Support National Forest Trails Bill Today!

On Thursday, July 16, the Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the National Forest Service Trail Stewardship Act of 2015 (S.1110). The bill would direct the Forest Service to take several actions to help address the current trail maintenance backlog that is adversely impacting all trail users on many national forests, including equestrians. This bill is strongly supported by the American Horse Council. AHC urges all recreational riders and trail users to call their Senators and ask them to support the National Forest Service Trail Stewardship Act of 2015 (S.1110) and to please co-sponsor this legislation. You can reach your Senator through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121. Once connected to the Senator's office, ask to speak to the staff person who handles public lands issues. Call them today and tell them; • You support the National Forest Service Trail Stewardship Act of 2015 (S.1110) and it is important to trail riders and all recreational trail users in your state. • The Forest Service has deferred trail maintenance needs that exceed half-billion dollars. This maintenance backlog is causing access and safety issues for equestrians and all trail users on national forests. • S. 1110 will direct the Forest Service to develop a strategy to more effectively utilize volunteers and partners to assist in maintaining national forest trails and identify and prioritize specific areas with the greatest need for trail maintenance in the national forest system. • This bill will help improve trail maintenance without adding to the federal budget deficit. • The bill is bi-partisan and supported by a wide range of recreational users of public land. • Please support and co-sponsor this important legislation. If you have any questions please contact the American Horse Council.

Horse Trail Access: Protect It or Lose It

ELCR.org - Full Article June 16 2015 By Denise O’Meara Setting out on the trail with your horse is a magic moment. The promise of quiet solitude, the beauty of nature, relaxing with friends, the companionship of a beloved horse and enjoying a bit of adventure are all part of the attraction of trail riding. How did this inviting trail become available to you? Did you develop a relationship with the landowner or manager, or is there any relationship at all? Good relations with both public land trail managers and private landowners are imperative. Do you have a written agreement or an informal understanding? And do you show your respect for the owner/manager by using trails responsibly? Just as trail riding contributes to your happiness quotient, treating the land with respect contributes to the durability and availability of your trail. You should know the condition of your trails before you ride, especially during inclement weather. Thoughtlessly slogging through wet areas can cause extensive damage and create unsafe conditions. And it can lead to loss of trail access. It’s not uncommon for a private landowner to deny access to existing trails on their land, posting the dreaded No Horses Here sign. Public land managers, citing damage to sensitive lands, post Access Denied notices. Disappointing, yes; and often irreversible... Read more here: https://elcr.org/horse-trail-access-protect-it-or-lose-it/

