Highcountry Highline

Transcription

1 Wenas Valley Chapter BCHW Highcountry Highline Board Members President: Walt Hyde, Vice President: Colleen Badgley, State Director: Shari Tayar, Alt. Director: Krohn Traversie, Secretary: Jill Breeze, Treasurer: Kellie Hyde, DNR/Public Lands: Faye Bradford, USFS Liaison: Faye Bradford, Newsletter Editor: Robin Granger, LNT Education: Robin Granger, Trail Boss: Jacque Sansaver, Volunteer Hours Coordinator: Sherrie Murphy, Webmaster: Robert Badgley, Events Calendar Aug. 11 General Meeting Round Table Pizza 7 PM Aug Ride/Campout - TBD Sept. 2-5 Ride/Campout TBD Sept. 8 General Meeting Round Table Pizza Sept. 17 BCHW State Board Mtg Sept Ride/Campout - TBD Oct. 3 TWIG Meeting Oct. 8-9 Ride/Campout - TBD Oct. 13 General Meeting Oct. 29 BCHW State Wine Ride From The President s Desk Here we are another month coming to a close. Hope everyone is getting out riding. Congrats to Jacque Sansaver, she finally got her new trailer. She will be making her maiden voyage in it at the end of the month heading for Oregon to ride. I know we have talked a lot about all our trail closures and road closures. The Wenas Chapter has put together a special committee to address these issues. So far we have had two meetings. The first was just the Wenas committee discussing how we wanted to move forward with this. The second meeting we invited some of the other user groups to join us. We had a representative from the four wheelers and also one from the mountain bikers. Also in attendance was Bernie Stratton from BCHW, Kellie Lawrence from the Forest Service, and Jamie Daniels from Dan Newhouse s office. All in all I think it went well. Dan Newhouse is in full support of what we are trying to accomplish. Hopefully we can get some results and get some of our trails back. Just a reminder that the August meeting has been moved back to Round Table Pizza.. Robert Badgley and I took a ride into Wildcat this month made it to the meadow, but it was rough going getting in there. We did find an easier way out so the meadow is accessible but it is about a 4 mile ride to the meadow. Not sure what the trails are like. I might have to make another trip up there when I can spend some more time exploring. Try and stay cool and get out and ride. I know we don t have a lot of places to choose from to get out in the mountains but there are a couple. See you on the trails. Walt Hyde, President 1

2 User Group Meeting July 14, 2016 Several representatives from different user groups gathered to voice their concerns about the closures of roads and trails in the the Naches Ranger District. Jamie Daniels representing Dan Newhouse s office attended the meeting and recorded the information as it was reported by the meeting participants. This meeting was a promising start at gathering and recording the problems that public land users are experiencing ion our area and throughout the state. With the help of Dan Newhouse, we hope to gain support from Washington DC to address the access of public lands to the people, specifically in the Naches Ranger District. Response from Jamie Daniels Congressman Dan Newhouse Office Whispering Pines Horse Camp June 30-July 4, 2016 I want to thank you again for inviting me to the July 14 th meeting of the Wenas Valley Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen. I especially appreciate that you were so inclusive of other groups with the same concerns and hope you will express my gratitude to them also. The group discussion, with your concerns and possible solutions clearly outlined, allowed me to present your position knowledgably to Congressman Newhouse. He shares your concerns with public access to our national forests and is working towards putting together a roundtable for further discussion. He has invited the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rob Bishop (R-UT), to attend and speak with you directly. The Natural Resources Committee, on which Mr. Newhouse also serves, has jurisdiction for the management of public lands and resources. We are excited to have the Chairman of this important committee visit our district and are in the process of finding a mutually available date. We will let you know the date and location as soon as possible and hope you will help us spread the word so we can include as many as are interested. Thank you again and we ll keep in touch, Jamie Daniels District Director Congressman Dan Newhouse WA Jacque, Theresa and I traveled to just outside of Sisters Oregon to a horse camp called Whispering Pines. This fee-based horse camp has corrals, picnic tables and vault toilets. No water faucets, but a stream running close by. The weather was hot as it usually is over 4th of July. The trails nearby had just been cleared; within the last day for one of them. The horses had to fight off some vicious horseflies., and we had our share of bug bites from no see-um mosquitoes. One day we took a ride into Matthieu Lake. There were lots of hikers camped there. Jacque (Gunnar) and Theresa even went swimming. I tried my hand at fishing and was disappointed, didn t even get a nibble. The next day we decided to go into Sisters for the day. What a busy little town! There are a ton of cute little shops and restaurants. We had a great time shopping. It was fun to go to a different area to do some riding. Thanks girls! Robin Granger 2

