Idaho Sportsmen’s Caucus Advisory Council
With a Sportsmen’s Caucus in place in the Idaho Legislature, the ball was now in the sportsmen’s court to form a viable, effective, balanced, and long-lived support and advisory group to those caucuses. Their role is to know when legislation is introduced, research its impacts, gauge the sportsmen’s position(s) on it, determine a consensus position on it, and provide data supporting that position to the Caucus members in both houses before the debate is scheduled.In March of 2005 twenty founding sportsmen’s organizations adopted the bylaws, elected officers and officially formed the Idaho Sportsmen’s Caucus Advisory Council.In the end, sportsmen (the largest constituency in the state after women) can gain a voice and serious influence in conservation issues that affect our wildlife. It is up to us to behave responsibly with restraint and resolve. To deal with the best science available and with the long-term welfare of wildlife in mind. United with other state caucuses around the country we can present a united front against anti-hunting nonsense, habitat destruction, and against bad-science game management programs that might represent other interests than those of wildlife. Contact Phil Ryan our BCHI member on the council for more information
Each month a new president’s corner piece is posted by Kay Ryan on the Squaw Butte website. This blog posting will provide links to each piece posted during the year.
August 2014 President’s Corner
September 2014 President’s Corner
October 2014 President’s Corner
November 2014 President’s Corner
Our boots on the ground trail clearing efforts, educational, and political (lot of time attending public meeting) all paid off. The 2013 year was very successful and sets us up well for 2014. Great job everyone. Let’s see if we can top this in 2014!
President Kay Ryan
VP Bill Holt
Treasurer Bill Conger
Sec team Linda Erickson, Shelly Duff
State Board Robbin Schindele, Phil Ryan, Marybeth Conger
Foundation Roger Segers
The Problem
America’s National Forest trails are squeezed between the demands of an enthusiastic public and the challenge of shrinking budgets and a lack of attention. According to the comprehensive June 2013 study by the Government Accountability Office, The Forest Service trail maintenance backlog exceeds a half-billion dollars, and only one-quarter of the agency’s 158,000 miles of trails meets agency standards for maintenance. Nearly two-thirds of these trail miles receive no maintenance at all.
Meanwhile, National Forest trails are giving back to American communities at unprecedented levels: since 1980, trail use has increased nationwide by 376% as people seek exercise, relaxation, and adventure on America’s public lands. Forest trails help fuel a $646 billion recreation industry. The constituency of people supporting trails is enthusiastic and energetic, bringing people together through unique partnerships that link hunters, horsemen, hikers, anglers, bicyclists, conservationists and many others in service of our national trails system. Today, nearly a quarter of Forest Service trail maintenance is provided by volunteers, state funding, and other federal and non-federal sources.
The trail network on our national forests is simply too important to let lapse into ruin and disrepair. We are aware that additional resources are necessary to fully maintain our nation’s trails and are working to secure additional funding for trail maintenance. But in a time of limited budget, there are things that the agency can do now to improve trail maintenance, and the Forest Service needs to look for creative solutions to supplement limited funds, empower volunteer networks, and ensure existing resources are used more efficiently.
The Solution
The ideas we support to address these challenges and improve and safeguard our rich treasury of national forest trails include the following:
• Increase transparency in the trail maintenance program by providing an annual breakdown of how the US Forest Service’s trail maintenance budget is used. This breakdown should detail amounts retained for overhead costs and the resulting amounts that are used for actual trail work. This disclosure will allow the Service and the public to consider whether the amount of overhead can be reduced to enable the agency to do more trail work on the ground;
• Institute national-level goals and targets for trail maintenance and stewardship that will be used as performance measures; create incentives that reward exceptional leadership and service on trails among agency staff;
• Modify the “Volunteer in Forest” program to more evenly distribute the risks associated with the use of volunteers throughout the National Forest System, limit the liability carried by any single forest, and lower the liability barriers for using volunteers to assist with trail maintenance and stewardship;
• Provide national direction and better coordination to maximize the utilization of fire crews for trail work whenever possible;
• Prioritize the selection, training, and retention of skilled and motivated trail staff as well as leadership on trails at higher levels of the agency;
• Develop a USFS Enterprise Team focused on addressing the problems and challenges of existing national forest trails – including working more effectively with partners and providing rapid response crews to remediate severe and sudden trail impacts;
• Standardize national protocols for training and certification on chainsaw and crosscut saw use and expand sawyer training capacity beyond the agency to include skilled non-agency partners; and
• Develop policies, procedures, training, and leadership that would allow volunteer crews to operate more independently, effectively, and efficiently, regardless of the presence of US Forest Service staff.
National Forest Trails Stewardship Administration Concepts Proposal
National Forest Trails Stewardship – FINAL Concept Paper Oct 2013
TRAILS Legislation sign-on letter FINAL TRAILS Admin sign-on letter FINAL
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Excerpted from Charlie Russell—The Cowboy Years By Jane Lambert, Stevensville, MT |
Living on sourdough bread and coffee…
Con Price has a long recollection of spending the early winter (1890) with Charlie and three others. He wrote:
“They throwed together a log cabin on Warm Spring Creek, in the Judith Basin country… It had a dirt roof, dirt floor. Our cooking utensils were a frying pan and a coffee pot, and very little grub, as we were all broke when the winter came on.
“No stove, we cooked on a kind of fireplace we built. No table, a few tin plates, empty corn cans for cups. We lived on sourdough bread and coffee, and once in awhile we’d find a maverick. We had one horse among all of us, and we would take turns saddling that horse, and go out and look for some meat.
“There were thousands of cattle everywhere, and I don’t think we looked too close to see if an animal had a brand or not. We called it a maverick, no questions asked. The cowmen weren’t too severe about a cowboy eating a piece of their meat once in awhile, as long as they didn’t make a business of selling it. read more
In order for a mammal to survive, internal body temperature is kept within a very narrow range. If the temperature exceeds these limits either above or below, the chemical reactions on the cellular level function improperly. Or they stop functioning at all. Fluctuations outside of the normal temperature range result in health problems or death of the animal. Mature horses maintain their internal body temperature at a range around 38℃. Foals, rapidly growing youngsters, pregnant and lactating mares have a higher norm of their internal body temperature (Hines, 2004). Most horse owners are aware of the damage and crisis inherent with fever states. Few horse owners realize how well adapted horses are to deal with cold when certain aspects of their lifestyle are in place for them.
