OilCity.news - Full Article
By Brendan LaChance on September 16, 2019
CASPER, Wyo. — For the last several years, the Central Wyoming Trails Alliance have been working to improve the public multi-use trails on Casper Mountain.
There are now “over 7 miles of single track multi-use trail” on the mountain, the trails alliance says.
Ensuring that these trails stay in good condition for as long as possible depends upon users, particularly equestrians and mountain bikers, accessing the trails in mindful ways.
Nina DeVore with the Wyoming Range Riders equestrian group attended a Natrona County Parks Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12. She came to address a social media post from the Central Wyoming Trails Alliance which suggested horse riders were responsible for some damage to the trails.
“I believe it is premature to close the trails to the horseback riding community,” DeVore said, adding that she thinks most horse riders are conscientious of how they use trails and that some of those who are not simply don’t know any better. “Clear and concise signage would be a great start.”
DeVore said that some horse riders, particularly large church groups, might not be aware that they shouldn’t ride trails when they are wet and shouldn’t cut too many corners.
“I feel a very good connection to the mountain and all it has to offer,” she said, adding that her group frequently utilizes the trails. “I’m very aware of our horse droppings.”
After they complete rides, DeVore says they go back over the trails with pitchforks and scatter droppings in Beartrap Meadow. She said that educating different user groups on trail etiquette would help keep the trails system in good shape...
Read more here:
https://oilcity.news/community/2019/09/16/bike-and-horse-riders-to-cooperate-signage-key-to-health-of-casper-mountain-trails2/
Monday, September 23, 2019
BC Canada: Horses damage new Fox Fire mountain bike trail: cycling club
WLTribune.com - Full Article
Equestrian users asked to stay off trails
Greg SabatinoSep. 19, 2019
The Williams Lake Cycling Club is reminding equestrian users to stay off its trails.
Thomas Schoen, chair of the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium, said Williams Lake’s newest, highly-popular trail Fox Fire, built by James Doerfling and his company, Jimco Services, plus countless club volunteers under the guidance of Mark Savard, has seen repeated damage due to equestrian use.
“It is illegal for equestrian users to be on this trail,” Schoen said. “The trail is clearly marked as a non-equestrian trail. There is absolutely no need for horseback riders to use this connector trail, built by the club and sanctioned by Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RSTBC)...”
Read more here:
https://www.wltribune.com/sports/horses-damage-new-fox-fire-mountain-bike-trails/?utm_medium=40digest.7days3.20190920.home&utm_source=email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=campaign
Equestrian users asked to stay off trails
Greg SabatinoSep. 19, 2019
The Williams Lake Cycling Club is reminding equestrian users to stay off its trails.
Thomas Schoen, chair of the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium, said Williams Lake’s newest, highly-popular trail Fox Fire, built by James Doerfling and his company, Jimco Services, plus countless club volunteers under the guidance of Mark Savard, has seen repeated damage due to equestrian use.
“It is illegal for equestrian users to be on this trail,” Schoen said. “The trail is clearly marked as a non-equestrian trail. There is absolutely no need for horseback riders to use this connector trail, built by the club and sanctioned by Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RSTBC)...”
Read more here:
https://www.wltribune.com/sports/horses-damage-new-fox-fire-mountain-bike-trails/?utm_medium=40digest.7days3.20190920.home&utm_source=email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=campaign
Thursday, September 12, 2019
NY State spends millions on Frontier Town, but horse riders don’t like it
NewYorkUpstate.com - Full ArticleUpdated Sep 11, 5:11 PM; Posted Sep 11, 6:04 AM
By David Figura | dfigura@nyup.com
NORTH HUDSON, N.Y. -- Frontier Town, the state’s newest Adirondack campground, opened June 28 with promises to be a “unique, world-class” facility for traditional tent campers, RVers and equestrian campers alike.
So far tent campers and RVers have embraced Frontier Town. Horse riders not so much.
“It’s a lovely facility, but it’s just not well-designed for horse campers,” said Dan Gruen, trails council chairman for the New York State Horse Council, who visited the campground when it was finished and said he has spoken to more than dozen campers who’ve been there since.
