of the overall GDP.
Access Fund executive director Heather Thorne released the following statement in response: “I applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bipartisan recreation package that benefits climbers, our public lands, local communities, and all of us who love recreating and spending time in nature. And I urge the Senate to build on this momentum by quickly passing America’s Outdoor Recreation Act so that President Biden can sign legislation protecting sustainable Wilderness climbing access into law.” To learn what else you can do to protect sustainable Wilderness climbing, read What’s Next for Wilderness Climbing by the Access Fun here.
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