Over thousands of years, the wild horse has spread over the entire world. Whatever place in the world they live, the horse was exposed to constantly changing temperature — through a day/night rhythm or a seasonal rhythm. Yet even today wild and semi-wild horses, as well as domestic ones, provided with species appropriate living conditions, survive perfectly any conditions Nature exposes them to. Whether it is the north of Europe, or Australian deserts, the horse is exposed to all of Nature’s changing elements — wind, sun, rain, snow, fluctuating temperature, etc. Never in nature seeking such excessive enclosed shelters as man-made stables and barns nor caves, never in nature seeking ways of covering themselves with fabric. The horse has naturally evolved ways of thriving. Read More
In the December Issue of Western Horseman, author and photographer Jennifer Denison wrote a very interesting piece about one of the two remaining Pack Strings run by the US forest service.
The South Platte Ranger District is home to the Rocky Mountain Specialty Pack String based at the AG Ranch in Shawnee, Colorado. Horses and mules based out of this station still ply trails and aid their packers in teaching lessons on horsemanship, packing and low impact techniques for backcountry use. The packers of the Rocky Mountain Specialty Pack String provide specialty packing and educational outreach throughout the Rocky Mountain Region.
The Rocky Mountain Region Specialty Pack String consists of eleven highly trained pack mules and two saddle horses along with their equipment and tack. Working as two mule strings, the pack string uses special packing equipment such as gravel bags, lumber racks and swivel bunks to carry loads into work sites. Able to be utilized anywhere within the United States, the RMRSPS uses two semi-tractors with 27 foot trailers to haul the mule teams.
The pack string supports a wide variety of projects on the national forests, including hauling materials and gear to support Forest Service and volunteer trail crews, assisting in building bridges and other structures, packing sand or gravel for trail maintenance and reconstruction, loading timbers, hauling junk out of backcountry areas and hauling fish to stock remote streams and lakes.The pack string is authorized two packers – a lead packer and an assistant – to accompany the string to shoe, pack, lead and care for the livestock. In addition to scheduling work to support on-ground projects, the packers also conduct a variety of classes such as packing and “leave no trace” training, as well as providing educational outreach presentations to the public about the pack string, its history, capabilities and uses. Finally, the packers and their mules support a variety of community events, such as parades, rodeos and fairs.
Packing a mule string … some history & background
Pack strings are valuable tools in managing the 191 million acres which make up the national forests, America’s Great Outdoors. These lands were set aside over 100 years ago to provide for the needs of the American people in ways that also protect the environment.
Today, while there are numerous smaller mule teams serving the wilderness needs of individual forests, there are only two full regional specialty pack strings serving U.S. Forest Service needs throughout multiple States: (1) the Rocky Mountain Region Specialty Pack String (Region 2), supporting forests in Colorado, Eastern Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota; and (2) the Northern Region Pack Train (Region 1), serving Montana, Northern Idaho, North Dakota and Northwestern South Dakota.
Mules in the Forest Service
Cowboys, trappers and woodsmen–outdoorsmen of every variety–filled the early forest ranger ranks. A good pack animal was an equal partner in protecting the forest reserves from timber, theft and fire. Often, that animal was a mule. Mules were preferred because they possess intelligence, agility and stamina. It was only a matter of time before several pack mules were tied together, creating a working pack string. These working strings became lifelines to the crews who fought fires, carved trails, built fire towers and bridged rivers in the backcountry.
Jennifer Denisons Story in Western Horsemen / Glenn Ryan thought on use of pack string
3000 miles, 12 horses, 5 states, 4 men, 1 goal: to complete a 6-‐month journey that was once a reality for the western frontiersman and still stirs in the human spirit. UNBRANDED follows four young men as they take on a monumental challenge that will change them forever.
Having recently graduated from Texas A&M, Ben Masters, Jonny Fitzsimons, Ben Thamer and Thomas Glover are delaying their entry into the job market to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Ben Masters’ dream is to ride horses through the great American west from Mexico to Canada. It took no time to convince his college buddies to go along with him. Each one begins the adventure with his own dreams to fulfill, knowing full well that hardships and hazards come with the territory. They’ll face unrelenting heat, freezing temperatures, hail and lightning storms, rattlesnakes, Grizzly bears, raging river crossings and high mountain passes buried in snow. We will travel with them as they blaze a trail through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. The backdrop for this incredible journey will be our majestic public lands, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.
(Blog Entry) It has been a relatively smooth trip so far, and we have covered 2,000 miles of our planned 3,000 mile-plus trip. Currently, we are bedding down at Red Rock Ranch, a guest ranch on the Gros Ventre River just east of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The sun sets over the Grand Teton Mountains here. Looking north, we’re about to go through one of the largest expanses of Wilderness in the lower 48. For the next 300 miles we will cross only two roads, see no power lines, very few people and go through some of the most incredible landscapes in the world.
Our route will take us through the Bridger-Teton National Forests, the Teton Wilderness, Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin National Forest and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. We’ll pass Hawk’s Rest—the furthest point from a road in the lower 48 at 33 miles—Yellowstone Lake, dozens of thermal hotspots, hundreds of bison, Two Ocean Pass—the only place where water splits to go to the Pacific and to the Atlantic—and arguably the best Cutthroat Trout fly fishing in North America. Excited is an understatement, this is the jewel of the trip! Read the Blog
You don’t have to own your own horse or even be a frequent trail rider to recognize the importance of conservation of horse trails. Learn how you can become involved to help protect your local riding trails in a quickly modernizing world.
by Jocelyn Pierce
Now more than ever, horse trails need support to remain accessible for the public to enjoy them. An overburdened Forest Service is unable to maintain all the recreational trails available to the public, hindering equestrians from accessing many riding trails. Horses and use of the horse are a tradition in United States culture and history that must be preserved for future generations. Only by creating an awareness of the importance of our riding trails and the danger they are facing can we have an impact on the American public and land management agencies.
