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I think everyone agrees that working WITH land managers to build sustainable
trail systems is preferable to a contentious relationship.? However to work
WITH a land manager implies that the land manager is willing to work with
YOU. ?In the case of the Chattahoochee-Oconee NF, the land manager
specifically said:

? 82% of the Chattahoochee will not support sustainable trails due to soil
type.? (Ridiculous statement)
? NO new trails or trailheads are planned. (Unacceptable)
? They have NO documented list of areas where horses have ?damaged? the
forest. (None of their slides of ?damage? showed even ONE hoof print?.could
just as easily have been done by deer)
? Their own DEIS stated that horse traffic has little or no impact on the
forest.
? Their own DEIS stated that hikers are a greater impact than horses. (They
create social trails all over the place in inappropriate places because they
can negotiate slopes that horses can?t causing runoff into streams, build
campsites 10 feet or less from streams, cut live trees for campfires and
destroy the ground cover?most of them don?t even bury their poop, much less
practice LNT)
? The Chief Forester in the ROD on the last appeal specified a requirement
for ?site specific? data.? The Land Manager asserts that the entire
Chattahoochee National Forest is a ?site) (Again, ridiculous)
? BCHNG has proposed a number of trail additions in the last couple of
years, 25 miles of them laid out by a Trail Master.? The land manager for
the CONF has approved NONE of them, is unwilling to discuss it, and has
given us no indication that he is willing to allow ANY additional trails to
be built.

In the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, there are inadequate
recreational opportunities for equestrians considering the limited number of
designated trails available and the lack of trailheads and connector trails.
Although the FS stated that ?there are no plans to close any existing trails
or trailheads?, if trail riders are forced to use only this small number of
trails, they will rapidly deteriorate from overuse and I assure you they
WILL close them.

If there were an extensive well designed trail system with appropriate
trailheads and connector trails, I doubt that ANYONE would prefer
?bushwhacking? cross country and the whole issue would go away. I have
almost 100 hours of trail work as of the 1st of June?.and that was in
Georgia alone.? In the words of Roosevelt, paraphrased?I ?prefer to walk
softly??.but I will not shrink from using the ?big stick?.? It takes TWO to
?compromise??.and I don?t see that happening with the current land managers
of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. This issue is not about
?unrestricted use of public land?.? 

We cannot appeal the actions of the FS to discriminate again equestrians by
denying us an adequate trail system. However, we CAN appeal FW-127?.because
the Chief Forester in his ROD of 2006 has already said their actions were
unjustified?.and if that fails, we CAN take it to Federal District Court. 

The Back Country Horsemen of North Georgia, The Back Country Horsemen of
Middle and South Georgia, The Southern Appalachian Back Country Horsemen,
The Back Country Horsemen of East Tennessee, and the Back Country Horsemen
of America will continue to fight blatant discrimination against equestrian
use of public lands and the Chattahoochee-Oconee situation certainly
applies.

Join us??.

Jim Holland
www.bchng.org 
Secretary, Back Country Horsemen of North Georgia
Director and Webmaster, Southern Appalachian Back Country Horsemen
AERC Trail Master
Benton McKaye Trail Association
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Forest Service Chain Saw, Crosscut Saw, and Wildland Fire Certified
Chattahoochee National Forest, Conasauga Ranger District ?Team Cohutta?
Volunteer
Cohutta Wilderness ?Limits Of Acceptable Change? Task Force
???
Richard T. "Jim" Holland
Three Creeks Farm
175 Hells Hollow Drive
Blue Ridge, Ga 30513
(706) 258-2830
www.threecreeksarabians.com
Callsign KI4BEN
________________________________________
Subject: Re: cross country riding v/s designated trails and resource
preotection.

Well said.? I have made it known that I would volunteer my design?services
as a landscape architect with former Forest Service design?experience.? We
need to keep a proactive relationship with land managers and work together
to ensure that we can have continued access that is sustainable.? Many user
created trails?follow fall lines or?portions of?old logging roads that are
oversteep.? I would like to see new trails and portions of existing ones
coming together to create a multi use system that provides adequate
opportunities for recreation by equestrians and other users.? Setting up an
adversarial relationship with land managers does not do us any favors in the
long run. 
?
Just my 2 cents.
?
Mel Cochran

?
On 8/20/07, Sarah Engsberg <sarah.engsberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: 
Note: My apologies to any non trail users who may recieve this e-mail - SHE
?
I have thought long and hard about the issue of "cross country?riding" on
public?and private lands and here are my conclusions.? I would like to take
a long range view of our relationship with land managers and equestrian
trail use and resource protection.? Historically horse trails have been laid
out by users riding on the resource wherever they wanted and others
following those routes until they became trails.? There was little concern
at the time because the resources were plentiful and the pressure put on
those resources by users was considerably lighter than it is today.? 
?
Today and in the future we have diminishing resources bearing the brunt of
an ever increasing load of user pressure partnered with a severely reduced
capacity of the land managers to maintain and police trail use due to
reduced funds and manpower allocated to the? resource management.? Today we
have more understanding of the impact "cross country riding" has on the
ecosystems and erosion caused by improperly laid out trails.? Today we?have
better knowledge and training in trail design, layout and management that
points to many of our "designated" trails as being insufficiently
manageable?and sustainable. 
?
I applaud equestrian user groups for being both physically and politically
active in partnering with land managers to protect and maintain equestrian
access to both public and private ?lands.? I also applaud the land managers
for continuing to allow "designated" trails to remain open while we work
together to redesign and reroute them into sustainable trails, rather than
closing them all until they can be made properly sustainable.? I encourage
this continued partnership? now and into the future.? 
?
I am concerned at the attitude that any user group should have unrestricted
and ungoverned use of our?land resources.? I believe this attitude is at
odds with the land managers and our goal of protecting the resource first
while maintaining public access and recreation in and on the resource.?
Historic free access to the trails and "cross country" riding does not make
it a right to continue to do so.? I would rather see a partnership with the
land managers that protects our ability to continue to maintain "designated"
trails that are properly laid out and to??reroute and redesign "designated"
trails that are improperly laid out.? Further I would like to see a
partnership that protects our ability to research and design new
"designated" trails that are properly designed and sustainable.? I think it
is important for equestrian users to support the land managers in
restricting "cross country riding" and instead enlist their support in
creating trail systems that are manageable, sustainable, a good experience
for the user as well as, first and foremost, protects the resource. 
?
This being said, it is my desire that AERC make the statement that we will
continue to support our land managers in protecting the resources, we will
continue to partner on trail?design and construction of sustainable trails,
we will continue to help lighten their load by supplying volunteer manpower
for trail work days, and we will support those efforts with the donation of
funds and materials in kind.? 
?
I encourage your response to my thoughts and I will take them to my
committee and we will consider an "official" response to the question of
whether it is best to support the idea of protecting "cross country riding"
or whether there is an alternative that better serves equestrians and land
managers alike. 
?
Sincerely, SHE


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