3 BCHW State Chapter Work Party I attended the 5 day BCHW work party in Twisp, Wa. June 30 th July 4 th. About 75 BCHW members came together and sawed hundreds of downed trees, brushed out trails, put in new culverts and a 100 foot long turnpike. There were approximately 90 people and 75 horses and mules occupying the Twist Horse Camp. It was crowded but everyone who turned out found a spot to park. Eight trails were cleared and 1779 hours were recorded. In addition, 397 hours were spent for administration, meal preparation and the LNT crew. My first day, I spent brushing trails. I had taken Nicki, my mustang mare and she was a royal pill. Never having ridden her without one of her pasture mates, she wasn t happy about that. Going up the trail she was fine, but at the end of the day, she jigged all the way back down. She had lost all ability to do her fabulous shuffling gait that I enjoy so much. I was wasted by the time I got out of the saddle. The second day, I decided not to repeat the first day, so I signed up to work with the LNT crew in the morning and the dinner crew in the evening. The special LNT crew spent 4 hours a day going from highline to highline and totally removing every bit of horse and mule poop. When the tired workers returned, their animals had clean areas to eat and rest. My Nicky pony had figured out how to untie her rope and wander around camp. It did not matter that I tied her different ways, the little Houdini became an instant pro at releasing herself from the highline and for her 3 rd and final trick, she somehow undid her quick-release snap. My trail clearing was over when she was brought back to me early one morning after being seen running with the deer. She had sliced open her knee. Apparently, Nicky does not leap like all the funny antlered horses. Go figure. She would have been sold to anyone who wanted her, but everyone had already witnessed her special foolish pony antics, so I was forced to bring her back home. It was a good time and well organized. Hope to do this again next year. Sherrie Murphy 3

4 Conrad Meadows Work Party On Saturday, July 16, our chapter assisted the Naches Ranger District with clearing trail at Conrad Meadows. We were able to clear the trail going clockwise all the way to Surprise Lake. We had two crosscut crews leap frogging. The day threatened rain, but we lucked out. It was actually perfect cool weather to work in. We had two representatives from the Forest Service assisting us. Neither one had ridden before, but were excited when we offered them a mount. One rode on Bob s horse and the other rode on Jerry s mule. We took out several logs and there was one log that my group cut on for at least an hour and a half. We finally caught up with the other group at the lake where they were lunching. They asked for our help with a big overhang tree. This would be something we would not have attempted if the forest service was not there. On Sunday, we thought we would have a leisurely ride to Cirque Lake (at least we were hoping) but ended up clearing more trail all the way to the lake. An end to another successful chapter work party. Colleen Badgley 4

5 LEAVE NO TRACE The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace were developed to help everyone accomplish this goal with helpful guidelines that are easy to follow. These Principles are just guidelines and not hard and fast rules, so everyone can use them no matter what their skill level, in low impact backcountry use! In the upcoming newsletters, each principle will be highlighted, continuing with Principle #4 this month. Principle #4 LEAVE WHAT YOU FIND Avoid damaging live trees and plants Leave natural and cultural artifacts alone Minimize campsite alterations People visit Wildlands for many reasons, among them to explore nature s mysteries and surprises. When we leave rocks, shells, plants, antlers, feathers, fossils and other objects of interest as we find them, we pass the gift of discovery on to those who follow. It s the missing elements of our favorite places that should disturb us the most. Leave What You Find means retaining the special qualities of every Wildland area-for the long term. Discovering evidence of earlier cultures such as clay pots, rock art, arrow heads and historic buildings is exhilarating, and it s tempting to take trinkets home as souvenirs. Take photos or etch the image into your mind to preserve your experience. Some natural objects may be collected on public lands. However, a permit may be required. Collecting is prohibited in national parks and wildlife refuges. For example, the federal Migratory bird Treaty Act protects the nest and feather of certain wild birds. Objects in nature derive much of their beauty from their surroundings and never look quite the same back home. Our Mission Statement The purpose of Backcountry Horsemen of Washington is to perpetuate the legal and moral claim by the American people to use horses and mules for recreation on public lands. Our Goals 1. Perpetuate the use of horses and mules for recreation on public lands. 2. Assist government and public agencies in the maintenance of the backcountry to achieve our goals. 3. Educate, encourage, and inform horsemen in general public in the wise and sustaining use of resources in the backcountry. 4. Take responsible citizen involvement in actions affecting access and the use of stock in the backcountry. 5 SUBMISSIONS TO THIS NEWSLETTER Please send your stories, recipes, ads or anything else you would like to share with others by the 25th of each month to: Robin Granger at robi105@yahoo.com ADVERTISING RATES Business Card - $4.00/mo or $44.00/year 1/4 Page -$7.00/mo or $77.00/year 1/2 Page -$18.00/mo or $198.00/year Full Page -$25.00/mo or $275.00/year Classified (Non-Members) $3.00/mo.