Re: RC: Re: Trails funding - DISCUSSION

[tvanhove@uswest.net]

I agree with Glendas suggestions and would add  - Use trail funds money to join
American Trails as a supporting member ( this gives 3 of their newsletters - send
them to 3 regional newletter editors and make arrangemnents for passing on info to
others.)  This also give 3 discounted registrations to the American Trails annual
symposium - the AT symposium is a biggie- lots of trails groups, different trails
users and ALL the major trails agencies attend - lets use trails funds to pay the 3
discounted registrations too, I'm sure it would be worth while.

I'd also really like to see AERC, or the trails committee set up a trails web page.
I could/would even contribute a page toward it with links to some other trails
groups like BCH and American Trails but I lack the expertise to do a complete job
even if I had the time - my ideal AERC trails web page would have forms for folks to
post requests for letters to agencies to keep horse access etc, as well as success
stories, maybe a "trail hero of the year/month/or week competition with a nomination
and voting cabability and so forth.  Perhaps we can think about recruiting a CS
student to do this - it is a pretty big job.

NOW- if all this would overwhelm the trails fund - lets get EN to donate some free
advertising and promote the trails fund.  RM's could advertise for the trails fund
too I'd gladly increase my donation - IF I know that its for a specific good
purpose, and similiarly would glady promote the trails fund as a RM if I can tell
people that the $$ would do a specific good thing.

Teresa Van Hove
# M17417  and Long X ride manager

Glenda R. Snodgrass wrote:

> Well, I won't be at the convention to donate my $5 to see the trade show
> <g> but I gave $20 to the trails fund with my AERC renewal last month, so
> I'll put in my two cents:
>
> First and foremost, I would like to see some money spent on the basic
> *organization* required to become an active trail preservation community,
> which begins with informing the membership:
>
> 1 - Researching, writing and producing information pieces on trails issues
> such as how to get a new trail or expand an old one (what government
> agencies are involved, grants available, success stories, organization
> tips, prior environmental impact study results, etc.).
>
> 2 - Compilation and dissemination of relevant, current statistical info
> such as how many horsemen are in the US, what our impact on the economy
> is, etc.  Some regional and/or statewide breakdowns would be useful as
> well.
>
> 3 - Establishment of a grass-roots lobbying effort to assist the
> membership in speaking out on trails issues.  Connie Berto and Sharon
> Dumas have done a great job on Ridecamp this year, but this is only one
> medium that  reaches only a small percentage of the membership.  How about
> an email-postcard-phone call information chain?  It's easy to set up a
> mail list to notify interested parties about trail news, and it takes
> little effort to set up a postcard/phone call chain -- you know, like
> prayer chains in church?  One person gets the prayer request and calls the
> 4 people on her list, and they each call 4 people, and they do likewise,
> and 200 people have the news within an hour or two, yet it requires each
> person to only make 4 phone calls.
>
> I've heard from many sources that the AERC is a volunteer organization and
> relies on volunteers to do the work, and there aren't enough volunteers to
> do this work.  Okay, so let's spend some of that money to hire a grad
> student to do the research and produce the information pieces.  That's a
> plum project for a grad student in marketing, political science, public
> administration or communications, not just a vet student or one in some
> other definitely horse-related field -- you might even be able to find one
> to do it for expenses only, if they can get credit for this project from a
> professor.  Maybe we could hire a parttime Trails Coordinator -- a public
> administration grad student who can use the experience to get a great job
> lobbying in Washington next year. Grad students are generally terrific
> workers and are pretty cheap, great value for the money.  You have to hire
> a new one just about every year, but it's worth it to have quality work
> done. Just don't let the work not be done at all because you can't find
> someone to do it for free!  Money spent on education and organization is a
> _wise_investment_.
>
> I also think that more can be done to utilize resources at hand.  For
> example, I think that every regional organization has a newsletter that
> is published more or less regularly.  (I do the SERA newsletter, and I get
> copies of many other regional newsletters so I know they're being
> produced.)  These newsletters have a much quicker turnaround time on
> late-breaking news than the EN does, which has a pretty long production
> leadtime.  I would LOVE to print "hot news" on trail activities in my
> newsletter every month, if only someone would feed it to me!  I reprint a
> lot of what I get off Ridecamp, but I want more more more!
>
> Just a few ideas off the top of my head.
>
> Glenda & Lakota
> Mobile, AL
> AERC # M18819 & H27310
> SE Region
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=