OK, everybody, do you want to be an access warrior? Here is your chance to help out from your computer chair for free! The Nature Conservancy is asking for some help getting a grant for trail construction on the Nine Times Perserve in South Carolina. Why is this important to the CCC? The Nine Times Preserve holds a few boulders, but nothing of great climbing interest at the present; however, the preserve borders an area of extreme importance. Just accross the street lies Big Rock, and The Nature Conservancy could be a powerful alli in obtaining access there in the future. The land the Nine Times preserve lies on now was owned by the same company that still owns Big Rock. This is our opportunity to show the value of our user group and help scratch the back of an organization that will hopefully scratch ours one day. Aside from all that it's a good cause anyway.

Here is how we can help. The grant application they are filling out could really use as many emails of support as they can get. That's right, all you have to do is send a short email! A simple email saying "I ____ support the trail construction by The Nature Conservancy at the Nine Times Preserve". Feel free to pontificate. Adding anything that sounds like "I live in North Carolina but would love to travel to South Carolina to enjoy this wonderful new trail" would be awsome! Also, feel free to mention you heard about the project from CCC members who attend the community meeting. Say whatever you like, in as many or as few words as you like. At the end of the email, after your name, simply type "CCC member". Send your email to the Southern Blue Ridge Land Steward - Sarah Fraser at sfraser [at] tnc [dot] org.

Help us start developing important relationships with conservation oriented access groups in the Carolinas, and we will all benifit. Thank you for your support and stay tuned for more happenings from Stephen Scoff and "The Brads".

Brad Scott (one half of "The Brads")