From our President s Saddlebag...

Transcription

1 Wasatch Front Chapter July 2014 Newsletter From our President s Saddlebag... BCHU MISSION STATEMENT 1. To perpetuate the common sense use and enjoyment of horses in America s back country and wilderness areas. 2. To work to insure that public land remains open to recreational stock use. 3. To assist the various government, state, and private agencies in their maintenance and management of said resource. 4. To educate, encourage and solicit active participation in the wise and sustaining use of the back country resource by horsemen and the general public commensurate with our heritage. 5. To foster and encourage the formation of new state Back Country Horsemen s organizations. from Back Country Horsemen of America Organizational Handbook 2010, pg 5 Back Country Horsemen of Utah, Wasatch Front Chapter, does our first youth-oriented campout. Many have voiced concerns that Back Country Horsemen membership in Utah is getting pretty long in the tooth. Many ideas had been discussed on how to interest younger riders. The idea that was the most popular with our chapter was to have a simple weekend campout oriented toward young riders. So thanks to Tammi Johnson s initiative, a date for the campout was set, planning began and word of the event began to spread. Since it was the first one, the plan was to keep it simple. Start on a Friday evening with a little bit of education and entertainment around the campfire, serve breakfast Saturday morning, do a simple service project, and then go for an easy trail ride. With some volunteer help from chapter members Hal Peck supplied the stoves and cooked breakfast, Kirk Oman was Hal s able assistant and Lee Sheppard assisted as needed. The kids began to understand the importance of being good horsemen on the trails. During Friday s education session around the campfire, we talked about the mission of Back Country Horsemen. Tammi provided some horse first aid tips. Kendalyn Hill talked about Leave No Trace principles and identification of noxious weeds in the area. Steve Spencer entertained us with some great cowboy poetry. Those that wanted to went for a short evening trail ride. Then everyone gathered around the fire to socialize and listen to Kendalyn and her husband, David, play their Native American flutes. After breakfast Saturday the group got together to pick up litter and pull up as much Dyers Woad around the trail head as possible. This helped reinforce the fact that the Back Country Horsemen are a service organization, WEB Services Provided By XMISSION.com...continued on page 2 Inside this issue: ANNOUNCEMENTS 2 WELCOME / CAMPOUT 3 NATIONAL / STATE 4 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 5 ALL LADIES RIDE CONTACTS / FOR SALE 7 TRAILER / PSA S 8

2 Continued from page 1... not a riding club. After a trail ride up the canyon, participants were free to head home or stay Saturday night. The thirty or so campout participants were mostly young adults, teenagers and pre-teens with a parent or grandparent. The youngest participant was 4 year-old Autumn on her first campout and trail ride. Brianne, Megan and Willow, all around 10 years old, brought their miniature horses to ride. After the ride, the warm afternoon sun provided the perfect opportunity to cool off in the nearby stream! The girls and their minis really enjoyed wading and splashing in the cool stream water. Overall the event was a huge success! Lots of new friendships were made. Parents really appreciated an event focused on youth. The presentations were short and simple. The rides were easy so the young riders could have fun and not feel intimidated or get too tired. There was also a lot of unstructured time so folks could just hang out and talk and the kids could have fun with their new friends. Depending on how the schedule looks in late summer, our chapter may do another campout in September. If not, we will certainly try our best to do another youth campout next year. If you ve got young children or grandchildren, I hope you can make the next one! See you on the trails and bring the kids next time! Julie Heavirland, President Public Lands Update What s the news on the proposed trail from NF park to Avon/USFS? A few weeks ago several chapter members rode the trail and attempted to find the section marker. The trail is adequate and with more horse tromping will become better. The hitch is that the county must verify our findings for the section marker. They are scheduled to get one of their surveyors up to the area soon. If we synchronize our findings then we will be prepared to assess how much work needs to be done. This will probably take a Page 2 July chapter meeting will be held at Moore s Restaurant, 2490 South 1900 West in West Haven. Meeting starts promptly at 7 p.m. Contact Julie ( ) if you have an idea for a good meeting room at reasonable cost to chapter. We are registered for Ogden s horse & hitch parade July 14. Lamar Taylor is leading that effort. There may be other parades on July 4 & 17. Contact Don Bradshaw if interested in riding. Please remember to update membership fee on the blue pamphlets before handing out to potential members. Keep track of your volunteer hours and turn in frequently to Janet ( ). Don t wait til later or you won t remember details! Questions? PLEASE ASK! Red Cliff Café under new management with new hours (breakfast on Sat/Sun). Phone North Fork Park trails are open - do not ride wet muddy trails! This only gives ammunition to those who wish to close trails to equine use! Members may submit their business cards for future newsletters. Submit calendar and newsletter items by 25th of each month (Kathy ). Much appreciated! month or two to happen. The trail should be a good one in the spring and fall months. It will take us into Forest Service property with several sections of land to ride and explore. Info provided by Richard Webb Millcreek Animal Hospital Kathy Borrett, DVM 1920 West 250 North, #19 (exit 346) Marriott-Slaterville, UT