There are currently 155 national forests in the United States, with over 158,000 miles of recreational trails for horseback riders, hikers, bicyclists, and others to use. That’s roughly six times around the globe at the equator. With all those miles of trails, it’s difficult for the Forest Service to maintain all of them. The Government Accountability Office completed a study on national forest maintenance and found in 2012 only 37 percent of their 158,000 miles of trails had some level of maintenance performed and only one-quarter met the Forest Service’s standards. The Forest Service estimated their trail maintenance backlog to be $314 million in 2012.
Dennis Dailey has been involved in wilderness management for 40 years, and has seen a dramatic shift in the way trails are maintained since he began his career. Dailey worked for the Forest Service, and for Back Country Horsemen as Wilderness Advisor. He has an expert’s understanding of trail conditions. Dailey explains wilderness areas have seen much neglect over the last 60 years and some trails haven’t even been touched in ten years.
Definitions
Adhesion – ad·he·sion – A condition in which bodily tissues that are normally separate grow together. A
fibrous band of scar tissue that binds together normally separate anatomical structures.
Amniotic Sac – am·ni·o tic – A thin, tough, membranous sac that encloses the embryo or fetus of a
mammal, bird, or reptile. It is filled with a serous fluid in which the embryo is suspended.
Avascular necrotic bone – a·vas·cu·lar – ne·cro·tic – Not associated with or supplied by blood vessels. – Death
of cells or tissues through injury or disease, especially in a localized area of the body. Failure of tissues to
adhere correctly to the bone.
Catastrophic – cat·a·stroph·ic -Involving or resulting in substantial, often ruinous medical expense: a
catastrophic illness.
Suture – su·ture – The fine thread or other material used surgically to close a wound or join tissues.
Cellulitis – cel·lu·li·tis – A spreading inflammation of subcutaneous or connective tissue.
Debride – To remove debris, non-beneficial tissue, etc.
De-gloving – The peeling away of the skin and subcutaneous layer in an injury.
Epithelial border – ep·i·the·li·al – Membranous tissue composed of one or more layers of cells separated by
very little intercellular substance and forming the covering of most internal and external surfaces of the
body and its organs. The epithelial border is this tissue development along the outer edge of a wound.
Granulation bed – gran·u·la·tion – Small, fleshy, beadlike protuberances, consisting of outgrowths of new
capillaries, on the surface of a wound that is healing. Also called granulation tissue.
Laceration – lac·er·a·tion – A jagged wound or cut.
Lamina – lam·i·na – A thin scalelike or platelike structure, as one of the thin layers of sensitive vascular
tissue in the hoof of a horse
Macrophage – mac·ro·phage – Any of the large phagocytic cells of the reticuloendothelial system.
Neutrophil – neu·tro·phil – A neutrophil cell, especially an abundant type of granular white blood cell that
is highly destructive of microorganisms
Occlusive – oc·clu sive – To cause to become closed; obstruct: occlude an artery. To prevent the passage of:
occlude light; occlude the flow of blood. Chemistry To absorb or adsorb and retain (a substance).
Placental tissue – pla·cen·tal – A membranous vascular organ that develops in female mammals during
pregnancy, lining the uterine wall and partially enveloping the fetus, to which it is attached by the
umbilical cord. Following birth, the placenta is expelled.
Purulent – pu·ru·lent – Containing, discharging, or causing the production of pus: a purulent infection.
Purulent discharge.
Viable – vi·a·ble – Capable of living, developing, or germinating under favorable conditions.
Dr. David G. Jolly, DVM stepaheadfarm@yahoo.com – (501) 844-5050
Finally, don’t forget to browse through our website and our Facebook page for even more information about the SBFC.
by Kimberly Williams- Brackett
I was taught in school that the Spanish introduced horses to the Americas. But while the Spanish did bring them, plenty of horses were here before the Spanish arrived.
“The Spanish did indeed introduce the modern horse to the Americas, although one could argue that it was a re-introduction,” said Laura Walkup, a ranger at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and the Minidoka National Historic Site.
The Hagerman Horse remains mark the largest sample of this extinct species found in one area. Although remains of the same species have been found in several states, they’re all much younger. Hagerman’s is the oldest.
The first appearance of the modern genus Equus — which includes modern horses, donkeys, zebras, etc. — was Equus simplicidens, also known as the Hagerman Horse, Walkup said.
“Horses originally evolved in North America, and specimens of Equus simplicidens as well as many earlier horse ancestors have been found throughout the continent,” she said. “The first specimen of the Hagerman Horse ever described by paleontologists was not found in Idaho; it was found and named in Texas by paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope in 1892. However, the most complete specimens ever found were found here in Hagerman — hence the nickname ‘Hagerman Horse.’ Read more
Here is the final version of video from BCHU Wagon Trek 2013 held July 27-Aug 4 in central Utah to post on BCHA website. Unfortunately… the “thank you” at end only says thanks for contributors of pictures and did not give credit to the 2 singers who provided (at no charge) the music in the video. Anyway, its a pretty good representation of the trek and the varied terrain/scenery we traveled through – about 85 miles worth – 9,400 to 4,500 elevation. Click here to see video. Sent to BCHA by Kathy Myers
Sunday found members of the Boise Chapter, Rebekka Hankins and Carol Green, joining Squaw Butte members, Shelly Duff, Phil Ryan and Rob Adams on a fall ride out of the Wilson Creek trail head in the Owyhee’s. Due to wind, the trail of choice was Wilson Creek, which afforded protection while providing a scenic and interesting ride. While the only wildlife seen were some birds, we did encounter three woman running on the trail and two mountain bikers. In each case they stopped, stepped off the trail, we talked for a couple of minutes and each proceeded on. At the end of the ride, after we loaded our stock in their trailers, the bikers returned to the parking lot. One came zooming over the berm, realized there was a large rock in his landing zone and ended up sliding into the rock on his right side. We all rushed over to see if he was all right. His helmet protected his head from ground and rock, but he had a classic case of road rash on his right leg from knee to boot.
