Gunks Annual GCC Members BBQ 5/7/2016

The Gunks Climbers' Coalition Annual Members Only BBQ will be held at the Mohonk Preserve visitors center on May 7th starting at 5PM. This is a great event and new members are always welcome!

To become a member of the GCC join the Access Fund and Choose Gunks Climbers' Coalition as your local affiliate. You will be supporting two great organizations at once!

Click here to join the Access Fund and GCC

Click here to renew your membership

Click here to register for the BBQ

Also, Friday night of the BBQ weekend the GCC will be showing the film The Citadel at Rock & Snow. Free for GCC members, otherwise a $5 donation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9gC9zpmh9I

Really cool!

Bump for...

Friday Night (May 6th) 8PM screening of the Citadel at Rock & Snow

Saturday Night (May 7th) 5PM-8PM GCC Members BBQ at the Mohonk Preserve Visitors Center.

If you are not a member, you can become a member by joining the Access Fund and choosing the GCC as your local affiliate.

Are you ready to party??? The Gunks Climbers' Coalition welcomes in the 2016 Gunks climbing season with our annual spring members-only BBQ on May 7th at 5pm. The event is free for GCC members, which includes food and drinks, and you can join or renew your membership at the event.

To get or renew a joint membership with the Access Fund and Gunks Climbers' Coalition, join the Access Fund for an annual membership fee of $35 and check the box on the form that you want to "become a Joint Member with my participating Local Climbing Organization for an additional $15 and select the Gunks Climbers' Coalition in the drop-down box. Or join at our Citadel movie event the night before on May 6th at Rock and Snow, or at the BBQ for a discounted rate of $35 for membership in both the Access Fund and the GCC!

The event will be held at the Mohonk Preserve Visitors Center.

PLEASE RSVP here on Eventbrite so we know how much food and drink to purchase for the event.

Come and hear about our upcoming projects, mingle with fellow climbers, eat, drink and be merry in a beautiful setting!

FAQs
Do I have to join?
Yes, this is a members only event to help raise funds for the Access Fund and Gunks Climbers' Coalition.

Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?
You must be 21 years old to drink alcohol. Bring ID.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?
gcc@gunksclimbers.org

Can I bring my children?
Children under 12 accompanied by their GCC member parent can attend for free.

When
Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Where
Mohonk Preserve Visitors Center - 3197 U.S. 44, Gardiner, NY 12525

RSVP through Eventbrite here!

Last year's BBQ

Sort of hijack? I've seen posts about the GCC before and just took a look at the website but I'm not really clear why I should be interested in the GCC. I'm not trying to be hostile or anything, I'm just not sure I get it.

I live a few hours from the Gunks so am not there as often as many others, but I have been visiting a few long weekends per year (and usually one week+ trip) for a decade or so. I love the place and feel like supporting the GCC would be a good thing, but I'm not really sure what it does or if their mission would be something I agree with. I read the mission/vision/values stuff but it is pretty high level corporate-y speak. The concrete thing I associate the GCC with is adding bolted anchors and that hasn't given me a positive view. The one survey put out on that topic was badly constructed and I wasn't sure if it was just a poor job, or intentionally meant to skew responses to support the already decided plan. I won't rehash the discussion on that survey previously on MP (and the linked gunks.com stuff).

I'm definitely on board for expanded access, and more climbing in Minnewaska and Waterworks bouldering look like GCC projects.

I also know there is a yearly barbecue.

Looking at the news section of the site I see there are 9 on the board - all up for election recently were elected. To me it seems like a small group of friends. I don't see any meeting schedule, topics or minutes so am not sure if they are held. There is a mention of meetings in the board announcement though; maybe I'd get that info once I join?

If nothing else, at least a bump for your event post :)

MojoMonkey wrote:Sort of hijack? I've seen posts about the GCC before...If nothing else, at least a bump for your event post :)

Thanks, Yes, I think as an organization the GCC could do a better job at getting the word out about what they do. To answer some of your questions: although everyone is friendly, the board is not just a group of friends. The current board did not change over during this cycle but in the past there have been several different presidents and board members.