Back Country Horsemen of America Donated $14.4 Million in Volunteer Value Last Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 3, 2015 By Sarah Wynne Jackson Back Country Horsemen of America protects our right to ride horses on public lands, cherishing America’s heritage of traveling this landscape as our ancestors did. That’s not just a conviction; it’s a way of life. For over four decades, Back Country Horsemen have volunteered their time, skill, and resources towards keeping trails open to horse use and promoting responsible recreation. In 2014, Back Country Horsemen from coast to coast donated $14.4 million in volunteer value to this cause. The nearly 14,000 BCHA members cleared trails, restored trail treads, built bridges, educated youth and adults in horse use, spread the word about responsible Leave No Trace habits, attended public lands planning meetings, spoke with legislators, held food drives, cleaned up litter, and so much more. BCHA Executive Director Jim McGarvey is leading by example. When his two year term as Chairman ended in April 2015, he announced his commitment to fill the vacant position of executive director on a volunteer basis for up to two years. During that time, he aims to raise the funds required to cover three years of salary and travel expenses for a professional executive director. Back Country Horsemen of Virginia In May, the Iron Mountain Chapter and the Eastern Divide Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Virginia teamed up for a National Trails Day project in the east­ern end of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The work party included 14 members on foot and four on horseback with one pack horse. They were joined by US Forest Service Ranger Stephen Hmur­ciak and two American Endurance Ride Conference certified trail masters to advise in the best way to solve the problems on the trail. Located in southwest Virginia, the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area encompasses 200,000 acres of National Forest land, including four Congressionally designated wilderness areas; the Virginia Creeper Trail; the 5000 acre Crest Zone featuring elevations over 4,000 feet, large rock formations, and a mixture of bald mountain summits and spruce-fir forests; and a herd of wild, free-ranging ponies. In five hours, the group widened and repaired several hundred yards of tread on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail and reworked a washed out switchback. They cut a tree to make cribbing and filled it with rock and soil to form a sturdy, wider trail bed. They also cleared deadfall from six miles of trail. Their work, which was done by hand using trail tools and a chain saw, made this treacherous area much safer. Show Me Missouri Back Country Horsemen The Tri-Lakes Chapter of Show Me Missouri Back Country Horsemen participated in another successful collaboration. They routinely carry trash bags on the trail and pick up garbage left by other users. The group recently approached the PepsiCo plant in Springfield to help fund the purchase of mesh bags that are easily carried on horseback. PepsiCo and SMMBCH pur­chased 5,000 reusable mesh bags print­ed with the Pepsi and SMMBCH logos, along with trail ethics statements. Show Me Missouri Back Country Horsemen distributed the mesh bags to its chapters across the state to be used in trail maintenance. The bags are proving not only to be very useful and practical but also good for spread­ing the message of Back Country Horsemen val­ues and purposes. Bags were giv­en out at SMMBCH’s Leave No Trace display tent at the Missouri State Fair, and will also be made available at trailheads, saddle clubs, and to any interested equestrian individual or group. This beneficial project was made possible by generous funding from PepsiCo and a grant from the Back Country Horsemen of America Education Foun­dation. Show Me Missouri Back Country Horsemen also works regularly with five differ­ent federal and state public land man­agement agencies to maintain and protect Missouri’s wild lands. Ride Kansas Back Country Horsemen The new Ride Kansas Back Country Horsemen expresses the same spirit of volunteerism BCHers are known for. Every autumn, they organize a benefit trail ride to raise money for improving the campground at Rockhaven Horse Park on the south shore of Clinton Lake in northeast Kansas. With the money raised, Ride Kansas Back Country Horsemen have built over 30 steel pipe pens at the camping sites to go with the 18 electri­cal sites, 32 primitive sites, 14 centrally located pens, a shower house, and a shelter house. Along with 70 miles of wooded and scenic trails, these amenities make Clinton Lake one of the best trail riding destinations in Kansas. The Things We Value BCHA believes our nation’s public lands are a precious resource to be preserved and enjoyed. With federal, state, and local budgets shrinking, it’s our responsibility as citizens to pick up the slack. When we accomplish the required maintenance, all users can continue to recreate in these beautiful areas. Back Country Horsemen of America highly values our right to ride horses on these public lands, despite the fact that every day more of them are being designated “No Horses.” Without a unified voice such as that of Back Country Horsemen of America, our heritage of equine use and our right to ride on public lands is in serious jeopardy. About Back Country Horsemen of America BCHA is a non-profit corporation made up of state organizations, affiliates, and at-large members. Their efforts have brought about positive changes regarding the use of horses and stock in wilderness and public lands. If you want to know more about Back Country Horsemen of America or become a member, visit their website: www.bcha.org; call 888-893-5161; or write PO Box 1367, Graham, WA 98338-1367. The future of horse use on public lands is in our hands! Peg Greiwe, Executive Secretary Back Country Horsemen of America

Colorado County supports keeping federal lands public

Aspendailynews.com - Full Article by Collin Szewczyk, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer Thursday, June 25, 2015 Richards: Movement ‘alive and well’ to transfer public lands to state ownership Despite two measures to transfer ownership of federal lands to the states failing this year in Colorado, a movement backing the concept is growing on the national scene and the Pitkin County commissioners are being proactive in their opposition. The BOCC on Wednesday passed an amended draft resolution stating the county’s unwavering support to keep federal lands in the hands of the public, and to not see them turned over to the states. Opponents have criticized the effort to transfer governance of federal lands to the states as an attempt to privatize the lands, potentially exposing them to resource extraction... Read more here: http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/167225

Another campaign seeks transfer of federal land to states

Spokesman.com - Full Article Rich Landers JUNE 17, 2015 PUBLIC LANDS -- I loathe this campaign just as much as I despise other greedy efforts to rob Americans of their public lands heritage. Idaho official garners support for public lands group GRANGEVILLE (AP) — An Idaho official is trying to garner support from counties in western states to legally challenge the government’s ownership of public lands. The Lewiston Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1LehPkT) Idaho County Commission Chairman Jim Chmelik is traveling this week with the goal of getting 100 counties to sign on to support the Western Landmark Foundation. The foundation was formed in March with Chmelik as the registered agent... Read more here: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2015/jun/17/another-campaign-seeks-transfer-federal-land-states/