“I like the idea of creating a place where riders can come and have a nice camping facility and be safe with their horses. That’s all wonderful,” he said. “I don’t think Frontier Town as it is now is that place.”
The new Frontier Town campground sits on 91 acres owned the town of North Hudson and Essex County near the site of former Frontier Town amusement park, which closed in 1999. The campground is located a short distance off exit 27 on Interstate 87 (the Adirondack Northway), at the foothills of the Eastern High Peaks.
The state to date has spent $19.3 million on the entire project. It features 45 tent camping sites, including three group-camping sites; 13 RV and trailer campsites and 33 equestrian campsites. In addition, there are about four miles of trails for horse riders...
Read more here:
https://www.newyorkupstate.com/adirondacks/2019/09/state-spends-millions-on-frontier-town-but-horse-riders-dont-like-it.html
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
California: Woodside Planning Commission denies permit for equestrian bridge
AlmanacNews.com - Full Article
Uploaded: Mon, Sep 9, 2019, 10:43 am
by Rick Radin / Almanac
The Woodside Planning Commission gave a nudge to town traditions on Sept. 4 by denying a request for a conditional use permit for a plan to spend $200,000 in town and donated money to replace a washed-out equestrian bridge.
The commission's vote was 3-3, according to Planning Director Jackie Young. Commissioners Sani Elfishawy, Aydan Kutay and William Fender voted against approving the use permit, while Marilyn Voelke, Kurt Calia and Craig London voted in favor of it. Jim Bildner was absent.
The reason behind the three no votes on the plan: The bridge, over Bear Creek Gulch, only benefited horseback riders and not the community as a whole, Young said...
Read more here:
https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2019/09/09/woodside-planning-commission-declines-permit-for-equestrian-bridge
Uploaded: Mon, Sep 9, 2019, 10:43 am
by Rick Radin / Almanac
The Woodside Planning Commission gave a nudge to town traditions on Sept. 4 by denying a request for a conditional use permit for a plan to spend $200,000 in town and donated money to replace a washed-out equestrian bridge.
The commission's vote was 3-3, according to Planning Director Jackie Young. Commissioners Sani Elfishawy, Aydan Kutay and William Fender voted against approving the use permit, while Marilyn Voelke, Kurt Calia and Craig London voted in favor of it. Jim Bildner was absent.
The reason behind the three no votes on the plan: The bridge, over Bear Creek Gulch, only benefited horseback riders and not the community as a whole, Young said...
Read more here:
https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2019/09/09/woodside-planning-commission-declines-permit-for-equestrian-bridge
A Vast Liquidation of Public Lands Is Underway in Alaska
AmericanProgress.org
By Jenny Rowland-Shea, Sung Chung, Sally Hardin, Matt Lee-Ashley, and Kate Kelly
Posted on September 10, 2019, 6:00 am
The Trump administration is quietly leading one of the largest liquidations of America’s public lands since the late 19th century. If fully implemented, this effort could result in the transfer, sale, or private exploitation of more than 28.3 million acres of public lands in Alaska, including old-growth forests, subsistence hunting areas for Alaska Native communities, habitats for polar bears, salmon spawning streams, and other backcountry areas.1 It would affect millions of acres in the Tongass National Forest and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge alone...
Read more here:
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2019/09/10/474256/vast-liquidation-public-lands-underway-alaska/?utm_source=1500+CWP+List+Daily+Clips+and+Updates&utm_campaign=bb02ff347d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_10_05_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4369a4e737-bb02ff347d-84222569
By Jenny Rowland-Shea, Sung Chung, Sally Hardin, Matt Lee-Ashley, and Kate Kelly
Posted on September 10, 2019, 6:00 am
The Trump administration is quietly leading one of the largest liquidations of America’s public lands since the late 19th century. If fully implemented, this effort could result in the transfer, sale, or private exploitation of more than 28.3 million acres of public lands in Alaska, including old-growth forests, subsistence hunting areas for Alaska Native communities, habitats for polar bears, salmon spawning streams, and other backcountry areas.1 It would affect millions of acres in the Tongass National Forest and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge alone...
