COR -- Central Oregon Rocks, Inc.

Justin Maurice Brown had some questions about COR and asked for a list of successes/failures. By scrolling down this page it would be possible to see some, but not all of our past projects. Here is an abbreviated list of what COR has done:

-(current) Negotiating with COTA and the USFS to make sure that new mountain bike trails avoid conflict with boulderers at Widgi and Widgi II. Four total on-site walk-throughs and re-flagging since 2013!

-Being an official non-profit voice for climbers with local land managers, focused primarily on bouldering areas

-Establishing and maintaining working relationships with the Bend-Fort Rock district and Sisters district of the USFS, the Prineville district of the BLM, Bend Metro Parks and Rec, and Central Oregon Irrigation District

-Represented climbers on the 2003 Deschutes National Forest user-group travel management consortium, making sure roads remained open to many bouldering areas and small crags

-Construction and maintenance of parking area/user trails/signage at Widgi boulders (since 2000)

-Coordinating annual spring cleanups/Adopt-a-Crag at Widgi

-Meadow Camp Adopt-a-Crag/trail improvement 2013

-Negotiating for (tenuous!) continued climbing access at Whychus Creek during the creation of the new Wild and Scenic River management plan:http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5363785.pdf

-Negotiating for best-case scenario management plan/climbing access at Trout Creek with BLM, featured in Oregon Field Guide on OPB: http://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/hidden-beauty-the-palisades-of-trout-creek/

-Negotiating official access for climbers for the first time ever at The Depot (Central Oregon Irrigation District and BMP&R), now taken for granted!

-Trail construction to bouldering areas at Whychus Creek

-Discovery and careful, sustainable development of the following local bouldering areas: Arrowhead (2000), The Outback (2003), The Mesa (2004), The Overlook (2005), The Unlikely Boulders (2005), The Twilight Zone (2013), The Bend Boulders (2013), The Cardinal Boulders (2014), as well as first ascent contributions to many other areas.

-Annually run a COR/Access Fund project at Smith Rock Spring Thing

-Coordinating the first ever official climbing stewardship projects on the BLM portion of Smith Rock (Marsupials) in spring and fall 2014, and twice in spring of 2015.

-Championing the long-standing Bend bouldering vibe of low key, leave no trace, and don't spray on the internet!

News Flash: COR Vice President Eric Sorenson gets some well-deserved recognition from the Access Fund:

Each year Access Fund recognizes outstanding local climbing advocates through our Sharp End Awards. It’s my honor to inform you that Access Fund is presenting you with a Reese Martin Award for your outstanding efforts as a Regional Coordinator to preserve and protect the climbing environment. We are honored to recognize your many years of work to protect and steward central Oregon climbing! On behalf of all of us, thank you for your service as a Regional Coordinator, and for your contributions to the climbing community.

We’ll be publicizing the Sharp End awards across national climbing media outlets in the next week. We’ll also be announcing them through our own web outlets and in our upcoming Vertical Times newsletter. All awardees receive a sandstone plaque as well. You’ll receive that in the mail in the next few weeks.

Eric, thank you again for your work and commitment to climbing access. I am always proud to describe the example you’ve set in central Oregon to other local climbing advocates and organizations. We look forward to doing more good work with you in the years to come.

Sincerely,

Zachary Lesch-Huie
Southeast Regional Director & National Affiliate Director | Access Fund
Cell: 828-545-7362

Right now, roughly 1 in 5 climbing areas in the U.S. are threatened by access issues.

Be a part of the solution with myAccessFund.

One of the nice new spur trails: this one goes to the Ice Age bouldering zone

Here is some food for thought about bouldering impacts in Bishop (these guidelines apply here too):

Your Help Needed to Address Impact Issues at Bishop

The Bishop area is seeing more and more climbers every year as its popularity continues to grow. Increased use is causing concern for sensitive cultural and natural resources, especially in the Tableland area north of Bishop. The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Bishop Field Office is calling on the climbing community to help protect these resources and to ensure continued climbing access. We need your help to answer the call.

Climbers can drastically reduce impacts at Bishop by educating themselves and by following some simple guidelines:

Pack out all trash (including micro trash like wrappers, cigarette butts, etc.) And if you see other people’s trash, pack that out too! Leave Bishop a cleaner place than you found it.
Take care of business responsibly. P**p happens. Try to do your business in an established toilet. If you can’t make it to one, use a wag bag or deposit solid human waste in a cathole 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, boulders, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished. Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products. In climbing areas, pack out dog waste.
Campfires need to be in an approved fire ring or fire pan, and must be permitted. California Campfire Permits are available from most Cal Fire, BLM, and Forest Service offices. If you don’t have a permit or the correct set-up, skip the fire and sit under the stars instead.
Travel only on existing roads and trails and park only in existing parking lots. In the Happy and Sad’s, use the lower parking areas. Carpool whenever you can.
Watch where you’re tossing your crash pad. Sensitive vegetation and soils around your project can easily be damaged if you’re not careful where you’re stomping.
Preserve the tableland by camping in one of the many campgrounds available in the area. Try checking out the Pleasant Valley Pit Campground.
Respect wildlife. A pile of sticks covered in “whitewash” may be a hawk, eagle, or owl’s nest. Please don’t disturb nests.
Respect each other. Keep yelling, music, and beta-spray to a minimum. Also, make sure your dog is under your immediate control and not bothering neighboring climbing parties.