A non-profit founded by rock-climbers, the Access Fund, has purchased a conservation easement on private land near Sonora California to retain public access to a rock-climbing area on the property. Agreements like this one and trail easements do not guarantee a reduction of sprawl and environmental damage from development, but they help – any development is legally restricted from impairing the access, and that tends to benefit natural resources.
Other interest-based non-profits like Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited have an even longer history of purchasing easements or land to protect their interests. Not much of that has happened in our area, but we have ducks, trout, and rock-climbing cliffs, so we can always hope it will spread here.
-Brian
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