June 2026 Meeting

Public Community Meeting Agenda & Outline

I. Welcome & Introductions (10 Mins)

  • Opening Remarks & Welcome: Welcome the community and introduce the 2026 BHCC Board Members.

  • Meeting attended by: Peyton, James, Matt S, Courtney G, Dawson, Jessie, Chris, Tanner, Wyatt, Ron, Charlie, Kirsten, John, Wyatt, Laura

II. Advocacy & Land Management Updates (20 Mins)

  • Trail Mapping & Stabilization (CSP): The coalition submitted official GPS tracks and maps to park management to formalize designated climbing access trails. This initiative aims to reduce damaging "social trails" and prioritize cleanup and erosion control at high-impact areas like The Spires and Middle Earth.

    • Attended our board meeting to discuss the above events, projects, and collaboration. 

    • Be mindful of the creation of social trails when you are out.  Follow established trails as much as possible.

    • Trail day most likely will not happen until later on in the summer/fall.


  • Visitor Education  (CSP): Discussions focused on creating a collaborative educational brochure for visitors covering local ethics and maps. What do you think people need to know when they come?

    • Brochure will include: bolts, ethics, (maps?), fire safety, 

    • Prepare to climb a mixed route even if listed as sport.  

    • Knowing you probably need to rappel, many routes might even be double rope rappels.

    • Please do not leave tat on the simul rappel summits.

    • “This is a traditional area: climbers should know how to thread an anchor, know how to rappel, etc.”

    • The history of the climbing here and why it is preserved that way.


  • Wrinkled Rock Toilet Funding (USFS): To prevent the Forest Service from reinstating day-use fees due to severe budget and understaffing shortages, the coalition stepped up to fund and manage a single annual pump of the Wrinkled Rock trailhead pit toilet (estimated at $400–$500) under a volunteer agreement.

    • Day-use fees were not established due to our user group comments!

      • Instead, the coalition was approached and asked to help offset the cost 

    • The coalition decided that it would be a yes to help fund this.

    • Our comment group was the largest group that commented on these fee raises. The Forest Service was very appreciative of our feedback.

    • The forest service also appreciated the self- policing of our group with camping changes at this location. 


  • Kiosk Updates & Bathroom Mural (USFS): The USFS approved two major trailhead improvements at Wrinkled Rock. The coalition will use the back space of the main information kiosk to display climbing ethics, local history, and QR codes, and has received the green light for a community initiative to paint a mural on the restroom building.

    • Please give us feedback 

    • Two girls painted, we were thinking of other artists, including Matt (Highliner), and Shalayne

    • Ron Yahne memorial?

    • Founding father Venn Phinney, Ron Yahne, and the Conns or some equivalent

III. Stewardship & Critical Fire Safety (15 Mins)

  • Upcoming Trail Days: Call for community volunteers and explain the new Volunteer Service Agreement process (provided by the USFS) that covers individual liability and workers' comp during events. Highlight major target holidays:

    • National Trail Day (First Saturday of June).

    • National Public Lands Day (Last Saturday of September).

    • In the future, we are hoping to get established trail days annually to limit confusion and variability.


  • Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Broadcasting: Cross-promote USFS and CSP fire updates. Clearly communicate current bans to the community:

    • Custer State Park: Strict campfire bans are active (following Custer County rules), but self-contained stoves/liquid gas are permitted.

    • National Forest: Open campfires are strictly limited to established fire grates in designated campgrounds. Self-contained/Jetboil-style stoves are allowed.

    • We will include this on the brochure and on our website

Lead deadwood sanitation:

  • Potential closures near the Dark Side and Shadowlands due to aqueduct repairs. Stay tuned for more information.  

  • Please respect these closures if they happen. We are working with the head of the sanitation department, and they will be updating us on dates and location as needed.


IV. Hardware & Bolting Committee Report (10 Mins)

  • Inventory & Safety Strategy: Discuss the active shift toward standardized hardware, glue-in configurations, and powder-coated infrastructure.

  • Gear is on its way, new repairs in the South Seas recently, still waiting on spearfish day 

  • Bylaws & Route Management:

    • Reiterate that the coalition handles route repairs and education rather than putting up new routes.

    • Provide a brief update on the bylaws transition regarding how the coalition handles future route changes (e.g., following up on discussions regarding the runout on Critical View).


  • Rope Donations: Call out that old climbing ropes are being collected and donated directly to the bolting committee.

V. Major Events Deep Dive: Pumpfest 2026 (15 Mins)

  • Dates: July 24–26, 2026.

  • Venue & Basecamp: Finalized at Gold Valley Campground. Mention that tent sites are officially listed for sale on the website for $10 a night (and remind everyone that BHCC is tax-exempt!). Shout out Sam's spots as an available overflow camping option if needed.

  • Schedule & Community Vibe Highlights:

    • Clinics & Activities: Tease morning yoga sessions, localized food trucks, and clinics hosted by Buck Wild.

    • Rope Policy Update: Explicitly clarify that Pumpfest will be a "lead your own" / "guide-supported" year—the coalition will not be hanging top ropes due to liability/insurance guidelines.

    • Guest Speakers: Confirm the guest speaker itinerary featuring presentations by Heidi Badaracco (and partner Tim) and Bill Hatcher. Detail the tech updates (Kirsten's projector, Mark and Peyton's microphone setup).

  • Guided classes

    • Saturday: basic intro to climbing course

    • Sunday: intro to multipitch

  • VIP parking will be open and available.

  • SWAG & Merch Sneak Peek:

    • Announce the launch of the Pumpfest landing page and social media ticket pushes.

    • Introduce the Pumpfest T-Shirt Design Competition, where attendees can vote on a design to be used for next year’s apparel.

  • James P, Jessie, and Dwason volunteered for Pumpfest to sell tickets and help as needed 

VI. Membership & Operations (10 Mins)

  • BHCC License Plate Initiative: Announce the great news that the official specialty license plate application has been approved and paid for! Share the next steps on how members can get them set up.

    • We do not have a decal that is our logo. You can buy them from us and place them on your license plate if you get an emblem plate

    • Instructions for how to do that will be on our website

  • Zeffy & Squarespace Transition: Explain how the integration of Zeffy and Squarespace will simplify membership tracking, digital waiver signing during ticket purchases, and auto-renewals.

  • Wall space in the group room, with expansion in Basecamp: the owners offered us our own wall where we can include information about the coalition in this space.

VII. Open Floor & Community Q&A (10 Mins)

  • Open the room to community questions, feedback on land management relationships, or volunteer sign-ups for Pumpfest sub-committees.

  • Question from Wyatt:

    • 2000 bags were purchased for the disposal waste 

      • More bags are sitting in the park warehouse; we should reach out to Jamie and move them to our storage unit.

      • To do: reach out to Jamie to get wag bags into our storage unit

    • Wyatt commented that people not knowing where to camp besides wrinkled rock

    • Jessie commented: Bunny hole still has a large hole, needing repair

    • Ron, people can make a specific donation option on the website to promote funding for wrinkled rock

      • Ron mentioned he has some friends 

    • Basecamp is psyched to partner with the coalition 

      • Basecamp also mentioned that they are looking for partners to help with a history of black hills climbing on the wall 

        • Timeline as you walk along the wall.

        • If anyone has any ideas, reach out to Andrew B. (Basecamp owner)

    • Peyton mentioned that we are very open and excited to have any extra volunteers

      • We are very willing to create committees as needed, if you are interested in a specific project or aspect of the coalition reach out to the board and we can chat!


Meeting adjourned at 07:55pm


Black Hills Climbers Coalition