Education Report - 2004
The BCHA Education program is on the threshold of transition. Last year our Vision was for BCHA to become the affordable provider for minimum impact stock use for horsemen. We are headed in that direction.
We will continue to have equestrian influence on the LNT Board but take on the responsibility of providing stock use education by stock people, which would relieve NOLS from that task. We may not be a LNT Provider for Master Courses but run our own program incorporating their information and the Gentle Use Program.
We visualize perhaps having Master Trainers travel to a location to teach. The attendees would pay their expenses and someone on-site would work out the logistics. Attendees would provide their own equipment similar to the courses California put on.
We will begin to design our own curriculum using the Gentle Use and Leave No Trace information. By next National Board Meeting, we plan to have a basic outline to review and formalize. Until we can implement our own program for training Masters, they can be trained by Ninemile Wildlands Training Center and NOLS.
In the short term, we need a list of LNT Stock Use Masters who would be willing to travel and teach for their expenses, in areas without instructors. Second, Clemson University will attempt to hold a LNT Masters course with a credible NOLS stock instructor to train more Masters from the East for those new organizations.
For the Education program to work, each State organization needs to have an Education Chairman and someone at the Chapters to carry on the program. Resource information is available through the BCHA web page - www.backcountryhorse.org, LNT information in the manual distributed to each State organization a year ago at the National Board Meeting and on the Education Manual CD distributed at the same time. BCHC had developed a CD and manual on Pack and Saddle Stock Camping that is excellent. That is for sale through their website. Use information pertinent to your area such as Meth labs, which are a major problem and danger in the woods in particular areas.
Communication is always a problem. Perhaps the State Education Chairman should check with each Chapter quarterly to see how their program is doing. Follow up keeps things on track.
We have many Stock Master instructors who are not training Trainers. This is where the break down is happening. We need to place our emphasis on instilling a sense of awareness of how we treat the lands we ride on. This is your ethic. If you care about the land, you will make conscious decisions concerning what you are doing to minimize your impact. Encourage those who are Masters and Trainers to spread the skills and ethics.
Continue to strive for active for active participation by the youth in the organization. A new flyer was distributed to the National Directors to help with starting Youth BCH Chapters. Youth volunteer hours need to be reported so we can track how the program is doing. A new report form is being developed.
The Education committee also recommends that Chapters incorporate some Public Lands training in their education program. An idea to use might be a "Public Lands Moment" where you take one topic and talk about it for five minutes at a meeting. You could do more of course but that might be a starting point. Something like that would work with LNT as well.
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