Minute Minutes 11/30/2021

Present - Board

Jeff

Tom

Nick

Eric

JC

Mick

Jen

Ben

Guests

George

1. Discussion on the goals for this meeting

Goals to accomplish

• Mick

  • Mission Statement - what should we be focusing on?

  • Communication - out and back, and within

  • Document what the climbing community at large feels is the ethic in the area for development.

• Nick

  • Better communication as a board vs. email conversations on deep topics; email communication is not sufficient for complicated topics

• Jen

  • Doesn’t want voice lost in the conversation, particularly in email exchanges

• Jeff

  • Have a discussion

• Tom

  • Set up regular meetings

• Eric

  • Lack of communication and things getting lost.

2. Marlow, past and future.

a. updates from the workshop organizers and the Monadnock Conservancy (Tom, Jeff)

• From MC - Group (clinic organizers) did the same summary to MC that they did for us. Ryan and Rick didn’t feel they had gone beyond any of the points they had discussed ahead of time.

• One point of contention is the land boundary. There is a little bit of lack of clarity along the cliff at Dark Tower.

• Rick felt everything that was done is on the MC property.

• Tom sent a letter to the abutting landowner and voicemails.

• Jeff’s conversation with Dolci -

  • They are having an AMC meeting tomorrow. After that meeting they will provide an official response to some of the concerns.

  • After the first walk through in July. They weren’t considering the lower crag after that.

  • During the clinic 29 new bolts were installed at Marlow upper crag.

b. should the practice anchor stay or be removed

• Nick made motion to keep practice anchor. Tom second. 5 voted in favor. Jeff added to add quick links to these to make them the same as the rest of the top anchors

c. what is the style of climbing that we should be supporting in this area

• Revisit the crag profiles we started a long time ago. Get member involvement with surveys etc. Eric and JC: if good removable gear protection is available, then don’t add bolts. Mick: tread as lightly as possible; use yellow hangars for “mixed” bolted and trad routes.

d. does anyone propose that some of the newly installed bolts on the Sunny Slab

climbs be removed.

• Tom made a motion to leave them. Jeff seconds. unanimous.

3. Kroka donation (Tom)

$150 was donated

4. Better communication ideas

5. Status of various projects: Hewes anchors, Cheese Cut status, Bears Den, others?

Concerns

• The program was presented as work would be done at Dark Tower but that didn’t happen, it was all at the upper cliff.

• We should communicate with the CAPS program that they should document the work they do so that it is clear in the future what is done and what existed and what came after. As per Dolci in conversation with Jeff A, the clinic organizers submitted a proposal that was “approved” by MC and MCA, and that they followed the proposal.

• Concerned about the low bar set in the advertising for the route development. As per Dolci in conversation with Jeff A, all but two or three clinic participants had outdoor leading experience.

Other points

• George will do the dark tower work. Rob has offered to do the work too.

• Trees dying at Hughes, George is concerned they are an imminent hazard and should be addressed. What are the next steps?

• Where does our role as facilitator start and end with relation to land owners and other organizations.

• Part of the MCA’s organizational goal should be to make climbing in the area sustainable.