Read more here:
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2019/09/10/474256/vast-liquidation-public-lands-underway-alaska/?utm_source=1500+CWP+List+Daily+Clips+and+Updates&utm_campaign=bb02ff347d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_10_05_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4369a4e737-bb02ff347d-84222569
Sunday, September 8, 2019
California Nonprofit celebrates 30 years of advocating for trails
Sandiegouniontribune.com - Full ArticleBy JULIE GALLANT
SEP. 6, 2019 11 AM
Ramona Trails Association (RTA) members rode down trails on horses and a buggy at Los Vaqueros Group Horse Camp in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Labor Day Weekend to celebrate the association’s 30th anniversary this year.
The occasion marks three decades since RTA’s incorporation as a nonprofit in 1989, completed with the help of retired attorney Jeremiah Reid and his wife, Katie. The group had only a handful of members when it originated but has since grown to a current membership of about 75 trails enthusiasts.
RTA’s mission is to retain access to and help maintain existing multi-use trails in rural areas as well as actively encourage new trail development on public and private lands in the greater Ramona area. In the process, it works closely with federal, state and local government agencies and other volunteer organizations...
Read more here:
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/ramona-sentinel/lifestyle/story/2019-09-05/nonprofit-celebrates-30-years-of-advocating-for-trails
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Report: 6 million acres of state lands in West inaccessible
By MATTHEW BROWN
August 19, 2019
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — More than 6 million acres (2.5 million hectares) of state property scattered across 11 states in the U.S. West are landlocked by private property and largely inaccessible to hunters, anglers and other recreational users, public lands advocates said Monday.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and onX, a Montana-based land data company, analyzed land ownership patterns for a report detailing the extent of state-owned parcels that lack public access.
Montana, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming each have more than 1 million acres (0.4 million hectares) of state lands surrounded by private property, according to the report...
Read more here:
https://www.apnews.com/fc9f3b925f6c490f8d0be8adc11c200e
Friday, September 6, 2019
Florida: After two decades, Martin County tries to resolve dispute over Palm City horseback trails
Tcpalm.com - Full Article
Joshua Solomon, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Published 6:22 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019
PALM CITY FARMS — One after the other, members of the Campbell family pleaded with county commissioners not to take away their property as it’s been known for nearly the last century. Tensions began to escalate. By the time Sharon Campbell spoke, the emotions piqued.
“The pressure that’s been applied to us has been like a terrorist tactic,” the co-owner of Just-E-Nuf Acres horse farm told the Martin County Commission earlier this month.
Commission Chairman Ed Ciampi said the issue has been “lingering, if not festering for decades.”
Tuesday, the issue of 20 years — with a history going back 100 — is to come to a crossroads...
Read more at:
https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/shaping-our-future/growth/2019/08/26/palm-city-farms-trails-may-get-access-horeseback-trails/2088172001/
Joshua Solomon, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Published 6:22 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019
PALM CITY FARMS — One after the other, members of the Campbell family pleaded with county commissioners not to take away their property as it’s been known for nearly the last century. Tensions began to escalate. By the time Sharon Campbell spoke, the emotions piqued.
“The pressure that’s been applied to us has been like a terrorist tactic,” the co-owner of Just-E-Nuf Acres horse farm told the Martin County Commission earlier this month.
Commission Chairman Ed Ciampi said the issue has been “lingering, if not festering for decades.”
Tuesday, the issue of 20 years — with a history going back 100 — is to come to a crossroads...
Read more at:
https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/shaping-our-future/growth/2019/08/26/palm-city-farms-trails-may-get-access-horeseback-trails/2088172001/
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Colorado: Who has the right of way? User etiquette, hierarchy on Snowmass-area trails
Aspentimes.com - Full Article
Snowmass | September 4, 2019
Town of Snowmass Parks, Recreation and Trails Department
Starr Jamison
Our trail development in Snowmass Village is rapidly changing as we build new trails and make new connections. How lucky are we to have the opportunity to separate use on trails within our small community, giving everyone a unique experience.