3 First Youth Campout A Great Success! The 1st Annual Youth Campout was the brainstorm of Julie Heavirland and me. We had discussed on several occasions how best to get youth involved and interested in our organization. I decided on Middle Fork since camping is free and the stream is close by. On Friday evening, Julie welcomed roughly 30 folks and briefly described who and what BCHU is all about. Then I proceeded into a quick first aid class while everyone enjoyed their perfectly cooked hobo dinner managed by Hal Peck and Kirk Oman over the campfire. Kendalyn Hill touched on Leave No Trace principles. Whilst gorging ourselves, Steven Spencer spun cowboy yarns about the west. It seemed the kids were hankering to ride after that and we did so until dusk and returned back to camp to the mystical and magical sounds of Kendalyn and David s Indian flutes. We enjoyed S'Mores until our eyelids flapped shut. Next morning, Hal, Kirk, and Lee Sheppard did a perfect breakfast of flapjacks, eggs with milk, juice or coffee, and fresh fruit donated by Julie. We commenced doing a service project of pulling Dyers Woad and ended the campout after an uneventful ride to the "bus stop." Some of the kids took their mini horses for a dip in the creek while adults broke camp. A good time was had by all! There was talk of doing another youth campout again this September. Welcome to our newest members over the past few months. We look forward to seeing you at chapter meetings, rides, or service projects. Chad & Emily Elliott; Ryan, Meg & Luke Krusemark; William & Tara McElhinney; Denton & Michelle Thorseness (May). Russ & Vickie Chatelain (June). Jayme Alexander, Dana Crawford, Gwen Dobson, Abby Fausett, Tess McKenzie, Jim & Norma Petet, Amanda Sutton, Tamra Watson (July). Thank you to members who have renewed as well! Your membership helps us continue our mission of keeping the trails open to pack and saddle stock for all to enjoy. Trail Blazing Blog Service projects have been done on Gertsens and lower Wheatgrass trails. More work is still needed on both. Wheatgrass needs heavier tools to move rocks that block the trail. Ann & David Hyde, Sandra & Bob Bowles, Nancy McKay, Hal Peck, Kirk Oman, Jan Carlsen, Scott & Duane Leroy, and I participated in the weekend campout/ride/service project June We camped at Bluff Springs which has a very nice fairly level clearing with plenty of room for lots of rigs and horses. Bluff Springs is located off the side of the hill east of the clearing. The spring has 2 good sized ponds. Unfortunately, walking horses up and down the hill could cause erosion and damage the spring. We will talk to USFS about possible improvements. This is the location USFS has offered up to establish a horse campground. Friday s rain didn't stop me, Sandra, Ann and David from riding Neponset. The trail is still fairly well marked, but a few trees fell over the winter so some chainsaw work is needed there. Saturday the group trailered to Sugar Pine trail head. This time we were equipped with chainsaws, thanks to Scott bringing his wonder pack mule. We cleared most of the downed trees that were blocking the trail and then completed the...continued on page 5 Page 3

4 National News HR 4886 National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act of 2014 is the proposed legislation introduced by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Tim Walz (D-MN) that would keep more trails open and accessible by expanding the use of volunteer and partner organizations and provide increased focus on a handful of priority areas around the country. More than 50 diverse recreation and conservation groups requested the legislation after a study last year found the Forest Service trail system is being squeezed between the demands of growing public use and shrinking budgets. According to that report, the maintenance backlog for forest trails exceeds $314 million and threatens to limit public access, harm natural resources, and increase future maintenance costs. Look for more updates or follow the bill s progress online at (search on HR 4886 ). The United States National Forest System contains the largest network of trails in the world and receives roughly 165,000,000 visitors a year. While more people than ever are heading into national forests, only one quarter of all trails are maintained to standard. The trails backlog prevents public access, poses dangers to public safety, and degrades clean water. In addition to expanding the use of volunteers, the legislation also requires the Secretary of Agriculture to identify 9-15 priority areas throughout the country for increased trail maintenance. What s Happening at BCHU? Have you heard about the Leave No Trace Master Educator course in Moab Sept 15-20? This consists of 5 sub-courses - pack/riding stock, backpacking/primitive area, mountain biking, front country, and rafting master/primitive country. The pack/riding stock class will be taught by the Utah LNT State Advocate, Craig Allen, a horseman well known to our chapter. The equine class will have base camp and move to Arches National Park and visit Dead Horse State Park.. This course is open to BCHU members, and at $325 it is hard to find a course of this quality that costs less. This includes meals and camping for the entire course. No actual riding will take place, but there will be several horses there for instructional purposes. Go to UtahScouts.org for further info and a short course description. Meals are included. Course applicants must be registered with Boy Scouts of America. BCHU Brochures Please remember to hand out our blue BCHU pamphlets (with the $5 adjustment to membership fee written in) to any horse people or trail enthusiasts you meet and post them where allowed. Try on bulletins boards at your work place, community boards, under windshield wipers at trail heads, and in the windows or on counter of businesses. Kathy Myers Authorized Dealer Free shipping if purchased through me! Stretch your hay dollar - get 94% out of each bale with the Cinch Net! Now in more sizes! Page 4