Originally reported missing on September 24th, the search for Dr. Jodean “Jo” Elliot-Blakeslee will continue this weekend, with approximately 20 searchers led by National Park Service and Butte County Sheriff’s Office personnel. See more Pictures // Location of Search The effort to find Dr. Jo and her hiking companion has been heroic, but if they had been carrying a device the size of a cell phone, and been able to press the 911 button on that device, this story likely would have had a different outcome. Help would have been dispatched sooner, and the help would have known were to look. If you ride, hike, hunt or bike in the back country, you should have a SPOT in your pocket. Idaho Statesman report 10/23/2013
View classes // visit Missouri Volunteers Website
By ROCKY BARKER — rbarker@idahostatesman.com
Three federal agencies spent $392 million to manage 32 million acres of public land in Idaho in the 2012 budget year, a Congressional Research Service report shows.
The report shows that Idaho would have to make up for much of those costs if it succeeded in getting control over the land, as a resolution passed by the Idaho Legislature demands.
The Idaho Department of Lands has estimated that the state could raise $50 million to $75 million annually in timber receipts from federal land. But one cost not figured into the estimate could swallow that revenue by itself — $58 million in payments to counties under two programs, one that makes up for former timber revenues and another compensating for the fact that counties can’t tax federal land. read more
Between June 1st and September 30th 2012 Squaw Butte supported eight trail maintenance and packing projects. These projects covered a large section of south western Idaho, taking place in the Boise & Payette National Forests. They were in partnership with the Emmett, Cascade and Weiser Ranger Districts.
The work covered a large spectrum of activities, from packing, to rock rolling, but mostly entailed the removal of a very large amount of blow down and pruning. While these are “work” project, members attending also have a great deal of fun. If you didn’t make a project this season, plan on attending one in 2014.
Back Country Horsemen of America leads the nationwide effort to preserve trails for horse use, not only for today’s equestrians, but also for tomorrow’s. They seek to leave an inheritance to future generations; a legacy of responsible enjoyment of America’s wild lands the way our forefathers did: by horseback.
With that goal in mind, Back Country Horsemen of America selects an individual member each year whose numerous contributions, made over many years of dedicated membership, exemplify their mission and values. In 2012, BCHA chose Val B. Johnson of the Salmon River Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho. BCHA Legacy Award
Hello and welcome to another edition of the smoking meat newsletter and it’s time again for my answers to your most pressing smoking meat questions. I have selected some questions that get asked time and time again and delved into them with some clear and straight-forward answers. I hope you enjoy this and most of all, I hope you learn something that you did not know before.
In September Laurie Bryan, Rob Adams and Bob Hamlin drove to Halfway, OR to spent four days doing a loop from Cornucopia an old mining ghost town to Crater lake exploring 26 miles around Red Mountain of the south-eastern section of the wilderness. We parked near the pack station in Cornucopia and rode north-west on Jim Fisk Creek trail which is steep and rocky to Snyders Cabin. Read Story View pictures
Jon Seel and I had the opportunity to ride the Eagle Caps Wilderness in Eastern Oregon last week. We spent four days riding the Minum River area. We Left Emmett on a Friday afternoon and headed west to the little town of Cover Oregon. There is a great little tavern and food place there, Great Steaks!. We ended up at the Moss Springs Trailhead. (Idaho should have such trailheads.)
Saturday morning we packed our animals and headed down the seven miles to Reds Horse Ranch, and Minum Lodge. These are areas set aside as private when it became a wilderness much like the airstrips in the Frank Church Wilderness. We spent the night next to a Fish and Game cabin by the airstrip, good feed for the horses. Next day we fished the Minum River and had a great supper that evening. We packed up the next morning and headed up stream trying to find our trail so we could make a loop and eventually get back to the Moss Springs Trailhead. Lucky for us we met two Oregon Fish and Game Wardens who informed us that the trail we were looking for had been washed out for years and was nonexistent. We made a great camp next to the river, decided that a return trip the way we had come was in order for the next day, fixed dinner, finished off the whiskey, and crashed for the night.
I am finding out that the trail systems in all our area wildernesses have major trail problems and we really need to have the Forest Service make a better effort to clear those trail for everyone. We made it back to the Trailhead the next morning and headed home. If you plan to ride in any of the wildernesses please contact the district ranger office to find out the condition of the trails first.
By Phil Ryan
Horse & mule packer are not the only ones using back country trails, there are other ways to get your stuff from trail head to great locations in the mountains of Idaho. As stock packers we should know a bit about the other types of pack stock, and how they view us.
Encountering pack stock on a trip from a goat packers point a view is a good example:
(Note: We do not dislike horses per say, any derogatory sounding comments are based solely on personal observations of them and their reactions to us with our goats.)
It is our experience that very few back country users know the answer to this question. Thankfully our boys are familiar with both backpacks on people and horses, so are total unconcerned beyond there natural wilderness alertness. Most hikers hate the idea, but as the most mobile they should get off the trail on the low side. In a goats vs horses the same rule applies. We move to the low side as the goats are much more agile than the horses. (Horses are much easier for the rider to control on the high side of the trail. Move approximately 30 feet off the trail for horses). We have decided that horses think people with packs are bears, and llamas/goats with backs are devils from their darkest nightmares. With horses it is a excellent idea to keep talking to the riders as they pass, as this helps the horse with their tiny little brains identify you as a person rather then a scary unknown.
There are times when passing is not an option. (The east fork of the Duchesne comes to mind. A 1/4 mile, six inch ribbon of trail across a 70 degree slope of loose dirt.) In these situations the most mobile should back up to a safe place to pass.
Pack strings of any sort should be given consideration over any kind of person with a lone creature. But we seldom argue with a spooky horse and just give way. And our boys watch the horse dance fitfully past with silly grins on their faces.
To lean a bit more about goat packing, check out the following web sites:
From time to time members ask me about how a trail should be rated. Rating mean
different things depending on if you’re hiking or riding a mountain bike. On horse back it
means something else. Also, the perception of how difficult a trail should be rated is
influenced by the experience of the one rating it. Time of year or weather conditions – a
trails difficulty can change drastically. A level 3 or 4 trail can easily turn into something
altogether more technically with the addition of snow, rain, wind, high water… etc
I looked backed at the writings between Idaho’s Republican Senator Weldon Heyburn and President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 about Idaho’s forest reserves to prepare for the covering the Idaho Legislature’s Interim Committee on Federal Lands Friday at 9 a.m. at the Capitol.
