Re: why join AERC?

[cberto@juno.com (connie B Berto)]

Steph, I ask your permission to put this on Ridecamp.

Linda, I am about 25 Digests behind on catching up with messages, but
I'll try to reply to your many good questions.   I may be repeating what
others have said, hope not.
    First of all, you surely realize that in order for AERC to attempt 
the many (good) things on trails that you suggest, there will have to be
a paid employee at the central office to do trails issues.   No, it will
not be I.  
     Since I've been Trails Chair, occasionally the AERC office has
forwarded me requests for help (so far, mostly procedural)  from various
places across the USA.    What help I've given stems from my experiences
from  22-plus years of membership on our county's Trails/Open Space
committee, and slogging through issues with the land managers in our
county--federal, state, county, public utility.  I"ve been our  local
homes assn.'s Zoning Chair for 15 years.   All this is on a volunteer
basis.   BTW, my husband of 42 years and I have also reared five pretty
great kids, all grown now.
    I see the trend shifting a bit away from procedural permit matters
more towards  environmental matters -- horse science, if you will.   In
some places in California,  we're being hammered by the lack of research
on horse topics.  I wrote an article on Ridecamp about a week ago about a
meeting a dozen of us had in December, and our list of possible study
items.  It takes respected research facilities to do the lab stuff and
PhD types to collect data, write the article, and publish in a respected
journal for peer review.    Does AERC want to take on the job of funding
this research?
    Western States Trail  Foundation has done a magnificent job of
collecting funds for the WST and the ongoing programs of repairs.   Can
they do this for AERC national-wide as well?   Would they be inclined to
do it ?   (and I don't mean to put Larry Suddjian on the spot by that
question)
   As for AERC affiliating with other nationwide trail groups, hmmm.  
What's their real agenda?   Naturally they would want us to donate $$$ to
their organization.   What guarantees, what action would we get  in
return?   You mentioned Rails-to-Trails.  Do you know how many RTT
projects BAN horses from their completed trails, and I'm not kidding,
this is not uncommon?   Some hiking groups detest horses on trails--ask
Jim and Jackie Bumgartner about the High Sierra Hiking Association.  
Does AERC  want to officially join groups that oppose us on the ground?
    The sad thing is, the American Horse Council in Washington DC was
supposed to be the lead group for all this activism.  Amy Wallace Mann
(their former CEO)  even made a trip out here to California to talk about
trail projects and trail problems.   After that enlightened start, things
have gone dark.   The AHC is a light that has failed us trail riders.  
But, Back Country Horsemen of America has done wonderful things to keep
stock on back country trails and to educate riders.  That's a group worth
joining.  
    Can AERC pick up the ball and run with it, be all things to all trail
riders?   Sure, it  could, but it would to cost us members MONEY, and I
don't mean just what we'd save by not having year-end awards, I mean LOTS
of money for lobbying, travel,  research, publicity, networking,
conference attendance, the whole nine yards.
    Is there an alternative?  YES, and here it is:  It's for each one of
us to become an activist.  Join a local trail club.   Get on a county
trails committee.  Get appointed to that commission.  Write that letter. 
Attend that meeting and GET UP AND SPEAK  IN  DEFENSE OF HORSES.  Collect
pertinent printed matter to give to land managers.     Take that
important so-and-so out to lunch or out for a trail ride.   Take time to
GO TO THAT LOCAL/ REGIONAL/ NATIONAL  TRAILS CONFERENCE.   There are lots
of  ways we equestrians can work to preserve our trails and defend our
sport..
    AERC has a Trails Fund, money set aside for members to attend these
important trail conferences.  There's supposed to be a check box on the
annual membership renewal form for donations to this fund.  Did you see
this last November???   How else can we keep the $$$ coming in to this
fund?   As for conferences, we need volunteers to take the time to
attend;  many generous people did support attendees at  the Clemson
Conference last fall.    
    Bob Morris (and others)  has some good ideas.  Can we can get things
together for an exciting Reno convention?  There will be a Trails
Committee meeting;  if enough people want it,  we can finalize a more
innovative Trails Program then, and send it to the Board of Directors.  
Please check the schedule when you get there.   Thanks much for reading
through this.   Connie Berto, Trails Chair

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