CHUCK FANSLOW Gladwin, Michigan Michigan Trail Riders Association
www.mtra.org
1. LACK OF AC- CESS. Over the past 15 years or more, many state-owned land areas have been closed to horses in Michigan. As the mul- titude of public land us- ers has increased, horses have been denied access in order to allow other users—such as mountain bikers and cross country skiers—singular access. Other users have been denied due to erosion and noise factors (dirt bikes, ATVs, horses, mountain bikes, etc.) and the per- ceived harassment of hunters. We have been seeing more “NO HORSE” signs posted in diff erent public land areas across our state, where people have ridden for years. Individual trail riding and horse organizations are working hard to educate not only other non-motorized users and hunters of the benign nature of horseback riding but also the DNR staff . We have spoken of how horses are used for hunting in western states and express how their use could add to hunter success in Michigan. We have shown during many meetings how states benefi t from tourism dollars of horseback trail riding and camping and that many equestrians from states south of Michigan want to come here during months when it is too hot to ride in their state. We are fi nally making that connection for those in charge.
Chuck Fanslow 2. COST OF OWNERSHIP. Simply having a horse has become
very expensive with the drought, cost of hay and grain and the overall downturn in the economy. Young people can’t aff ord horses and as a re- sult, newer horsemen are not in the wings to continue the upkeep of trails and campgrounds. MTR allows youth to ride and camp for free when at ending our scheduled rides. We believe this fosters a strong interest in continuing trail riding.
3. FUNDING ISSUES. State-owned public land is frequently pur- chased with Federal fi sh and game funds, which places certain restric- tions on use. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff has told us that lands purchased with fi sh and game money are not compatible with equine activities. T e US Fish & Wildlife Service rules contain a clause that certain activities—including equestrian trail riding—are allowed as a secondary use. Many forests and wildlife areas were purchased with a mixture of funding coming from several sources, which complicates the situation. T ese rules have posed the biggest hurdle for Michigan horsemen to overcome. MTR has joined forces with many diverse horse groups, from 4H to Michigan’s Back County Horsemen Affi liate Pigeon River & Beyond (PR&B), which have allowed us to have a united force with both state legislators and DNR staff in order to eff ect change. PR&B has repeatedly taken state legislators on trail rides to help them understand the beauty of horseback trail riding and members have at ended state commit- tee hearings to explain the benefi ts of equestrian tourism. T ey have also shown how other states use public land purchased with Federal funds for equestrian access with no confl ict.
56 | November 2012 •
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US
DUKE MONSON McKinney, Texas Trinity Trails Preservation Association
www.trinitytrailriders.org
1. SUBURBAN GROWTH AND DEVEL- OPMENT. T e area we live in is Collin County and is one of the fastest growing counties in the US. We are seeing a lot of suburban develop- ment. What we see coming are suburban users of the trails who are used to a natural earth trail through native woods and meadows. Our trail was developed for hikers and horses and is limited to those two user groups. People used to concrete trails and paths have a diff erent set of expecta- tions. And they are not expecting to find horse manure, uneven terrain and water crossings. T e county has a master trail plan and each town has contributed to it. T PA has begun reaching out to the lands that are adja- cent to the Trinity Trails land and the trails that our trail integrates with their trail plan. We are trying to get ahead of this before people show up and install a paved path.
Duke Monson
2. WORKING WITH DIFFERENT CON- STITUENCIES. Juggling the US Corps of Engineers, the County and our membership on how to build and maintain the trail is challeng- ing. T ere are diffi cult political motivations and it is a never-ending process. You learn to plan for long time periods.
3. CONTINUING TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE TRAIL…AND FROM THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS, GATHER A LARGER GROUP OF PEO- PLE TO MAINTAIN THE TRAIL. T ere are one million people in our county and we have about 200 people paying to maintain the trails in our membership. We are trying to increase the base of people who contribute labor, contribute money and get out and use the trail. Getting groups to come out consistently, competing with people’s spare time and the eff ort involved, sometimes it is hard to be heard. In the past year, we tried diff erent ways to get people out and fi nd funding. This year, we decided to get back to basics and concentrate on trail maintenance. We are fortunate to be fi nancially sound. We do a lot of our major improvements with grants.
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