In the village, hikers and equestrians have their own trails, like Tom Blake and North Mesa equestrian and hiking trails. Aspen Skiing Co. maintains Vista, Rabbit Run and Sierra Club for hikers only. All of these trails prohibit mountain bike use. The Town helps the U.S. Forest Service maintain the Ditch Trail, which allows users to access miles of hiking- and equestrian-only trails in the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area.
On Snowmass Ski Area we built the Discovery Trail, a single direction beginner uphill only mountain biking trail, and Skico continues to provide miles of downhill-only trails for mountain bikers. Most communities do not have the luxury to provide such diversity in their trails systems as we have here in Snowmass Village.
Even with the separation and diversity, we are still faced with the problem that most trail users want peace and solitude on the trail. The reality is population will continue to grow and every user will eventually see others on the trails.
When we share the trails, who has the right of way? The first thing you need to know is there is a hierarchy on the trail. You may have seen the yellow trail etiquette triangle with a horse, hiker and biker. Horses have priority, followed by hikers, and then bikers. It’s pretty simple to remember and makes encounters much more pleasant when everyone knows who gets to go first...
Read more at:
https://www.aspentimes.com/snowmass/who-has-the-right-of-way-user-etiquette-hierarchy-on-snowmass-area-trails/
Snowmass | September 4, 2019
Town of Snowmass Parks, Recreation and Trails Department
Starr Jamison
Our trail development in Snowmass Village is rapidly changing as we build new trails and make new connections. How lucky are we to have the opportunity to separate use on trails within our small community, giving everyone a unique experience.
In the village, hikers and equestrians have their own trails, like Tom Blake and North Mesa equestrian and hiking trails. Aspen Skiing Co. maintains Vista, Rabbit Run and Sierra Club for hikers only. All of these trails prohibit mountain bike use. The Town helps the U.S. Forest Service maintain the Ditch Trail, which allows users to access miles of hiking- and equestrian-only trails in the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area.
On Snowmass Ski Area we built the Discovery Trail, a single direction beginner uphill only mountain biking trail, and Skico continues to provide miles of downhill-only trails for mountain bikers. Most communities do not have the luxury to provide such diversity in their trails systems as we have here in Snowmass Village.
Even with the separation and diversity, we are still faced with the problem that most trail users want peace and solitude on the trail. The reality is population will continue to grow and every user will eventually see others on the trails.
When we share the trails, who has the right of way? The first thing you need to know is there is a hierarchy on the trail. You may have seen the yellow trail etiquette triangle with a horse, hiker and biker. Horses have priority, followed by hikers, and then bikers. It’s pretty simple to remember and makes encounters much more pleasant when everyone knows who gets to go first...
Read more at:
https://www.aspentimes.com/snowmass/who-has-the-right-of-way-user-etiquette-hierarchy-on-snowmass-area-trails/
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Florida: Martin County equestrian community denied more trails to explore
WPTV.com - Full Article
Aug 27, 2019 Updated: 3:34 AM, Aug 28, 2019
By: Jon Shainman
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Martin County Commissioners pulled back a proposed law Tuesday that would have opened all public rights of way in the county. The issue has pit members of the Palm City equestrian community against one another.
Karen Rayside pointed out Tuesday that Martin County’s own Welcome Guide highlights Palm City’s equestrian community.
“So Martin County boasts the interconnecting trail system and that it’s an important part of Martin County lifestyle," said Rayside.
Rayside, and other members of the Palm City Farms Trail Association, filled the commission chambers, hoping for a resolution.
The group wanted commissioners to approve a measure that would have opened all public rights of way in the county. The issue has been contested for decades, and at times has gotten nasty...
Read more here:
https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/martin-county/martin-county-equestrian-community-denied-more-trails-to-explore
Aug 27, 2019 Updated: 3:34 AM, Aug 28, 2019
By: Jon Shainman
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Martin County Commissioners pulled back a proposed law Tuesday that would have opened all public rights of way in the county. The issue has pit members of the Palm City equestrian community against one another.
Karen Rayside pointed out Tuesday that Martin County’s own Welcome Guide highlights Palm City’s equestrian community.
