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RE: [RC] AERC spending money, trails preservation - Pam BailieJust wanted everyone to know that BLM is a huge resource and is constantly working to secure more lands for public use. We live on the Georgetown Divide in N. CA and work closely with the American River Conservancy and the BLM. The important thing is to get involved - The lands are being purchased through fundraising and grants but the use for these lands are often determined after the purchase. We are currently working on a 1400 acre parcel that is a blank page. The citizens of the community are asked to attend public meetings and we get to decide how the land will be used. BLM uses an 80% majority rule and the decisions stand. This piece of land connects a trail system that will one day connect the Marshall Gold Discovery site in Coloma with Sutters Fort in Sacramento - over 50 miles one way - not including all the trails around Folsom Lake to Auburn and then the Western States trail. BLM has field offices all over the country and they have web sites with all of their current projects - certainly an easy way to get involved and they even have work parties. Good luck - Pam and Doyle Bailie, Bailie's Six Dog Ranch -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steph Teeter Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 8:46 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] AERC spending money, trails preservation Regarding spending money on trails research>> Ok - there's no doubt that research aimed at preserving trails is a Good thing for AERC. This is obvious. But - for an organization with limited funds, and a need to cut spending and/or increase revenue to balance the budget one has to ask if this is the best place to spend money? I would bet that individual ride managers do far more benefit to the sport in their efforts to procure and maintain trail than any amount of research. Most ride managers do this because of their passion for a good trail (it's certainly not for the money). I have spent the past 5 years searching out a network of trails in Owyhee County and working with the BLM to improve and record them. All of my trails (over 300 miles worth) are now in the BLM's database as 'horse trails'. We gps'd every inch of them and transferred them to their system. Over the past few years the BLM has been reviewing usage of the land here, developing a new management plan - prior to my rides/trails most of the recorded trails were motorcycle and atv. Now there are permanent horse trails recorded in the Owyhee management plan. If you talk to other ride managers I'm sure you will find the same scenarios - Dave Nicholson, Jackie Bumgardner, Randy Eiland have spent their lives providing (and maintaining/procuring/developing) trails for endurance riders. Roger Taylor and Fort Stanton - these are folks working with Gov't agencies. I suspect that the rides in the east and midwest have an even great impact and benefit on preserving trails, working with parks, private individual, state/town tracts. It is primarily the face to face interaction between the folks in the offices (rangers, administraters, etc) and the trail users (ride managers, clubs, riders) that keeps relationships good, and trails open to our use. This is my point: if AERC feels that trails preservation is important, they should be supporting Ride Management in every way possible because Ride Managers and their volunteers/spouses/clubs are the ones that are doing the most, on a yearly basis, for trails. The last thing AERC wants to do is to discourage or cause more financial hardship to it's Ride Managers. The entire sport depends upon the people who are willing to devote months of their time to provide venues for the rides. Tacking another dollar onto the price of a ride entry may seem trivial, but it isn't. I would much rather see: 1. expenses go down - or 2. member dues go up (that was two, I can count :) than tack another ride tax onto the events that are the life-blood of this sport. Encourage the ride managers, encourage the riders, encourage the veterinarians - these individuals are the heart of the sport, and this is what keeps the sport alive, and therefore the trails open. Steph =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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