These two Republicans had clear differences about the value of the reserves and their role in American life. Heyburn saw the reserves as an affront to the state’s ability to choose the remaining 50,000 acres the federal government promised it would get under the Admissions Act.
At statehood in 1890, Idaho received federal grants of 3.65 million acres but it took a few years to identify all the lands it wanted. Today the state has 2.46 million acres.
The BLM Wild Horse Program & Oregon teens team up to take on training wild mustangs! These kids do a great job gentling their Mustangs and then adopt these horses out to the public.
Phil Ryan – July 2013
If you ever get a chance to ride the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana don’t pass up the opportunity. Bill Conger and I have ridden the “BOB” for the past two summers and each time it has been a great trip. Bill and MB have ridden that wilderness for years before they moved to sunny (hot) Idaho so he knew the trails and trail heads quite well. This year we decided to go into the wilderness from the East side out of The Benchmark trail head. That is out of the town of Augusta. That way we would ride up the South Fork of the Sun River, make a ride up to Prairie Reef and along the edge of the China Wall and come back down the North Fork of the Sun and back to the trail head, a total of seven days.
A wonderful twelve hour truck ride got us there and we spent the evening having a steak dinner, beans and beer. The next morning we loaded Bill’s two mules, our horses and set off down the trail. The first thing you come to is a swinging bridge over the river. Bill’s new horse “scout” wanted no part of that so my old horse “Sam” took the lead. We did this two times and his horse got the idea and away we went. As you go down the trail there are Forest Service signs saying “Alert” bear in the area, STAY ON THE TRAIL” so we did. Further down the Trail is another Forest Service sign “BE ALERT” BEARS (plural) eating on a mule carcass. Now that gets your attention and you make the horse move faster and you scan both sides of the trail wondering which outfitter scarified a mule so he could get down the trail and out of harm’s way. Anyway we made it and saw no bear (that day).
We traveled on and came to the South Fork of the Sun River and another swinging Bridge, no problem. Three hours of riding got us to our first campsite where the trail takes off to Prairie reef. We ford the river and set up a nice camp. Good grass and water for the stock. After a meal of MB’s ready made goodies, I went fishing, caught a Bull Trout, first time for that. The next morning after a breakfast burrito and coffee we saddled the horses and up we went. Now the trails in the “BOB” are well laid out with great switchbacks, but it was up and up and up, but the trip was well worth it. At the top of the mountain “Prairie Reef” is a fire lookout, and you can see the rest of the world, or at least most of Montana. One side is sheer cliffs for thousands of feet down. You can see all the way to Montana’s flat prairies on one side and the China Wall and snow covered mountains on the other side. We saw eight Mountain Goats on the cliffs below us and one crashed airplane (from the 1980’s) Bill told me. When we returned to camp it was a six hour ride and the horses were spent.
The next day we loaded up and made the ride under the China Wall, over the pass and down Moose Creek looking for a good campsite. We wanted to go down Rock Creek, but there was a really big fire there and the Rangers had closed all trails leading into that area. I spotted a really nice bear as we rode, don’t know if it was a Grizzly or not, but it was bigger than any bears I have seen here in Idaho so we continued further down the trail to find a camp. Seven hot dusty, horse fly infested hours later we made camp in a nice shaded glade, good food and water for the horses and a well-deserved drink of whisky for me and Bill. Next morning off we went down the canyon and to the North Fork of the Sun River. Wonderful meadows, lots of grass for the animals, good fishing. We laid over for a day there giving the animals lots to eat and time to play cribbage and me to catch some fish to eat. We decided to ride out on the sixth day because we couldn’t get up rock Creek or the Gates Park Ranger station so we headed out in dense smoke from the fire. We met an outfitter who had just been in the Rock Creek area and was only six hundred yards from the fire when it topped over the ridge above his camp, he said it was hot for a time while he got his equipment and stock to a much safer location. The Forest Service had sent a helicopter in searching for him to warn him to get out of that area.
On the ride down the North Fork of the Sun River we saw a gray wolf. We made it out in about four and a half hours to the trail head, loaded the stock, went to Augusta for cold drinks and chips and headed the truck south and made it home about twelve thirty Sunday morning.
Another great trip, I may never get to see that area again in my life, but the memories are ones that will last a lifetime.
P.S Watch out for the BEARS!!!!!
Panoramic view of Frog Lake.
“Sawtooth’s or BUST!”
Eleven horses, nine humans, five mules and a dog pulled out of Rob and Linda Adam’s place in Sweet Idaho, Wednesday, July 17. The five rig caravan loaded with enough provisions for five days in the White Cloud recreational area looked like a modern day migration of homesteaders. Plans laid by our particular group of backcountry horseman are seldom strictly adhered to, but we try to make them anyway. Ours loosely consisted of driving to Livingston Mill trailhead two hours outside of Stanly Idaho, spend the night at the TH and be geared up and mounted early Thursday morning for the ride into Frog Lake. Rob Adams, organizer, project coordinator, self proclaimed “Trail Boss” and all around nice guy – doled out the individual responsibilities for the trip well in advance. Rob would plan and execute the evening meals. Janine Townsend would take care of breakfasts. Robbin Schindele would do lunches. The Chicks, Bob and Lorraine, were responsible for the wine. Bill Selkirk and Kate Miller would be our entertainment directors for the week. I would do desserts. I don’t know if I’m becoming famous for my Dutch Oven desserts or everyone’s afraid they will get Beanee Weenees three times a day if given anything but desserts. My bet is on the latter. We arrived in Stanley shortly after 12:00 PM for fuel and a bite for lunch. What happened next was to unfold into every horseman’s worst nightmare. Willow, Rob’s trail horse of more than a dozen years, went down in the trailer with severe colic. The events leading to the tragic loss of a beloved trail partner and friend can be found by following this link written by Rob. I will not hash out the heart wrenching details of Willow’s passing further except to say that he will be sorely missed. Without Willow, the Squaw Butte Backcountry Horsemen are less than what we were. Though he cannot physically be with us, I know we will carry Willow within our hearts until the very last backcountry horseman draws their final breath. Willow will not be forgotten. We could quit and go home or figure out a way to continue on with one less animal. Backcountry horsemen don’t quit. I offered up my new pack horse, König, as a riding horse for Bill Selkirk. I’d recently acquired König and although he had all the potential for a great little pack horse, I had no idea how versatile he would turn out to be. This made us short one pack horse. The wheels turning in Rob’s head were all but audible. He could make this work. We’d cut down on the gear and take only what was necessary. Heck, we had twice as much as we needed anyway. I chuckle at what we chose to take and what we left behind. Left behind were fire starter, duplicate first aid-kits, extra tarps, rope, high-lines, various cooking utensils, solar showers and duct tape – but damn it – we didn’t leave behind dessert or the wine. There is a limit to adaptability and ours ended with the peach cobbler and boxed Cabernet.