Broadly speaking the GCC is an affiliate of the Access Fund. They are a go between for land owners, parks, and preserves with the climbing community.

The GCC meets once a month and posts meeting dates and locations on their facebook page. Most of the discussions revolve around the work that sub-committees do such as land acquisition, anchor management, trail building, events, and yes...BBQ's.

Since the GCC was formed 10 years ago they have helped open Peter's Kill, Dickie Barre, White Dot, and Waterworks (in the works). The helped purchase the Preserve's second largest land acquistion that has White Dot & Waterworks on it. They have also done trail work including building new trails such as the one that leads to Lost City at the Survival Block. They have also helped in hosting events and providing support for the Roc Trip and Rock Projects including organizing the community crag clean-ups and invasive species weed pulls. They have removed countless amounts of tat and poor anchors and in several instances replaced anchors with better materials. They have also replaced most of the aging protection bolts including many that looked fine on the outside but were heavily corroded on the inside (ie The Arrow Bolts). They have run Gym to Crag programs to help educate new climbers to outdoor etiquette. They have also worked with the Mohonk Preserve ranger staff to move 12 anchors off of compromised trees and replaced them with Stainless Steel bolts with assistance from the American Safe Climbing Association.

Currently, on a Petzl grant the GCC was awarded, the GCC and Mohonk Preserve rangers will be taking part in an anchor inspection and bolt placement course run by the Petzl North America technical institute, which is the first of its kind outside of Europe. They are also planning on hosting a summit of Climber Coalitions next year. Land Acquisition is ongoing and expanded climbing opportunities are in talks thanks to a massive community letter writing campaign that took place last year at festivals and climbing comps throughout the North East. I'm sure I have missed other things, but I am new to the GCC.

...and they host an annual BBQ, free for GCC members.

All of the positions are unpaid volunteer positions. Most of the board members spend their own money and time to help the climbing community. I understand that you felt the survey about anchors was skewed. The GCC reads and accepts dissenting opinions about actions, programs, and activities that they are involved in. Feedback from the community was shared with all of the GCC board and Mohonk Preserve rangers and bolting committee.

I agree that the GCC needs to do a better job getting out its message. I think they are completely worth supporting and by joining the Access Fund with the GCC you are supporting (in my opinion) two great organizations.

As for dissenting opinions feel free to write a letter or email or attend a meeting. If you would like to join we are always looking for more people to get involved and help out.

gunksclimbers.org/gunks-new…

I think the GCC needs a better way to publicize their achievements than just their FB page. Case in point - I've NEVER heard of "White Dot". And I haven't heard anyone mention the Waterworks parcel in at least 2 years.

Gunkiemike wrote:I think the GCC needs a better way to publicize their achievements than just their FB page. Case in point - I've NEVER heard of "White Dot". And I haven't heard anyone mention the Waterworks parcel in at least 2 years.

Hey Mike, The link above your post has all of the GCC achievements from 2015 posted.

All of the GCC achievements have been publicized on their website and through FB. White Dot is a bouldering area in the Northern Preserve. I am not sure why White Dot didn't get mentioned in the posts; it may be because it is near Waterworks? Maybe someone who knows more about bouldering could weigh in?

The GCC uses FB, Twitter, the GCC website, and tabling kits to share information. The kits have binders that have pictures of all of the work that has been done. Volunteers table at film festivals, comps, climbing events etc... Instagram is probably the next step in reaching more people. We also discussed posting events on Mountain Project since Gunks.com seems defunct. This thread was an attempt to reach out to more climbers who maybe don't follow the GCC through social media.

Do you have some suggestions as to how we could reach more people?

Chris (and anyone else involved) - There needs to be more "out" in the GCC's outreach efforts. I think the marketing folks call it "push"; the idea being that the organization actively sends info out to their friends/members/listserve/whatever. As opposed to just putting things up on their own sites and effectively requiring those interested parties to come to them.

