13th TEXAS TRAILS NETWORK STATE CONFERENCE

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The Role of the American Endurance Ride
Conference AERC in Trail Advocacy and
StewardshipKristen A FisherAERC Certified
Trail Master
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Agenda

• What is the AERC?
• How does AERC Support Trails Development
  Preservation?
• What is the AERC Doing in TX?
• QA

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What is the AERC?

• The American Endurance Ride Conference AERC was
  founded in 1972 as a national governing body for
  long distance horseback riding 6,000 members
• AERC Mission Statement To promote the sport of
  endurance riding and to encourage and enforce the
  safe use of horses in demonstrating their
  endurance abilities in a natural setting through
  the development, use and preservation of trails.

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What is the AERC?

• Endurance rides are open to any equine and range
  from 25 to 100 miles in length, with maximum time
  limits for completion
• 25 miles 6 hours
• 50 miles 12 hours
• 100 miles 24 hours
• Periodic mandatory vet checks and holds with
  stringent metabolic and soundness fit to
  continue criteria to ensure equine well being
• TO FINISH IS TO WIN!

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What is the AERC?
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How does AERC Support Trails Development
Preservation?

• Trails Advocacy Committee and State
  Trails Advocates
• Trail Master Program
• Trails Grant Program

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Trails Advocacy Committee and State Trails
Advocates

• Trails Advocacy Committee 14 Members
• State Trails Advocates 32 members
• Focus on multi-use trails
• Liaisons to local and national land managers
• Involvement in national trails lobbying and
  preservation via American Horse Council AHC

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Trail Master Program

• Purpose
• Overview of Training
• Past Scheduled Courses
• Land Manager Attendees
• New Trail Equipment Class
• On-Line Recording of Volunteer Hours

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Trail Master Program

• Purpose
• Enable AERC members to think globally and act
  locally with respect to trails development and
  preservation
• Become local land manager liaisons
• Achieve our own goals of miles and miles of
  sustainable trails!

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Trail Master Program

• Overview of Training Mike Riter of Trail Design
  Specialists www.traildesign.com
• Day 1 Trail design and layout. A good trail
  requires little maintenance because it is
  designed right.
• Day 2 Trail construction. How to pick the proper
  tool for the job, when to use power tools, and
  how to cut trails.
• Day 3 Trail maintenance. Most trails that trail
  workers will be dealing with have been laid out
  in a less than ideal way. If you cannot reroute
  them, you will have to fix and maintain them,
  battling wind, water, and gravity.
• Day 4 Crew Leader and Graduation. Attendees each
  role play "Crew Leader", using the language,
  tools, safety issues and team work with your
  class on the trail.

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Trail Master Program

• Past Scheduled Courses
• 2005
• CO - April 2005
• KY/TN - Aug 2005  Land between the Lakes USFS
• KY/TN Nov 2005 Land between the Lakes
• 2006
• WV - April 12-15th, Glenville State College, WV
• WA - June 7-10th, USFS Chinook Pass Work Center,
  Naches, WA
• TX - August 23-27th, Pedernales Falls State Park
• CA - September 15-18th, Tahoe National Forest
  Service, White Cloud Fire Station, Nevada City, CA

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Trail Master Program

• 2 Land Manager Attendees Per Session at No
  Charge
• New for 2007
• Trail Master Instructor Classes
• Mechanized Equipment Classes
• Additional Trail Master Courses
• Permanent Training Facilities
• BLM facilities in Ft Stanton, NM
• Glenville State College, WV
• 54 Graduates to Date

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Trail Master Program

• On-Line Recording of Volunteer Hours

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Trails Grant Program

• Gold Country Trails Council Developed trailhead
  staging area for equestrian riding trails in
  Tahoe National Forest
• War Eagle Trail Association Maintenance and
  improvements of 14 miles of trails 700 man-hours
  volunteer match
• Wolf Creek Trailhead Opening a trailhead public
  property Forest Service match to open new trail
  area
• Research Grant Program May augment Trails Grant
  Programs with complementary research eg, equine
  role in spread of invasive plant species
• http//www.aerc.org/Trails_Grants_Application.asp

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What is AERC Doing in TX?

• Current Trails Projects
• Other TX Trail Organizations with Active AERC
  Members
• Possible Future Trails Projects

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Current Trails Projects

• City of Corinth, TX
• Elm Fork Trails, Lewisville Lake USACE
• Davy Crockett National Forest USDA FS
• Pedernales Falls State Park TPWD

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Other TX Trail Organizations with Active AERC
Members

• TX Arabian Distance Riders Association TADRA -
  LBJ National Grasslands USDA FS
• Houston Airport Rangers
• Texas Endurance Riders Association TERA -
  Statewide
• Trinity Trail Preservation Association TTPA -
  Lake Lavon
• Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association TETRA
  Statewide

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Possible Future Projects

• Airport Ranger Program DFW Airport
• Elm Fork Trails, Grapevine Lake USACE
• TBD???

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How to Contact TX Trail Masters!

• Debbie Allen nobs_4u_at_yahoo.com
• Mike Campbell dcampbell1_at_hott.rr.com
• Brenda DeWitt brenda.dewitt_at_hughes.net
• Amanda Fant sfant_at_possumwalkfarm.com
• Sylvia Fant sfant_at_possumwalkfarm.com
• Kristen Fisher kristen.fisher_at_earthlink.net
• Sue Jones srigneyjones_at_earthlink.net
• Jennifer Nice jnice_at_ridemediagroup.com
• Bo Parrish bop_at_valornet.com
• Linda Parrish lindapparab_at_valornet.com
• John Ticer nlticer_at_yahoo.com
• Suzy Ticer nlticer_at_yahoo.com
• Donna Wakefield dvmoonbird_at_myway.com

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Question Answer

• www.aerc.org