“So Martin County boasts the interconnecting trail system and that it’s an important part of Martin County lifestyle," said Rayside.
Rayside, and other members of the Palm City Farms Trail Association, filled the commission chambers, hoping for a resolution.
The group wanted commissioners to approve a measure that would have opened all public rights of way in the county. The issue has been contested for decades, and at times has gotten nasty...
Read more here:
https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/martin-county/martin-county-equestrian-community-denied-more-trails-to-explore
Everything's connected: Flagstaff's urban trails lead to Arizona Trail, national forest
AZCentral.com - Full Article
Mare Czinar, Special for The Republic
Published 7:30 a.m. MT Aug. 28, 2019
“You can’t get there from here,” my hiking partner told a confused pair of trekkers who asked us for directions to an Arizona Trail junction.
He gently kicked my shin to signal he was joking as the couple fumbled with a map. Waiting a beat to satisfy his warped sense of humor, my pal continued, “Just kidding, of course you can get there from here. This is Flagstaff.”
With hundreds of miles of national forest trails and city pathways, there are dozens of ways to access the 800-mile Arizona Trail that swings through the northern Arizona city.
The state-traversing route draws hikers, bikers and equestrians from all over the world to this Arizona Trail gateway community, a city or town that embraces and gives ongoing support to the trail and its users...
Read more here:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/hiking/2019/08/28/flagstaff-urban-trails-connect-arizona-trail-coconino-national-forest/2132360001/
Mare Czinar, Special for The Republic
Published 7:30 a.m. MT Aug. 28, 2019
“You can’t get there from here,” my hiking partner told a confused pair of trekkers who asked us for directions to an Arizona Trail junction.
He gently kicked my shin to signal he was joking as the couple fumbled with a map. Waiting a beat to satisfy his warped sense of humor, my pal continued, “Just kidding, of course you can get there from here. This is Flagstaff.”
With hundreds of miles of national forest trails and city pathways, there are dozens of ways to access the 800-mile Arizona Trail that swings through the northern Arizona city.
The state-traversing route draws hikers, bikers and equestrians from all over the world to this Arizona Trail gateway community, a city or town that embraces and gives ongoing support to the trail and its users...
Read more here:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/hiking/2019/08/28/flagstaff-urban-trails-connect-arizona-trail-coconino-national-forest/2132360001/
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Electric bicycles could be coming to national park trails
PBS.org - Full Article
Nation Aug 30, 2019
WASHINGTON (AP) — Motorized electric bicycles may soon be humming their way into serene national parks and other public lands nationwide, under a new Trump administration order — hotly opposed by many outdoors groups — allowing the so-called e-bikes on every federal trail where a regular bike can go.
Sales of the bikes, powered by both pedals and batteries and small motors, are booming, and some aging or less fit people have sought the rule change. The change would allow them to whirr up and down biking trails in the country’s roughly 400 national parks and other federally managed backcountry.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the order without fanfare Thursday, classifying e-bikes as non-motorized bikes and giving agencies 14 days to adjust their rules.
“Reducing the physical demand to operate a bicycle has expanded access to recreational opportunities,” Bernhardt wrote in the order...
Read more here:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/electric-bicycles-could-be-coming-to-national-park-trails
Nation Aug 30, 2019
WASHINGTON (AP) — Motorized electric bicycles may soon be humming their way into serene national parks and other public lands nationwide, under a new Trump administration order — hotly opposed by many outdoors groups — allowing the so-called e-bikes on every federal trail where a regular bike can go.
Sales of the bikes, powered by both pedals and batteries and small motors, are booming, and some aging or less fit people have sought the rule change. The change would allow them to whirr up and down biking trails in the country’s roughly 400 national parks and other federally managed backcountry.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the order without fanfare Thursday, classifying e-bikes as non-motorized bikes and giving agencies 14 days to adjust their rules.
“Reducing the physical demand to operate a bicycle has expanded access to recreational opportunities,” Bernhardt wrote in the order...
Read more here:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/electric-bicycles-could-be-coming-to-national-park-trails
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