On Friday September 15, OAC volunteers met with Ontario Parks to perform a walkthrough at Devil's Glen to help OP better understand how climbers use the park. Regular discussions and interactions are key as we move towards our goal of establishing climbing access in the parks. We thank the community for helping us get this far in our #SaveOntarioClimbing campaign -- we couldn't have done it without you. Throughout this week, we will be awarding prizes to participants of our letter writing campaign! Anyone who has already submitted a letter is automatically entered into our draws, provided you sent a letter via our website or CCed climbinparks@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca. And if you haven't sent a letter yet, this is your reminder to do so now! Link in bio 🔗 📸 @willtam85 #ontario #climbing #access

We're thrilled to confirm that the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has removed the No Climbing signs at Devil's Glen! This move is a huge step forward for climbing access, and evidence of the Ministry's willingness to explore options to provide rock climbing opportunities for the community. We thank @davidpiccini and the MECP for hearing us, and we thank you -- the community -- for participating in our #SaveOntarioClimbing campaign! Where does this leave the status of access at Devil's Glen? Climbing access has reverted to the status it had before the signs went up this May: climbing is not yet an official permitted use of the park, but it is tolerated by Ontario Parks. The next steps to make climbing an official permitted use of the park will take place over the coming months, with site assessments and public consultations to be scheduled. We need you to stay active and involved to help see this through! We are keeping the #SaveOntarioClimbing letter campaign going, in order to maintain momentum with the movement and ensure that all voices in the community are heard. We have updated the letter to send to David Piccini at www.ClimbInParks.ca, to acknowledge and thank them for the progress to date. If you have NOT yet sent a letter, please do so now! Link in bio 🔗 It is not necessary to resend this letter if you already sent one with the original content, BUT you are welcome to send again, or write the Minister a thank you email if you like 🙂 Here's what you can do: - Stay tuned for the public consultation periods - Continue to be good stewards of the land everywhere (as always!) - Enjoy climbing at Devil's Glen once again 😁 - If you know anyone who still hasn't sent a letter, encourage them to do so! #ontario #climbing #access #devilsglen 🧗‍♀️ @mtyc__

A big part of access is protecting the lands we recreate on. Mother Nature provides us with a playground, and it's up to us to keep her clean and minimize our impact so that we can enjoy the outdoors for years to come. Since 2020, we have been organizing porta potty installation and servicing at the Metcalfe parking lot. These porta potties serve everyone at Metcalfe -- climbers, hikers, and cyclists alike! And we've been keeping the crag much cleaner as a result. Porta potty service cost $2400 for the season. Please consider making a donation to support this initiative! We'd like to recoup costs so that we can continue to finance crag improvements, and fight for climbing access on an ongoing basis. Donations can be made at the link in our bio. 🔗 Thank you, more to come soon! #ontario #climbing #access #metcalfe #fundraiser #donate

THANK YOU!!! 🙏 Minister David Piccini and The Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks (which oversees Ontario Parks) have read your letters! In a recent meeting with the OAC, the ministry had this to share: • The Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks is exploring options to provide rock climbing opportunities at Devil’s Glen and Lion’s Head Provincial Parks. Over the coming months, the province will be conducting site assessments and evaluations of the site, and will engage with local municipal partners, Indigenous communities, and the public as part of the planning process. • By exploring options to provide rock climbing opportunities at Devil’s Glen and Lion’s Head Provincial Parks, the ministry is protecting natural areas, promoting the importance of healthy, green spaces, and increasing sustainable outdoor recreational opportunities for future generations to use and enjoy. For more information, please contact Greg Wilson, Southwest Zone Manager, Ontario Parks by email at Greg.Wilson2@ontario.ca or by phone 519-873-4616. This declaration of willingness to explore options to provide rock climbing opportunities is a win for conservation, recreational opportunity, economic opportunity, and for our communities. We've all come together over the past few months to show our strength in numbers, our passion for the outdoors, and our determination to keep public spaces open to all -- and the ministry is listening! We have you to thank for it -- every person who has signed a letter, helped out with in-person campaigning, raised awareness on social media, and spoken with the media outlets has made an impact on Ontario climbing access. This is a great step in the right direction but our job isn't done quite yet. We need you to stay active and involved until our goals of climbing in provincial parks are achieved. Here’s what you can do: Stay tuned for the public consultation periods. We will need you to participate and reiterate your voice and support for allowing climbing. Continue respecting the existing closures. Continue to be good stewards of the land everywhere (as always!).

While we fight to allow climbing in Ontario Parks, it's important to take care of the climbing areas we are permitted to use. That means respecting the space and the rules that may apply in those spaces. The Turtle is a crag that's been graciously offered for use by a private land owner. A condition of that use is that we limit the number of people by way of a permit system. The Turtle was closed to climbing access from October 2018 until October 2021 because people were not obeying the land owner's wishes. You *MUST* have a valid permit to climb at the Turtle, or we will lose access to this crag. We are aware of climbers exceeding these limitations at the Turtle. If you encounter more climbers at the Turtle than are permitted, please inform the other parties about the reservation process and the risk they pose to the area. We do not have the ability to enforce the limitations regularly -- this crag is often operated on an honour system. Please do not abuse it. If climber presence becomes problematic at the Turtle, it is likely that the course of action taken will be to shut down the crag once more. If we cannot self-regulate as a community, we will lose access. Please help keep access open. If permits are not available for the Turtle, there is tons of excellent climbing next door at Nemo! This photo taken by @jesse.climbs of Dillon was taken there -- there are so many fun lines to be done! #ontario #climbing #access #turtlecrag

Need something to listen to while you sip your morning cup of coffee tomorrow? ☕ Tune in to CBC Radio to catch us talking about our #SaveOntarioClimbing campaign! We'll be broadcast on channels across the province, including: London, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and CBC Metro Mornings on CBC Radio One. We're moving closer to reaching our goal of 3000 letters, but still have a ways to go! Thank you to the more than 2000 people who've sent a letter so far 🙏 Can you help us with the final stretch?? Sign your letter now! Link in bio. 🔗 #ontario #climbing #access @cbcnews @cbctoronto @cbckw891 @cbclondonont @cbcwindsor @cbcthunderbay @cbcsudbury