Panhandle Back Country Horsemen: Best-Kept Secret of North Idaho

IdahoSeniorIndependent.com - Full Story

By ARNIE WILKENS, Vice President PBCH
April 7, 2023

Panhandle Back Country Horsemen (PBCH), established as a chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho in 1984, is comprised of all volunteer horsemen and horsewomen and is dedicated to keeping open and maintaining National Forests, State Forests, and State Park trails for public use.

Certified by the USFS for the use of chainsaws with a focus on safe cutting and certified CPR and AED use, the volunteers provide a valuable service to the community. Presently membership totals about 50 people with about 20 certified cutters and 10 new members awaiting training and sawyer certification.

After tough winters in North Idaho, we all know about the tangled mess of downed trees blocking access to our favorite trails. Whether used for hiking, biking, mushroom or huckleberry picking, horse back riding or just plain meandering through our forests, trails blocked by fallen trees often ruin our best plans for an enjoyable outing...

Read more here:
https://www.idahoseniorindependent.com/pbch/

A New Rule Could Change the Way the BLM Manages Public Land in the West

Fieldandstream.com - Full Article

The rule change would put public land conservation projects on a level playing field with other uses like mining, grazing, and logging

By Charlie Booher | Published Apr 11, 2023

Earlier this month, the United States Department of the Interior proposed a new rule that could fundamentally change how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) makes decisions about land use, bringing conservation to the forefront. The rule would direct BLM decision makers to “protect intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and make wise management decisions based on science and data,” the proposal reads.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres, almost exclusively in the American West. The agency has been charged by Congress—through the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA)—to manage these lands for multiple uses. Historically those uses have included recreation, mining, grazing, timber, and oil and gas development. With its new rule proposal, the BLM is hoping to add conservation to that list...

Read the rest here:
https://www.fieldandstream.com/conservation/blm-public-lands-rule/

North Carolina Horse Farm with Equestrian Trail Protected

Rose Lane photo

TryonDailyBulletin.com - Full Article

April 12, 2023
By Submitted article

When Ben and Rhonda King were choosing where to live in retirement, Rhonda said their main criteria came down to one thing: “Horses.” The place they eventually found, near Tryon, offered not only a scenic spot for their own home, but a historic community as devoted to horses as they were. Their farm in the part of Polk County known as Hunting Country is part of a unique trail network that gives them access to over 125 miles of equestrian trails—and expands that access to others who love horses...

Read more at: https://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2023/04/12/horse-farm-with-equestrian-trail-protected/