The Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition is seeking investors to help acquire and preserve land in the area.
Miles of wilderness and cliff line in Red River Gorge are currently up for auction, amounting to around 2,800 acres. Some of the land for sale borders land owned by the RRGCC, which is looking to secure all or parts of the acreage. Executive director of RRGCC Billy Simek says the land as a whole could go for anywhere from $7-10 million.
The Red River Gorge is a popular natural attraction in the midwest and it’s known for its climbing areas globally. Features around the Red River Gorge area like Natural Bridge State Resort Park are beloved by many for pristine natural wonders like the Natural Bridge rock formation. The areas range from offering wild, strenuous hikes to accessible trails.
Because of its proximity to central areas like Cincinnati, vacationers, hikers, climbers, campers, kayakers and other outdoor recreationists visit the Gorge year-round. Recently, the area has seen commercial development that some like Simek see the value in, but hope development doesn’t persist to the point of transforming the area into a "Gatlinburg-type attraction."
The RRGCC’s mission is to secure and protect public access to rock climbing in the Gorge. It also aims to conserve the environment on the land it owns and operates. In the name of conservation and outdoor recreation, the coalition currently owns Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve (PMRP), Bald Rock Recreational Preserve (BRRP), Coal Bank Hollow (PMRP) and Miller-Fork Recreational Preserve (MFRP).
In a social media post announcing RRGCC’s progress and strategy on Monday, the group announced that it has “identified $2,301,000 through loan programs, partner funds and donations.”
The land for sale is currently owned and being sold by Ashland Inc., a Delaware-based specialty materials company. Simek tells CityBeat that the land is particularly attractive to investors who may want to develop it into rental properties.
“I think the worst case scenario is somebody sells off 2,600 acres of what is on the ridge lines,” Simek says. “If you sell off 1,000 single-acre lots for people to build cabins on, the beautiful ridge lines that once were just trees and everything are now going to be littered with cabins that get used like three times a year. And access to those climbing areas wouldn’t be lost, but it wouldn't be gained.”
As the RRGCC works with nonprofits and government agencies to raise funds, it announced a strategy for moving forward: “Bid on select areas with cliff line and highest conservation value. Using RRGCC cash, Federal funds and loan programs," it announced on social media. "[And] make bids with committed partners, where partners get targeted land and the RRGCC gets targeted land."
The land in question is also home to a threatened species, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The Kentucky Arrow Darter is a fish found in Hell Creek, which runs through the property for sale. The RRGCC hopes to help protect the fish if it can successfully acquire the land.
“The Hell Creek watershed there that eventually flows into the Kentucky River is a critical habitat for that threatened species,” Simek says. “There's a chunk that is north of our Miller Fork property and south of another property that basically would connect that whole drainage together through our property and conserve a lot more habitat. And so that is a really important piece to us as well and it's really important, obviously, to fish and wildlife. And that's another reason why we're trying to, hopefully, get some pieces of this land.”
Contact the Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition at [email protected] for more information, donations and investment opportunities.
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