5 Fri July Fri July Sat July Sat July Sun-Sat July 27-Aug 2 Sat Aug Mon Aug Mon Sept Fri-Sun Sept 5-7 Sat Sept Sat Sept Sat Sept Sat Sept Sat Oct Sun Oct Oct 31-Nov 2 Sat Nov Sat-Tue Nov Sat Nov Sat Jan 4 Independence Day! Continued from page 3... ride. Nancy McKay took over leading the mule for the later half of the ride. She's training her horse to haul a mule in prep for a trip to the Uintah's with some boy scouts. It was also Hal's birthday, so we all wished him a happy birthday and made sure he wasn't stuck with cooking and serving duties that day. On Sunday, Ron Greenwell, Kirk, Hal and I met up with Tammi Johnson to ride to the Little Grand Canyon from the Davenport trail head. Many thanks to Kirk and Hal who came to Tammi's aid to fix a flat trailer tire. The trail to Little Grand Canyon is in good shape. There were a few places where more trail markers were needed, but we had a nice ride on a beauti- CALENDAR OF EVENTS 11 21st Annual Antelope by Moonlight Bike Ride (White Rock Bay to Garr Ranch) 10 p.m. 12 WF Chapter service project in Holbrook Canyon. Details on ride/project TBA. 19 WF Chapter service project in Monte Cristo area. Details on ride/project TBA. 15th Annual Wyoming High Country ride. Early registration $475/person includes meals. Contact Flo Calkin, Ride Coordinator, , wytrailride@gmail.com 16 WF Chapter service project in Monte Cristo area. Details on ride/project TBA. 25 National Park Service 98th birthday. Day use FEE FREE entry to national parks. 1 Labor Day All Ladies Ride North Fork Park. More info TBA later. If you are not on the list, please contact Caren or Nancy (see page 5). 6 Amazing Raise sponsored by Community Foundation of Ogden Valley. 13 WF Chapter service project in Monte Cristo area. Details on ride/project TBA. 13 State meeting in Escalante. Agenda & planned rides TBA. 27 WF Chapter service project in Monte Cristo area. Details on ride/project TBA. National Public Lands Day. Day use FEE FREE entry to lands managed by Army Corp of Engineers, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, National Parks, US Fish & Wildlife, & USFS. 11 Elberta to Eureka ride. Julie to announce details later. 12 National Wildlife Refuge Day. Day use FEE FREE entry to US Fish & Wildlife lands. Annual Bison Roundup on Antelope Island. 8 WF Chapter Annual Banquet, Auction, and Elections at Florentine Gardens, 2621 Oak Hills Dr., Layton (just west of 89). Cost will be $24 including tax/gratuity. Details TBA Veterans Day weekend. Day use FEE FREE day in lands managed by Army Corp of Engineers, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, US Fish & Wildlife, and USFS. 15 WF Chapter service project - weather permitting. TBA. 15 BCHU state meeting - location TBA. ful day. Thanks to Scott for fixing the group dinners on Friday and Saturday. We all got to enjoy tasty meals fixed in Scott's new milk can cooker. On June 21, the Cabin Hollow ride, we parked in the Bluff Spring area and located the spring ponds. We rode from there to Cabin Hollow where it joined with Trigger Gulch. We then turned around and came back out. We packed in chainsaws but didn't use them. Scott and Duane hauled the mule. Kirk, Hal, Richard Webb, Lee Sheppard, and I went along too. Trigger Gulch was not in any shape to ride up. Submitted by Julie Heavirland Page 5