No Trails Means No Endurance Riding

June 23 2015 Information via the Back Country Horsemen of America (http://www.bcha.org) and the American Trails Symposium have made clear that proposed federal legislation (called "land transfer") may mean that federal public lands may be sold to individual states. Monica Chapman, AERC's Trails Committee Chair, says, "Half of the federal budget for public lands which is billions of dollars is spent on fighting wildfires. Do you think your states or counties can afford that? I don’t." Please read up on the issue at http://www.westernpriorities.org/news. Monica also urges you to join BCHA. Their website does have an easy link that can help you contact your legislators. No trails means no endurance riding.

Back Country Horsemen of Washington Partners on Pacific Crest Trail Reconstruction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2015 By Sarah Wynne Jackson Back Country Horsemen of America highly values our wild lands and our right to enjoy them by horseback. Protecting the wilderness from unnecessary damage is imperative to keeping it pristine. But that creates unique challenges that can prevent proper maintenance of trails, bridges, shelters, and other amenities that allow us to recreate there. US Forest Service wilderness regulations prohibit the use of motorized or wheeled equipment, which can cause extensive damage even when operated with care. The only way to access these remote places with the tools and supplies necessary for making repairs is the same way our ancestors traveled… on the back of a saddle horse, leading a string of pack horses and mules. Supporting Others’ Efforts Back Country Horsemen of Washington collaborates and partners with other trail advocacy orga­nizations to manage and maintain some of the most remote regions in Washing­ton’s mountains. The Lewis County Chapter recently provided pack stock support to the US Forest Service and Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) for a month-long project on the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,550-mile trail corridor from Mexico to Canada. Or­ganized by PCTA, this project re­built a section of the trail across Packwood Glacier basin in the Goat Rocks Wilderness of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, where motorized and wheeled equipment is prohibited. Proper Preparation Prior to packing the trail crews, their equipment, and supplies to the 7,000-foot elevation worksite, it was necessary for everyone’s safety to repair a bridge over Goat Creek on Snowgrass Trail, a major feeder trail. Rotten decking was replaced to support horses carrying workers and supplies. In prepa­ration for the bridge repair, Lewis County Chapter BCH volunteers manufac­tured 50 hand-hewn cedar planks. Bal­anced on each side of a pack animal, two planks at a time were carried two miles to the worksite. USFS Cowlitz Val­ley Ranger District personnel removed the old decking, nailed down the new bridge planks, and cleared winter blowdowns from the trail to the PCTA base camp. Packin’ In Chapter packers hauled supplies and tools from Berrypatch Trailhead seven miles to the base camp located at the remnants of Dana Yelverton Shel­ter on the slopes of Old Snowy Mountain. Once the seven pack stock were fitted with the 800 pounds of cargo in balanced loads, the caravan started up the trail to the worksite, led by the trail crew vanguard who advised approaching hikers of the oncoming pack string. On a clear, warm day the procession was treated to the splendors of Snowgrass Flats, a 10-acre subalpine meadow, before crossing several snowfields to reach the alpine campsite which boasted a stunning view of three dormant volcanoes. A patriotic mix of red, white, and blue wildflowers ornamented the rugged, mountainous setting. Leave No Trace After a weeklong stay, the trail crew was ready to descend the moun­tain with three pack stock to haul out their gear. Lewis County Chapter BCH packers re­turned to base camp three times with food supplies for subsequent workers. The graciously pleasant weather cooled, challenging volunteers and stock with wind-driven sleet, dense fog, and heavy rain that washed out water crossings. Even so, the volunteers persisted and completed the job. This project is a good ex­ample of the tasks that can be accomplished when different user groups work together. Back Country Horsemen of America units across the country partner frequently with trail advocacy organizations to achieve the common goal of keeping trails open for the public while preventing damage to those wild lands we love. About Back Country Horsemen of America BCHA is a non-profit corporation made up of state organizations, chapters/units, affiliates, and at-large members. Their efforts have brought about positive changes regarding the use of horses and stock in wilderness and public lands. If you want to know more about Back Country Horsemen of America or become a member, visit their website: www.bcha.org; call 888-893-5161; or write PO Box 1367, Graham, WA 98338-1367. The future of horse use on public lands is in our hands! Peg Greiwe, BCHA peg@bcha.org 1-888-893-5161