At 17:30 on July 17, 2013 Willow my lead trail horse and dear friend had to be put down. The day started out full of anticipation as a number of friends were meeting at my ranch at 09:00 to caravan to Livingston Mills trail head in the Boulder / White Cloud Mountains to start a four day pack trip to Frog Lake and the Little Bolder chain lakes area. The day started out cool and clear, but was expected to get hot in the valley so all were ready to get underway to the mountains. I fed my five horses around 40 pounds of grass hay at 07:30 with an expected load and departure at 10:00. They were in my walk-in shed and holding corral. At 09:00 each horse was haltered, and given an opportunity to drink and then hosed off as they were covered with mud from playing in the pond (mud hole) the day before. They were then fly sprayed and loaded into my trailer. Willow only drank a bit, but was acting his normal self and took advantage of being in the yard while getting washed up, by eating anything he could reach. He was the last one loaded and we were on the highway at 10:15.
After an easy drive we arrived in Stanley at 12:15 and got in line to fill up our fuel tanks. We heard and felt the thump when willow collapsed in the back of the trailer. Bill Selkirk jumped out and came running around the trailer shouting that Willow was down. I jumped out of the truck, opened the trailer door and he looked dead, not moving. I jumped in and he moved his head and looked at me. I jerked the lead rope and he attempted to get up. With Bill and a couple of the others help I got him on his feet and out of the trailer. We walked around a bit and he seemed un-injured.
I walked him around for a few minutes and he seemed to be ok, other than he was sweating a bit, but that could have been from the fall. Then his legs just went out from under him and he hit the ground. He hit the ground hard, and rolled four of five times. I got him on his feet and we repeated the cycle. We would walk a while, than he would do a belly flop and try to roll. His belly was blowing up and it was obvious that he was in great discomfort.
Janine got on her cell phone and called her vet for guidance and to see if they knew of a local large animal vet in the Stanley. Chick went into a store to find out if there was a local vet. Both came back with phone number of two vets, one in Challis the other Bellevue, Id. While trip members kept Willow on his feet, which was getting harder and harder, phone calls were made. The Challis vet said he was swamped and could not come, and was not sure he could help if we went there, his practice was limited to what he could do out of the back of his truck.
The Bellevue vets at “Sawthooth Equine” said if we could get him into a trailer and to their facilities they would do what they could. Janine and her vet were going over the drugs we had at hand, and a 1000 pound dose of Banamine (Flunixin Meglumine) paste was given. Both Janine and I have injectable Banamine, but had not brought it. Janine also had Rompun (Xylazine HCI) that with the guidance of the vet on the phone was injected into a vein on Willow’s neck while he was collapsed on the ground, no easy feat! The Rompun is a sedative and analgesic and the vet told us we only had a few minutes to get Willow into a trailer and to a vet or we would lose him.
Laurie had unloaded her two horses and the whole group got Willow to his feet and pushed him into the trailer. The door was slammed shut and we were off.
It was a mad dash down US 75 over the pass and down through Ketchum full of tourists and Winnebago’s. We arrived a bit before 16:00 and Willow was still on his feet, and for the first time I felt there might be some hope.
The vets were waiting for us; we unloaded Willow and took him into the clinic. They did a quick exam and determined he was in great distress and extremely dehydrated. They took blood, reached into his anus with a greased glove and located the blockage, saying words like twisted gut. His heart rate was through the roof, sweat was pouring off him and he tried to go down a couple of time. They inserted a large needle into his abdomen and fluid squirted out. They pumped more drugs into him and inserted and IV and hooked him to ten gallons of IV fluid.
The Vets suggested that Laurie and I go for a walk and in an hour we would know if there was any hope. We talked about surgery and how unlikely it would save him, so it was up to him to pull through. We walked over to an Albertson’s and got a couple of ice teas and a wrap from the deli. After 45 minutes they called Laurie’s cell phone, No idea how they got that number, and said to come back.
Willow had not responded and was lying in a bed of shavings, a shell of the horse that had loaded into the trailer this same morning. The vets asked me what I wanted to do, and I swallowed and said, it is time to let him go. They said they would take care of his remains, I signed some paper work and it was done.
I am sharing this because I think there may be some lessons learned.
First I fed dry feed (hay) without a ready water source a couple of hours before the trip began. They were offered water before they loaded, but not all drank all that much. In the future I will only feed small amounts of soaked (wet) hay before doing a trailer trip. It was something Dr. Hardy talked about at the clinic and it really sank home this day.
Second, we were out of our normal vet’s range, we should have had a list of vets along our route with phone numbers, so we could have saved time finding the nearest one. Your vet or Vet Finder (http://www.webvet.com/main/vetFinder) on the web can help you make a list.
Third, the paste form of Banamine is fine for some things, but takes quite a while to act, in this case we needed the injectable and the skills to put it in a vein.
If you travel with your horse for more than short day rides, you need a good vet kit, and some skills to make use of it.
