Equestrian Trails and Conservation Awareness ~~
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Introduction by Gene Wood, Ph.D.The Equestrian Trails and Conservation Awareness (ETACA) website is dedicated to offering an educational resource for trail horse riders who understand that if the availability of trail opportunities is to be preserved, we must practice conservation of the natural resource matrix in which the trails are embedded. ETACA is not an end in itself but rather an “information supply depot” for those on a mission that will have no end. Ecosystems always will be changing; our knowledge of ecosystems always will be changing, and the American public’s views on its public lands and how they should be used always will be changing. Knowledge of historical natural resource conditions, usage, and policies is an important reference for guidance into the future. We can only go forward into the future, we can not go back into the past. The present and the future are realities that must be dealt with in an informed and an intelligent manner. |
 Gene on Gus introducing Danny to a real river, the Chattooga,
as they cross from the Sumter National Forest, South Carolina
to the Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia. |
In our quest to preserve trail horse use opportunities, trail horsemen must develop a genuine profile in natural resource conservation. We can find examples of the importance of such a profile when we look at the nation’s leading hunting and fishing organizations. These groups have built immense credibility with land management agencies and the American public. Check some of their websites and note the emphasis on conservation: Boone and Crockett Club, www.boone-crockett.org, “… has long been recognized for its conservation and ethics leadership.” Izaak Walton League of America, www.iwla.org, “… a common sense approach toward protecting our country’s natural heritage and improving outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans.” (300 local chapters) |
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Trout Unlimited, www.tu.org, “Conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.” (150,000 members) Ducks Unlimited, www.ducks.org, “… is the world’s leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation.” (608,000 U.S. adult members) National Wild Turkey Federation, www.nwtf.org, “…dedicated to conservation of the wild turkey and preserving hunting traditions” (500,000 members) Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, www.rmef.org, “… mission to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, and their habitat.” (155,000 members) The Boone and Crockett Club was founded in the early 1900s by some of the most important leaders in the history of conservation. The Izaak Walton League was founded by a group of avid anglers in 1922 who sought “to save outdoor America for future generations.” The founding of Ducks Unlimited (1937) was to preserve and enhance waterfowl habitat. Some other leading organizations were founded far more recently (Trout Unlimited - 1959, National Wild Turkey Federation - 1973, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation -1984), yet all of these have gone on to accomplish Herculean tasks in the conservation of the nation’s natural resources. Considering trail riders in contrast with hunters and fishermen, there are perhaps a million people in the nation, perhaps more, but definitely hundreds of thousands that ride horses on trails for recreational purposes. However, the number belonging to an organization that seeks to preserve trail riding opportunities is relatively few. For example, Back Country Horsemen of America, www.backcountryhorse.com , founded in 1973, the nation’s leading advocate for saddle and pack stock use on trails, has only 12,000 members. All outdoor recreationists would do well to heed a principle stated with eloquent simplicity by a leader of one of the nation’s top outdoor recreation equipment retailers: If we are going to benefit from our natural resources, we must be willing to take action to protect them. ETACA will strive to provide information fundamental to helping horsemen enhance their understanding of natural resource conservation issues relevant to their recreational pursuits in rural and wildland areas. We will persistently offer that if trail horsemen are to develop and maintain a high profile of credibility with natural resource managers, other outdoor recreationists, and other people with deep concerns for natural resource protection, particularly on the public lands, we must become recognized as dedicated conservationists. We must consider that while some fraction of 1.9 million Americans own and ride horses on trails for recreation, 350 million Americans own the public lands on which most of our trails exist. Over the past several decades, Americans have clearly demonstrated their dedication to the protection of public lands and their associated natural resources. Both in the arena of public opinion and in point of legal statute, Americans have clearly shown that their commitment to protection of the public trust is largely without economic constraint. Most pointedly stated, the ETACA mission is to do all we can to provide information to support informed and intelligent efforts to preserve a cultural heritage in a natural heritage setting. The information on this website will be as dynamic as we can afford to make it. There will be guest editorials, opportunities for comments with opposing views, essays written to provoke thought, and guides to sources of fundamental information. Please join us in this endeavor. Ride with a smile, a light hand, and lightly upon the land. Gene W. Wood
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