Now, I'll admit I am a bit of a luddite when it comes to social media, so maybe I'm missing some current arrangement that does just that. I have "liked" the GCC FB page so in theory I get everything that gets added there, right? But it doesn't seem like much and - for me -it's not a good way to search backwards for things like White Dot or the current status of the Waterworks (still "guided tours only" there?).

In the not-too-recent past, someone asked a similar question about why they weren't hearing more about the Coalition's activities. The answer was in short, you're free to come to our board meetings. That obviously is not adequate, and I think it fostered a not uncommon perception of the GCC as an insular group of close insiders. (I realize that close groups are typically the only way anything every gets done in matters like these. "Members-at-large" aren't the ones that actually DO anything, at least in the vast majority of cases I'm aware of. But the GCC can do more to engage the membership, and greater transparency and outreach is a missing piece IMO.)

Edit to add - yes, gunks.com is shovel-ready.

Facebook is notorious for not automatically adding posts for liked things on the newsfeed. I've seen many of the pages I liked never show, only to find out about something way too late, etc. It's not a very reliable means of getting the word out, unless you PAY THEM to advertise it. They're basically using your personal FB newsfeed like a google results list - the things that pay them/make Facebook money get priority. Next on the list are your very closest friends. Everything else seems to fall under the hit/miss category. This was particularly bad early 2015, to the point I recall Facebook announcing a revision to their strategy. Since then I've missed fewer posts, and their algorithm seems to be capturing most of the things I'm interested in. But it's not an exact science and there's still a priority put on paid advertising. On top of this - people check Facebook on very different schedules. Some hourly (me), some weekly. I've found, when spreading the word for other things on Facebook, that getting the word out a month+ in advance is critical to notifying most of the people on your page.

As for whether or not to support the GCC - like with anything in life, you have to take the good (what you agree with) with the bad (what you don't). Organizations come to a consensus and move forward on their action items based on that. Get involved and be part of the consensus if you want your voice heard. There's things that the Mohonk Preserve does/doesn't do that I don't agree with, but I still send them my money. There's things our government does/doesn't do, but I'm still living here in the US and paying taxes. Get involved, or move on. Pretty simple.

Kevin Heckeler wrote: Get involved and be part of the consensus if you want your voice heard. There's things that the Mohonk Preserve does/doesn't do that I don't agree with, but I still send them my money.... Get involved, or move on. Pretty simple.

Love it Kevin!

and Thanks Mike, I agree with many of your observations. It's such a rapidly changing world that it's hard for a small local organization like the GCC to keep up!

I can say that I truly respect and admire the hundreds of hours these volunteers put in to run the GCC. I have only been involved for a little over 2 years but I can tell you that from what I've seen there is a lot time and effort invested.

Like Kevin said, even if you don't agree with everything the GCC does it's still worth the $15 a year and you can probably drink & eat that much at the BBQ anyway. If you really feel like things should be done differently, get involved.

Kevin Heckeler wrote:Facebook is notorious for not automatically adding posts for liked things on the newsfeed. I've seen many of the pages I liked never show, only to find out about something way too late, etc. It's not a very reliable means of getting the word out, unless you PAY THEM to advertise it. They're basically using your personal FB newsfeed like a google results list - the things that pay them/make Facebook money get priority. Next on the list are your very closest friends. Everything else seems to fall under the hit/miss category. This was particularly bad early 2015, to the point I recall Facebook announcing a revision to their strategy. Since then I've missed fewer posts, and their algorithm seems to be capturing most of the things I'm interested in. But it's not an exact science and there's still a priority put on paid advertising. On top of this - people check Facebook on very different schedules. Some hourly (me), some weekly. I've found, when spreading the word for other things on Facebook, that getting the word out a month+ in advance is critical to notifying most of the people on your page.

This.
Facebook is probably the most ineffective way of informing/alerting people about something. Remember, FB is free - that means *you*, your eyes, and your info are the product, not Facebook.

Gunkiemike wrote:Edit to add - yes, gunks.com is shovel-ready.

And has been for quite some time. I find this post from the webmaster on May 1, 2014 pretty ironic:

Gunks.com webmaster wrote:

Well friends, the time has come for some major changes on the site.

