Garland Mountain Horse and Hike Trails Honor Larry Wheat
T e Pavilion at Garland Mountain Horse and Hike Trails was
dedicated to Larry Wheat on September 8 following the Cherokee County Saddle Club’s monthly volunteer workday. Wheat’s leader- ship and dedication has been irreplaceably instrumental in planning and constructing more than 10.5 miles of horseback riding and hiking trails at Garland Mountain, Waleska, Georgia. Construction on the last four trails is in progress and will add 4.5 more miles of trails, which encompass serene pristine woods and mountain streams. Wheat is one of the original fi ve project commit ee members for
the construction of the 500-plus acre Garland Mountain Horse and Hike Trails, which is a unique joint partnership between the Cherokee County Saddle Club (CCSC) and Cherokee County. T is Greenspace wilderness acreage was purchased by Cherokee County in 2005. In October 2007, the agreement was signed and the CCSC began fl agging, designing and developing the trail system, thanks to a volunteer labor force organized and managed by the club to this day. Wheat is an avid trail rider, enthusiastic volunteer for trail support
activities and a lover of nature. As president of the Back Country Horse- men of Northwest Georgia, a director for the Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association and crew leader/volunteer for maintenance on many trails within the National Forest, he interacts with several USDA-US Forest Service (USFS) personnel within the Conasauga Ranger District and the Forest Supervisor’s Offi ce of the Chat ahoochee-Oconee National Forests in Georgia. T e majority of his volunteer trail eff ort is applied to Garland
Mountain and USFS trails, including the regional Pinhoti Trail, the Dry Creek Trail System, trails in the Cohut a Wilderness, and others. Additional trail support is provided to the Chat ahoochee Bend State Park. Wheat is a certifi ed and practicing crew leader graduate of Mike Riter’s education program for trail design, construction and mainte- nance. He is a certifi ed USFS chain saw operator and has experience operating mini-skid loaders, excavators and other equipment used
TOP: Cherokee County Saddle Club members celebrate the nam- ing of the Larry Wheat Pavilion at Garland Mountain Horse and Hike Trails in Georgia. RIGHT: Larry Wheat was honored by his years of service to the Cherokee County Saddle Club.
during trail construction and maintenance. Prior to his retirement, Wheat was a nuclear engineer working for
corporations supporting federal nuclear research and safety programs. Aſt er leaving the nuclear industry he managed his own consulting com- pany for 13 years, involved in various aspects of instructional design, development, and evaluation of industrial training. While offi cially retired, he devotes some time to substitute teaching mathematics and science in the local Georgia county school system. CCSC is an organization dedicated to promoting safe, responsible
horseback riding, horse ownership and the preservation of riding trails. CCSC hosts a public workday on the second Saturday of each month. If you would like to help construct and maintain the trails at Garland Mountain contact Cindy Young at
Cdingodog1@aol.com
National Forest Foundation Launches National Public Awareness Campaign to “Protect America’s Backyard”
T e National Forest Foundation announced the launch of its fi rst
national public awareness campaign to encourage Americans to get involved in the enjoyment and restoration of the nation’s forests and grasslands. T e public service announcement, created by Discovery Communications, highlights the importance and urgency of caring for America’s national forests. It airs on the Destination America network. America’s National Forest System encompasses 193 million acres of
public lands, 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands. At least 62 million acres of the National Forest System are in need of restorative ac- tion due to damage from wildfi re, insects, disease and natural disasters. Not only do the national forests provide quality recreation oppor-
tunities but also fresh water and clean air, while they sequester carbon and support the economies of thousands of communities. T e National Forest System is the largest single source of water in the continental US and one-third of the US population, 123 million people, rely on water from national forests. Los Angeles, Portland, Denver and Atlanta re- ceive a signifi cant portion of their drinking water from national forests. To address conservation challenges across our National Forests,
96 | November 2012 •
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US
the NFF initiated its $100 million Treasured Landscapes campaign, developing restoration projects in 14 ecologically important and iconic locations, while supporting hundreds of community-based conserva- tion projects across the country. T e Treasured Landscapes sites include Alaska’s Tongass National
Forest, Illinois’ Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Chicago, Colorado’s Pike National Forest and White River National Forest, Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest, California’s Angeles National Forest and Tahoe National Forest, Arkansas’ Ozark National For- est, Florida’s Ocala National Forest, Arizona’s Coconino National Forest, Utah’s Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Washington’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest and Idaho’s Panhandle National Forests. T ese 14 sites are places where communities and individuals can
get even more engaged with National Forest stewardship. To learn more about the National Forest Foundation’s work and become a Friend of the Forest, visit
www.friendsoſt
heforest.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100