Collecting Volunteer & Education Hours - Why and How!!

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Keeping track of all our volunteer efforts is one of most important things we can do in our efforts to keep our access to riding areas. "How" you ask? All of the land managers and other trail users have trouble closing areas to us when we are doing large portions of the trail work - much higher percentage of the work than our numbers should be turning out. As a user we represent about 10% to 15% of the users, but in trail work we continue to show approx. 60%-75% of the volunteer hours being turned in. Our national total of $3.5 million is a dollar value that gives our national representatives significant clout when trying to emphasize why they should be listened to.

To this end as we head into our busy season for Volunteer efforts, I would like to remind folks how to go about keeping track of these hours. First, what hours are needed?

The BCHA Board in conjunction with multiple land managers has asked for the following hours to be kept.

• All Volunteer Trail Work done on public land; this does not include private lands such as private timberlands unless will eventually turn into public lands. Included are any work or meetings held in preparation that will lead to trail work or trail preservation; any meetings where recreational trail usage is discussed; anything from phone calls to talking to land managers that eventually lead to trail preservation.
  
  
• All LNT Education hours and preparation hours, and if they could be broken down as to which were youth hours, even better.
  
  
• Trail riding on public lands (form for this yet to be coming)

How should these hours be reported:

• Each chapter should identify one person to be responsible to collect these hours. Whether they do it themselves or have the hours given to them is up to them and what works best with each chapter or group situation.
  
  
• There is a form to use and it is available in Excel, Word, on CD, or hard copy. It doesn't matter what form the hours are turned in. What matters is that the hours are turned in. Directions on how to use this form are available on the BCHA website(www.backcountryhorse.com), and have been sent to each National Director who in turn will forward to the Volunteer hours person for his/her state or affiliate.
  
  
• Locally, each chapter should be turning its hours into the land managers in the fall on the land manager's time schedule. Ideally, within BCH the hours should go to somebody identified in the state or affiliate to collect these hours, but if no one has been identified, then the National Director is ultimately responsible for getting these hours to the National Board of BCHA.
  
  
• The national volunteer hour person needs these hours by March 1st. The reports should be sent to Peg Greiwe, BCHA Executive Secretary, via her e-mail address (peg2@mashell.com). The hours will then be complied and made available to the National Board at the National Meeting in April.

  Additional ideas that may be helpful:

  BCH States may want to keep track of volunteer hours by agency so that discussions can be held at the state level with state agency representatives as to the value of BCH contributions.

  Expanded forms on computer are available to keep track of these hours. If interested contact Peg Greiwe or Nick Martinez at ennicolas@earthlink.net

  If you have any problems, concerns, or questions, please contact us. We probably have solutions that could make your life easier. Remember the key is that these hours get turned in. This is the ace up our sleeves.

  Thanks, Nick Martinez , BCHA Volunteer Hours Committee Chair.