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[RC] Fw: [CTR] Colorado State Parks Shuts Out Equestrians - Sky RanchHere is a cross post that I feel is extremely important. Message to ALL equestrians, we absolutely must unite. Strength in numbers, united we stand, etc. etc. Colorado has been, in the past, 'fairly well' protected against urban protests against horses on trails. Well, it's beginning to change. If you do not want to lose trails, nationwide, then you must act. Now. Please. I urge all equestrians, nationwide, to write their congressmen, senators, the BLM and Forest Service administration, and, perhaps more importantly, to join equestrian organizations for lobbying efforts in larger numbers. NATRC, AERC, Backcountry Horsemen of America, AQHA, AHA, whatever ... please ... we are an endangered species at this point. Do you like to ride trails? Then, act. Now. Please. Another suggestion - contact your local newspapers, radio stations -- get the word out about what's happening. I do not believe that most Americans want horses excluded from trails, and/or wilderness areas. After all, horses and mules helped to establish, and now MAINTAIN, the very trails that are now being closed off. This trend to exclude horses and mules must not continue. Please help. Carla Richardson Member of AERC, AHA, AQHA, BCHA, MVBCHA, and NATRC Cortez, Colorado ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dale McFarland" <dalemc@xxxxxxxxxx> To: "# Northern Colorado Riding Club" <NorthernColoradoOPRC@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "*Trailriding@xxxxxxx" <trailriding@xxxxxxx>; "@Horsectr@xxxxxxxxxxx" <horsesctr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "RkyMtnTrls@xxxxxxx" <RkyMtnTrls@xxxxxxx>; "Trailriding Digest" <trailriding@xxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 7:40 AM Subject: [CTR] Colorado State Parks Shuts Out Equestrians Colorado State Parks Shuts Out Equestrians By Julie Chaney Front Range Back Country Horsemen In an effort to reduce complaints, Colorado State Parks has decided against allowing horseback riders access to trails at the soon to open Cheyenne Mountain State Park located on the slopes of Cheyenne Mountain, southwest of Colorado Springs in El Paso County (ranked in the 1999 Colorado Equine Survey as 9th out of 63 counties in total equine inventory). Trail traffic on the 1,600 acre park will be comprised of walkers/hikers and bicyclists only. This also indicates that any access to the Pike National Forest through common boundaries will also be denied. According to Casey Swanson, Colorado State Parks South Region Trails Coordinator, in a discussion at the recently held Colorado State Trails Symposium, other users don't like seeing or smelling "horse poop" on State Park trails and complain about it quite frequently. He also cited the fact that weed seed is spread through horse manure left in the park. When asked if concerned about foreign weed seed introduced by other trail users on their pants, shoes and tires, including cars, he stated that he knows that amount to be insignificant when compared to horses. When asked for empirical evidence to support his statement, he admitted he did not have any. Another reason State Parks managers made the decision to close Cheyenne Mountain State Park to equestrians is the determination that, according to Mr. Swanson, "since Colorado State Parks are no longer funded by tax dollars, not enough (entrance) fees could be generated to justify the costs associated with building trailhead parking lots large enough to accommodate the rigs needed to transport horses or to build trails able to sustain their use." Mr. Swanson feels that bicycle use does not create as much impact on trails as horse use does. Again, he did not have any scientific facts to support his statement. When asked about Colorado State Parks directive to support diversity in park use (*see below), he stated that OHV users also are not being allowed to use many parks, so equestrians should "just get used to it and learn to get along without." Using this line of reasoning coming from someone high up in the State Parks trails echelon leads one to believe that horses will not be allowed on any new Colorado State Park, one of which is being planned southwest of Denver called Staunton State Park. Current privileges may also be lost on many of the state parks lands we, as members of Back Country Horsemen chapters, currently volunteer our precious time on. This decision comes on the heels of the Colorado Division of Wildlife board banning horseback riders on 15 State Wildlife Areas citing user conflict and misuse with more areas being reviewed for future closure to equestrian use. On a positive note, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Lynn Wodell, the new Open Space Manager for Arapahoe County. I offered her our Front Range Chapter's volunteer services for their newly planned open space trail systems that would accommodate equestrian use. She replied that all of Arapahoe County's trails will be open to equestrians and that they would love to hear our ideas and suggestions. I hope to hear from her in the near future. *" Since its establishment in 1971, the Colorado State Parks Trails Program actively encourages the development of a variety of trails. The Trails Program, a priority of Colorado State Parks, provides outdoor recreation for people of all ages, interests and abilities. The goal of the program is to develop a statewide network of trails to link communities, preserve open space and provide access to public lands. The Trails Program promotes the importance of sharing trails among different user types, maintaining and enhancing trail systems, minimizing environmental impacts of trail recreation, and promoting education and ethics among trail users." Taken from the Colorado State Parks website: http://www.parks.state.co.us/default.asp?action=park&parkID=98 Mr. Swanson can be reached at: 4255 Sinton Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80907 (719) 227-5255 . casey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/horsesctr/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: horsesctr-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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