I lost a great trail horse that has taken me over thousands of miles of Idaho trails and I will miss him greatly. I watched him go from I can’t wait to get on the trail, to a shell of himself in less than four hours, so you don’t have time to not get it right. Would any of this made a difference on Wednesday, I do not know, but I am going to make sure my stock in the future have the best odds of making the trail head in as good shape as they left the ranch.
Rob Adams
Logistics is the management of the flow of resources between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet some requirements. Just like the UPS commercial, the Renwyk Creek and Tripod Peak projects were all about logistics. The first logistic problem was how to schedule and manage two separate projects on the same weekend. The projects were trail maintenance on two trails out of the Renwyk Creek trail head north of Sage Hen, the second was packing over 1500 pounds of food, water and equipment from Joe’s Creek Trail head to the Tripod Peak fire lookout with members of the Boise National Forest crew. Read More Pictures
Chick working a log on Renwyk Creek Trail
Also see Tom Seay’s video clip in support of BCHA. (From Best of America By Horseback)
Back Country Horsemen of America Gives Youth a Leg Up on Tomorrow By Sarah Wynne Jackson
The GAO just posted on its website an updated report on the USFS trail maintenance and reconstruction backlog: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-618
From: curt
We are announcing our new Facebook page “Free Horses in Idaho”. It is a page where people who find that for one reason or another they can longer keep their animals, can list them for no charge. The animals can be listed from $0 to $600.
Our purpose is to try and help horses, donkeys, mules, ponies and burros find loving homes before they have to go to auction. With the large group of surplus horses in America today many of these horses end up with kill buyers. Even with the end of horse slaughter in the US (we hope), these animals are still being sent to slaughter in Canada and Mexico.
Although we are new, we are following the pattern of several other pages including Free horses in Oregon, and Free horses in Washington. We hope to have a quick impact. Any horse $600 or less can be entered on our page. We would encourage you to visit our page. In order to limit what kill buyers can see it is a closed group. Feel free to join and add your animal to our page. Please read the “Rules of the Road” under Files on the main page.
Free Horses in Idaho www.facebook.com/groups/149754131883141/
You can post your information and pictures, or you can link to your another site such as a Craig’s List ad by simply copying the url (the web address at the top of your browser) and pasting it in the dialog box when you post your animal. You can also add any additional information you may have.
This page is meant to cover horses in Idaho. There may be some overlap with eastern Oregon and eastern Washington around major metropolitan areas such as Spokane, Lewiston, and Boise. When your horse is no longer available, please message us so that we can delete the listing for your horse. That way you will not be bothered with additional inquiries. Please pass our page on to others you may know who are looking for a horse for the long term or for some reason find they can no longer care for the animal that they already have. The limit is $600.
Please forward this email to other groups, organizations, and distribution lists so that we can increase the number of animals who can find loving homes.
Regards, The folks at Free Horses in Idaho
Retracted soles are when the sole retracts, or ‘sucks up’ into the arch of the coffin bone. Usually this happens to horses when they are in a wet or muddy environment. The external appearance of the foot will have good concavity (usually excessively good), and even sole/toe callusing. However the horse is often footsore with low grade pulses, sensitive to hoof testers and even manual palpation. These horses often get diagnosed with low grade laminitis and/or sub solar abscesses. As stated by Dr Buff in the AFJ article: “The appearance of the sole cannot be mistaken for any other sole issue. Instead of having a nice sole concavity, the sole appears to drop off from the white line. Retracted soles that get unnoticed by the farrier during trimming can result in over trimming of the hoof wall, causing the horse extreme pain due to sole pressure.” (Buff, E. 2012, Recognizing and Treating Retracted Soles, American Farriers Journal, Sept/Oct 2012)
Retracted Sole
Terry MacDonald looking over Willow Creek Drainage
Last Saturday I went for a day ride. A day ride is when you do chores, load a horse, go somewhere, ride for a while; then load up, go home and do chores. This year when I’ve been doing this I’ve been saddling my horse before I load him. Someone suggested to me a while back that he might be cold backed. Which means he needs to get used to the saddle before I get on. Admittedly this discussion occurred after the suggestee watched me get bucked off, moments after I got on, the same horse we’re talkin’ about here.
Anyway, last Saturday I caught him, a chore for another story. We went to the trailer and I led him the to the grain pan I’d put out as a reward for being caught. He lowered his head. I lowered my head. It was empty. He looked at me and I looked at the pup. She was licking her lips and looking straight into my eyes. The horse licked the bottom of the pan. It was a family moment.
So we got over that and I brushed him down and saddled him up. I knew we had a way to go so I didn’t cinch him down too hard. We did the other stuff you have to do before you go. He stepped right in the trailer; I told the dogs to STAY HOME! and off we went
I dealt with the low trailer tire, which went flat, but that’s another story. After 30 miles of the most rough knucklin’, shock bustin’, slip slidin’ washboard road I’d been on in days we got where I’d said I’d be before the time I’d said I’d be there.
Said “Howdies!” Walked back and opened the trailer door. I looked at Dusty. He looked at me.
I looked back and noticed my saddle was almost under his belly. It was really kind of caught up against his legs on his right side. The felt pad had come against his right stifle and was holding the whole rig from going all the way underneath. I cursed. He looked at me.
I called to my friend Terry MacDonald. He came running, he looked, he cursed. The horse looked at us both.
Talking “Whoa.” all the time I walked into the trailer and lifted the saddle. Tried to slide it around his girth to where it belonged. No go.
Terry said, “If you got it (the saddle) I’ll undo it.” An easy task since the cincha buckles were now on the top of the horses back. So I held the weight and he undid the buckles. The horse was just pushing his muzzle against my neck and talking trash about” just getting out of the, expletive deleted, trailer. “ (My horse can curse too when he chooses.)
Saddle off and set aside the trailer I untied him and out we went. We both walked around and looked around some, I saddled him again and we went for a good ride on a fine spring day.
Everything about this story could have been a wreck, but it wasn’t. I don’t know if it was luck. I don’t know if it was a miracle. I do know I’m putting my trust in the horse.
