The Backcountry News Unit News HAVE YOU EVER? by Mike Hughes ~ Kern River Valley Unit To provide an answer to a recent inquiry regarding the Back Country


Horsemen of California, Kern River Valley Unit and what we do, people should know that we are a group of dedicated men and women working to preserve the historic use of trails with recreational pack and saddle stock. BCHC members perform public service activities for numerous land management agencies and are continually working to educate other members and the general public on how to be “Gentle Users.”


Our focus is to enjoy the great outdoors via equine partners while


helping provide access for others wishing to share in this same type of experience, regardless of their preferred mode of transportation. It is clearly understood that we don’t accomplish this alone. We utilize the backcountry, front country, and coastline and when invited, private lands, to achieve this goal. As a group we have been able to explore wilderness, monuments, national parks, forests, state parks and large private ranches to name but a few venues.


Over the years we have interacted on a professional and social level


with representatives of groups covering a wide spectrum of contacts, from the local to the national level, and this is as it should be. Many of these clubs, units, organizations and governmental agencies share similar interests and objectives and we work with them cooperatively for the greater good. At other times we enjoy a short but progressive partnership, building towards the same aspirations with groups whom our paths have briefly crossed.


Admittedly, there are those occasions when others and our aims are


different and, unfortunately, we find ourselves at loggerheads and have to agree to disagree. I have to say it is a shame when governmental agencies get caught in this crossfire between competing interests of private citizens. When this happens, it is imperative that common sense and creative problem solving enters into the discussions.


Fortunately, we here on the Sequoia National Forest have such a


levelheaded professional in the person of Recreational Specialist Bobby Frenes. I first met Bobby in the early 1990’s when he was a new hire at the United States Forest Service and I was the day supervisor for Camp Owen. This young, diligent and unique personality showed up in his fresh starched uniform proudly displaying the Forest Service Logo stitched to his shirt. He gathered up his crew of Camp Owen wards to go forth and perform public service where it is most needed. He shared with me his plans for the day and then we would discuss trails which are in great shape, those that are most scenic, those that are in decent shape and those most in need of maintenance, which I mentally filed away for future reference.


Leading by example through projects such as Blackrock Trailhead,


Cannell and Big Meadow adoption sites, Manter Meadow and trail clearances from the top to the bottom of Sequoia National Forest Bobby Frenes has been a study in success for all those with whom he comes into contact. Now, what Bob may not have realized over the more than two decades that I have known him is what an excellent representative


These are the reasons why on September 15th 2012 at our quarterly


meeting, we awarded Bob Frenes with the first ever, KERN RIVER VALLEY UNIT, B.C.H.C. PLAQUE OF APPRECIATION.


From all of us, thank you for who you are, what you do and what you continue to represent. Page27


he has been for his agency. We members of the Kern River Valley Unit of B.C.H.C. have learned a great deal from him through the years. At times we have watched him handle his difficult work tasks, just like a juggler with a hand full of smoking chainsaws, and yet he has always remained a true professional. This, of course, leads us to ask the questions, have you ever met an individual who has a reputation for getting the job done right the first time? An individual who has the knack for seeing clearly the right path to follow and does so without reservation? If the question, “Have you ever?” were posed to us, the answer would come back, Yes, Bobby Frenes.


When horsemen gather at our regional conferences and state meetings


we compare notes on the relationships we have with other groups. When discussing Bobby with other units, one of the most frequently heard quotes is, “Wow, you guys are extremely lucky, is there any way we can clone this guy and share him around the state?” Of course our answer is always the same, “Nah, we’ll just have to keep him for ourselves.”


Bobby, with this in mind, we members of the B.C.H.C. Kern River Valley


Unit, are greatly appreciative of all the hard work and positive public relations you have accomplished throughout your career. You are a man who has built a reputation based on integrity, trust and standing by your word.


Winter 2013


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