Promised Land Protection Project and Eastern MA LCO

[Tim McGivern]

Hi Lynn Woods climbers (on the list Jon made!),

I wanted to make you aware of an effort that a few folks including myself have begun to protect the remaining climbing within the Promised Land. If you aren't familiar with this area you can check it out on MP here: https://www.mountainproject.com/v/the-promised-land/107079848. There has been a lot of development in recent years that has taken what Pete Otis, Bob Parrot and company have done over the years and expanded it. It is really high quality climbing in there! Right now there are about 240 problems and routes logged in MP and the number keeps growing. Much of the land is either City of Peabody owned or Power Company owned. Over the last few years some of the boulders have been destroyed with the Gedney Drive subdivision project. There isn't anything we can do about that but what we'd like to protect the rest. The strategy I am working with now will likely require a Local Climbing Organization here in Eastern MA to work with the Access Fund. I've met with the City of Peabody and Cape Ann Climbing Coalition and will be meeting with Western MA Climbing Coalition and AMC next month. This project is in the early days and I"m asking for your help. All I need from you at this point is to put your name on my list and pass on the message to your own climbing network here in Massachusetts. Please see the email below the asterisks below and spread the word! Thanks everyone. Hope to see you out there!

Tim McGivern

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Dear Massachusetts Climber friend,

Massachusetts has seen a boom of climbing and bouldering development on the north and south side of Boston in recent years. Lynn Woods, Peabody, Milford, Gilbert Hills, and Cape Ann have all seen expansions in the volume of documented climbing available. I've personally been involved with the documentation and development of many of the areas in Lynn Woods and other wonderful spots in Peabody. With all this positive comes the inevitable negative. Some of this climbing is on state land, some is on municipal land, some is on private land, and all of it is subject to present and future potential access issues or even cliff/boulder destruction (we've seen this recently in Lynn and Peabody). Of course we also still have the well established crags like Quincy Quarries, College Rock, Black and White Rocks, Crow Hill, Hammond Pond, etc. that will need maintenance, and the continuing protection of access as the years press on. Plenty of work to do to protect what we love.

Massachusetts has also seen the successful rise of the Western Mass Climbing Coalition and most recently Cape Ann Climbing Coalition. These groups are incredibly important. They give one voice to the climbing community when dealing with matters of access, preservation, conservation, and agreements between other entities such as governments and land owners. These groups are the driving forces in protecting, acquiring, and maintaining the climbing areas we love. These are also the groups that can work with the Access Fund when the need arises. 

As someone who has lived and climbed in the Greater Boston area for almost 20 years I have seen and heard about a handful of groups such as AMC, MIT and Harvard advocate for climbing in Eastern MA; however, it is my opinion (and that of others as well) that a coalition is needed that can be a permanent group that is responsible for preserving, obtaining, and maintaining the dozens of crags and bouldering areas between Worcester and the Atlantic. This coalition will be comprised of climbers like you who want to be part of the Eastern MA climbing community and give back in a way that fits with their life whether it's attending annual cleanups, providing a donation for hardware replacements, or taking on a access project at a crag they love. Even being a name on a list is helpful! 

All YOU need to do at this point is two simple things:

1) If you are interested in being involved in or getting updates on an Eastern Massachusetts Climbing Coalition please send an email to tim.mc...@gmail.com with "Eastern MA LCO" in the subject line. (feel free to send your thoughts/suggestions/advice as well in the same email). 

2) Please help out this initial effort by sending this request to your climbing network who live and/or climb in Massachusetts! Thanks!

Thank you everyone!

Tim (tim.mc...@gmail.com)

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Timothy J. McGivern