Dear EMCA Community,

Five years ago, EMCA began not as an organization, but as a response.

Six months before we officially started, there was a Facebook conversation where climbers across Missouri voiced the same frustration: *we want change, we want access, and we want to see real progress*. After watching that conversation grow, I finally replied with a simple question:

*What if we just made a Missouri-based organization?*

That moment sparked what would become the **East Missouri Climbers Association**—and over the last five years, EMCA has done far more than put up routes. We created momentum. We created accountability. And we created a **sentinel effect**—where our work encouraged additional stewardship, access conversations, and investment well beyond our own projects.

Here’s what those five years look like.

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### **Year 1 — Foundations**

In our first year, we focused on credibility, access, and stewardship.

* Engaged **St. Francois State Park**, resulting in the **waiver station being relocated** for better use tracking and climber flow

* Became the **first Missouri Local Climbing Organization to formally initiate conversations with Mark Twain National Forest**

* Coordinated the **first trail day at Robinson Bluff**

* **Opened Sage Mountain**, establishing a new climbing area from the ground up

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### **Year 2 — Community & Infrastructure**

With trust building, we expanded both access and communication.

* Launched the **EMCA website**

* Started **cleanup and stewardship days** at Sage Mountain and Silver Mines

* Built the **first trails and routes at Sage Mountain** and hosted its **first climbing festival**

* Created **community chat systems** to help climbers find partners and share information

* **Opened bouldering at Shepherd Mountain**

* Developed **custom maps and East Missouri climbing artwork**, helping document and define our climbing regions

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### **Year 3 — Visibility & Outreach**

Momentum brought new partnerships and outreach.

* **Opened Boogerboo**

* Began ongoing **volunteer work with Mark Twain National Forest management**

* Installed **EMCA banners at Upper Limits** locations and participated in festivals for the first time

* Hosted our **first climbing outing with the Girl Scouts of America**

* Became **Mountain Project administrators**, ensuring accurate, responsible representation of Missouri climbing areas

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### **Year 4 — Structure & Stewardship**

EMCA matured into a long-term organization.

* **Opened Astral Valley**

* Supported the **Pere Marquette volunteer day** organized by ICA and Upper Limits

* Installed **safety stations** at climbing areas

* Successfully transitioned EMCA into a **501(c)(3) nonprofit**

* Hosted our **first vendor table at the Outdoor Expo**

* Installed **mussy hooks at St. Francois State Park**, improving safety and sustainability

* Led **Missouri’s first Adopt-A-Crag program**, setting a new standard for climber stewardship in the state

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### **Year 5 — Impact at Scale**

This year marked a turning point.

* Delivered a **new climbing location in Mark Twain National Forest**

* Installed **12 new sport routes**

* Launched our **first gym-to-crag event**

* Created **WhatsApp community chats** to replace discontinued Facebook groups

* Continued building **nature trails and new crags at Astral Valley**

* Hosted our **second Girl Scouts of America outing**

* Re-opened conversations with **St. Francois State Park** to plan **new trails and routes for 2026**

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### **By the Numbers**

Since our founding, EMCA has helped deliver:

* **335 total climbs**

* **65 total roped routes**

* Multiple new climbing areas

* State-level firsts in stewardship, access, and land-manager engagement

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### **Looking Forward**

EMCA exists because climbers stepped up instead of waiting. Because volunteers showed up. Because land managers were met with professionalism and long-term thinking. And because the community believed Missouri climbing deserved better—and proved it could deliver.

Thank you to every volunteer, land manager, partner organization, gym, scout troop, donor, and climber who helped make the last five years possible.

This is what happens when a community decides to build something that lasts.

—

**East Missouri Climbers Association**