New Year, New Momentum

Resolutions seem to be the way to start every New Year. As 2005 gears up, the WMCC is no exception. Our role as a climber advocacy group continues to grow and with that comes additional responsibility; responsibility to the local climbing community that we serve and those with whom we've worked hard to develop relationships. As a result, we've compiled our own resolutions of things we'd like to improve upon and see happen in 2005.

As we start planning for the upcoming year, there are several things we would like to see happen. We have already committed to many projects and there are several others we'd like to do if time, money and energy exist. We have committed work to the Trustees of Reservations for improving climber trails at Chapel Ledge. We are still pursuing parking and access options at Farley Ledge and hope this will be the year something significant finally develops. Work will continue at Mormon Hollow, Rose Ledge and hopefully the Sun Bowl. Great Barrington may have new opportunities presented as several local committee members and town officials have been replaced. We plan on filing papers to officially make the WMCC a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

In addition, we would like to improve our interaction with current members and the climbing community. As the choices the WMCC makes affect more and more climbers, it becomes imperative that we include our members in the discussions that guide our decisions. The WMCC, and the climbing community, will benefit from additional input on how our money gets spent, what crags receive attention and who sits on the active Board of Directors among other things. However, this requires you, as the climbing public, to become more active with your voice and express your opinions to us.

We are hoping that a fundraising event being planned for March will mark the start of this trend and encourage many of you to express your thoughts on how things have been run, what improvements you would like to see, and what issues are most important to you. We plan on posting our draft bylaws on this website soon for all to review and comment on before we formally accept them. We also plan on opening the floor to nominations for new Board Members in the interest of keeping the WMCC a motivated and successful climber advocacy group.

Thanks again to you all who have supported us over the years and we look forward to another successful climbing season.