Re: RC: Re: Trails funding - DISCUSSION

["Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@TheNetEffect.com>]

> > What would you like to see done about trails Teddy? Lovell, what do you want
> > to see done? There are many ways to waste the fund and very few effective
> > ways. Are you all willing to have an online discussion about this? 

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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