By: Robbin Schindele
Eric Melson here from the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation writing to update you about three volunteer trail maintenance projects this summer within the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness. We’re looking to fill these projects with volunteers, maybe you could be one of them? Please feel free to pass this email along to folks who may be interested in joining us for a projects this summer. Here’s what we have cookin’:
Volunteer Registration Packet 2013 SBFCF Southwestern Idaho 2013 Projects
This News story was on the Local fox news during the convention:
Back Country Horsemen of America welcome Senator John Thune
The Black Hills region can be described as perfect horse country. It’s the reason many people come here to live. And many of those people have become a part of an organization working to preserve the Hills as a good place to take a horse. Black Hills Fox Reporter Al Van Zee has the story.
Access to wilderness areas in the U.S. is becoming more and more difficult as more and more back-country roads are closed to motor vehicles, especially in the country’s National Forests. So more and more people, and especially people who have difficulty walking rough terrain, are coming to realize that many wilderness areas are simply inaccessible except on horseback. The Back Country Horsemen of America is made up of many such people. And the group is held it’s national convention in Rapid City this week. One of the stated goals of the organization is to insure that public lands remain open to riding and to help government and private agencies maintain the back country assets.Addressing the convention in Rapid City this afternoon was South Dakota Senator John Thune, who related his own western South Dakota upbringing where horses and horseback riding were a large part of the way of life. The horse culture is tightly encoded in the DNA of the Black Hills. And its history goes all the way back to the first horses brought here by Native Americans hundreds of years ago. And the Back Country Horsemen say they want to make sure the Black Hills area remains horse country.
Here is the report from the Cate Bradley, National Park Service, from the panel discussion at the International Trails Symposium. I asked the presenters from the National Park Service, the BLM and the USFS to discuss the future of maintenance on America’s trails…as federal funding for trails becomes more and more limited from all federal agencies…and how youth corps, volunteers, and organizations can help fill the gap anticipated for the future.
Forwarding to the National Directors as promised in my Vice Chair report.
Happy Trails, Yvette Public Funding Stream for Trails and Equestrian Groups
BCHA National Directors:
As some of you may know, Rick McLean resigned yesterday as our Executive Director. In the process of a week of discussions and emails between Rick and myself, Rick felt that the evolving job description of the Executive Director to emphasize fund raising was not what he had signed on for with the BCHA. Priorities change and the momentum needed to grow the BCHA to meet the ever increasing challenges we face require fund raising efforts.
We thank Rick for his tenure with us and wish him well with his family and trail riding time.
Going forward, with the guidance and agreement of our Executive Committee; 1) the Chairman will temporarily assume the duties of the Executive Director position, and; 2) use the monies in that position’s 2013 budget to cover the expenses of the fund raising effort, and; 3) begin a deliberative search to fill the Executive Director position possibly to commence with our 2014 budget. Again, all this in coordination with Executive Committee.
I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms,
Jim
Jim McGarvey
Chairman, BCHA
C: 706-669-1015
H:706-629-4196
participants at the 2013 safe trail riding clinic
The Squaw Butte and Boise Chapters of the Backcountry Horsemen of Idaho pulled together a successful 2013 backcountry skills clinic. That success is attributed in no small part to outstanding presenters and participants of this year’s event.
From backcountry equine first-aid to equine therapeutic massage, participants were treated to demonstrations and lectures from top experts in the equine field.
A major emphasis on trail safety was evident as dozens of horses and riders put their skills to the test in the simulated trail course put together by Squaw Butte education committee leaders Chuck and Lorraine Chick.
The event finished off with demonstrations in different packing techniques by several of the backcountry horsemen’s experienced packers.
This year’s event had something for everyone from the novice to the experienced trail rider.
A sincere thank you to all of our presenters and participants in this year’s backcountry skills clinic – YOU ROCK!
* Keep your fences horse-high, pig-tight & bull-strong.
* Keep skunks & bankers & lawyers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.
* Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Don’t corner something that would normally run from you.
* It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about is never gonna happen anyway.
* Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* Sometimes you get, & sometimes you get got.
* Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, & a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
* If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
It seems wrong to say that Columbus elk hunter John Chepulis was lucky. Hes lying in a Bozeman hospital intensive care room hooked up to a ventilator to help him breathe, heavily sedated and fighting pneumonia. But his situation could have been much worse.
“This whole thing, to me, has been divine intervention from the beginning,” said Bonnie Chepulis, John’s wife.
Here’s the article on John Chepulis’ wreck. John is past president of the Montana BCH and was at the BCHA National Board Meeting in Eugene Oregon and Butte Montana.
Please keep John and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Peg, BCHA
Nov 16 update
John has made remarkable progress toward recovery and has been moved to Billings to a state-of-the-art acute care hospital for patients who require time to heal from catastrophic injury or illness.
His new address is: John Chepulis, Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, 3528 Gabel Rd, Billings MT 59102
Shoot from the hip and hope you dont blow off a toe in the draw. That pretty much sums up my approach to most things in life. Excursions into the wilderness seldom veer from this philosophy. Toss in a five pound bag of potatoes and a pound of bacon and head for the mountains with my dog. This year would see a change in that methodology.
At least once a year I try to make an annual pilgrimage into the Eagle Cap Wilderness specifically Pine Lakes. When a few members of the Squaw Butte Back Country Horseman expressed an interest in packing into the Eagle Caps, It was with conflicting emotions that I agreed to guide them in. Pine Lakes is filled with personal memories mostly great, some sad and a few as spectacular as the lakes pristine azure waters. I dont mind sharing in the good and even a few of the spectacular moments, but the poignant memories are my own and likely not to be understood by others. I assured myself that it would be alright. Any such emotional episode could remain privately concealed behind dark sunglasses.
State Comm., this is Back Country Horsemen Mobile Two, over!
With this simple statement spoken into a hand held radio, a whole series of events were put in motion. What events led up to this radio call?
I tried State Comm. again and got an immediate response. I explained who I was and that I had a sixty-five year old woman with me that was showing symptoms of Heat Exhaustion and Dehydration. A number of questions were asked and answered and I requested that they contact Valley County EMTs and Rescue to meet us with an ambulance to transport her to the Cascade Hospital. Read Rob’s journal of events Read Mary Kay’s