6 WASATCH FRONT/BCHU 2014 LADIES RIDE September 5, 6, & 7, 2014 North Fork Camp Grounds Liberty, Utah Come spend a weekend with all your horse-lovin cowgirl friends riding in the beautiful mountains of North Fork Park, Utah!! Cost: $45 (reduced from previous years) for BCHU Members and nonmembers (does NOT include a 2014 membership for Wasatch Front Chapter. Children 8-12 are $20. Children 7 and under are free. Fee pays for campground fees and Friday & Saturday night dinners (main dish & dessert provided). Bring a potluck dish to share each night. Breakfasts and lunches will not be provided. Amazing Raise Donations: We will be collecting donations for the Amazing Raise event for the Ogden Valley Foundation. This foundation helps BCHU raise money for trail work that will benefit the Ogden Valley trails by donating matching fundsto the amount BCHU collects, which will then be returned to our Chapter to be used for trail work. Please support this effort if you can. We will have items to give away with certain donation amounts. This year s ride will be a more relaxed version of years past just lots of riding and sitting around the campfire at night! Guided horseback rides (beginner, intermediate and advanced levels) and evening campfire socials. Horse corrals are available on a first come-first served basis with horse present (no saving stalls) for $5.00 per day. Water is available for all purposes at the campground, including a large water trough for horses. Please bring a few bundles of firewood for evening campfires. Mail registration and fees to: WF/BCHU All Ladies Ride Nancy McKay Registration and Fees 2112 Allison Way paid by no later than Syracuse, UT August 23 rd. More details to follow so RSVP no later than August 17 th by , Facebook or contact Nancy McKay or Caren Miller-Lazarz. Caren carenmiller_lazarz@centurylink.net ( ) Nancy mmklan@digis.net ( ) Weed free hay is recommended but not mandatory. Horseshoes or boots are also recommended. More information, with maps and directions to the camgrounds, will follow via for those who register. REGISTER SOON! SEE YA ON THE TRAILS LADIES!! Page 6

7 2014 Chapter Officers President: Julia Heavirland Vice President: Alan Phister Secretary: Kathy Baumgartner Treasurer: Shelley Ghan Committees Youth Outreach: Julie Heavirland Volunteer Hours Co-Chairs: Janet Harrison Kellie McDonough Public Lands Liaison Chair: Richard Webb Tool/Equipment Committee Co-Chairs: Alan Phister Scott LeRoy Newsletter Coordinator/Marketing/PR: Kathy Myers Calendar/Facebook Webmistress: Tarryn Galloway Trail Bosses: Don Bradshaw Richard Webb Beginner Trail Boss: Tammi Johnson Chuckwagon Cook: Matt LeRoy New Member Coordinator: (Currently vacant and waiting for a volunteer!) Weber Pathways Ad-hoc Member: John Harrison jandjfarms_1@msn.com Freedom Riders: Richard Webb rcw1010@msn.com Page 7 FOR SALE! The chapter s old trailer is listed for sale on KSL. Contact Julie ( ) if interested. Great storage/utility trailer for group or individual. Thank you Sponsors! Smith and Edwards Co. (801) North Hwy 126 Farr West, Utah Dallas Green Farm & Home 3752 South 4700 West West Haven, UT

8 Trailer Update Check out the chapter trailer after logos completed on both sides & back! Thank you, Alan Phister, for your dedication to getting this accomplished! New Public Service Announcements Working jointly with the horseback riding community, the national nonprofit Tread Lightly! has released 2 new print public service announcements (PSAs) as the latest addition to a growing assortment of PSAs in its Respected Access is Open Access campaign. "Tread Lightly! was urged to produce these PSAs at the request of concerned equestrians to help raise awareness of the consequences of riding wet trails," said Lori McCullough, Tread Lightly!'s Executive Director. "Traveling on wet trails not only causes resource damage, it also tends to increase conflict among trail users." This issue is not exclusive to horseback riders. It is hoped these educational pieces will help lead the way in demonstrating a higher standard of restraint and stewardship of our shared trails. "Whether it's hikers, bikers or horseback riders, educational materials and signage informing users to stay off wet trails will limit damage," said Jim McGarvey, Chairman of Backcountry Horsemen of America. "I am proud of the equine community for educating itself with regard to key issues and balancing our favorite recreation activity with resource conservation." Respected Access is Open Access is an issuespecific campaign aimed at protecting and enhancing access and opportunities to enjoy outdoor recreation by increasing individuals' awareness of minimum impact principles and heightening their sense of good stewardship. Now with 18 PSAs in the collection, the Respected Access campaign addresses a variety of issues such as litter, property and resource damage, illegal dumping and respecting private property. The entire campaign, including web banners, can be downloaded in several sizes, free of charge, from treadlightly.org. Page 8