I'm in the process of building a new site with new forum software (bbPress), and a new, simpler front end. At the beginning, things may look kind of sparse, but I'm sure in no time it will morph into something completely untenable all over again.

So here in the forums, we'll be migrating all the old posts into the new software. At this point, I'm not sure we'll be able to import your PM (private messages), so if you've got some memorable ones, I'd suggest copying them out to a word document on your own machine.

On May 7th, or thereabouts, our current web host will be forcing thru a new set of software updates that stand a good chance of breaking the current site and software. So if you can't get to the site after that date, know we are working on getting back up and running asap. Might take a couple of days though.

I like the folks who are involved with the GCC. I don't agree with them about some things, but have no doubt that they are acting in the best interests of climbers and the Preserve as they see those interests.

Although I live relatively locally, a full-time job commuting to NYC makes involvement in GCC activities impossible for me (which is to say not of high enough priority to ditch other important activities), although I have for some time maintained some contact with what's happening as an (invited) member of a Preserve subcommittee.

The work gets done by the people who actually show up. It may be that the GCC hasn't been effective at promoting what they have done, and their sole attempt at surveying the climbing public was certainly poorly done, but in both cases we can hope for a learning curve. That said, no one should imagine that some democratic process is in play, either with the GCC or the Preserve. Both are going to do as they see fit, taking into account dissenting opinions, but ultimately keeping their own counsel. Moreover, I think that is right and proper---majority climber opinion should not determine critical aspects of Preserve policy.

Meanwhile, I don't think the Preserve can manage many of our contemporary climbing pressures without significant help from dedicated volunteers. Even if you have some concerns about the paths the GCC and the Preserve are heading down, the GCC deserves your full support.

Hi folks - I do the social media and website for the GCC. It's a challenge to improve the reach of Facebook posts unless you pay to play. The way the Facebook algorithm works, the more you interact (like, comment, share) with the page, the more likely the posts will show up in your feed. If you passively check it out every once in a while, you'll be unlikely to see any posts. I also try to keep the twitter feed active - with general information, GCC announcements and re-tweeting other Gunks related stuff.

The best way to get the news pushed out to you is to join the mailing list:
gunksclimbers.org/get-invol…
I try not to send too much out, I hate getting so much junk to wade through in my own inbox, so I try to limit what I send out on the mailing list to important announcements and event notifications.

As was mentioned, we are a team of volunteers. I would love to get everyone on the board to write tons of blog posts and content for the website, but we all have day jobs and our time is limited. Ever since I started blogging for the GCC, my personal blog has gone quiet. No time. But it is my mission to keep getting the word out about what's going on. If anyone has a love of writing/journalism and would like to cover our events and write up blog posts talking about what's going on, I'd love the help!

I've been with the GCC from the beginning in 2002. I've seen board members come and go. This current team is awesome! They're full of great ideas and high energy and I'm really excited about what we've accomplished & what we're working on for the future. We're happy to include more climbers who want to make the commitment to get involved.

Jannette

Thanks Jannette, I'm supposedly subscribed to the mailing list. I sent the update link to be sure they're not going to spam.
________

UPDATE: I got the subscription link email, and I found the other emails in my inbox. It looks like the last email regarding this weekend's activities was on April 22. That seems a bit far out (2 weeks?) for the last correspondence for an event (?).
________

Excellent explanation of the interaction algorithm on Facebook. I don't think that came across in my post (clearly).

In the future I would hope I could be involved in some small way. Not being local and only climbing at the Gunks from time to time limits what I feel I can contribute. I'm sure this is a challenge the organization faces - many drive 90 or more minutes one way to get there. Perhaps organizing events (like you are this weekend) that don't require the whole day for involvement is a good strategy considering the user base. It would require an extra special level of dedication for climbers to spend 3+ hours in their cars on a good climbing day just to perform volunteer work.

Thanks to everyone on the GCC for the hard work.

I agree that the email subscription is the best way to keep up to date. Janette does a good job at including appropriate Subject Lines, which give an idea as to what the emails are about.