 Mary Lou Patton, Auction Coordinator, Jim McGarvey, Chairman of BCHA, Truman Prevatt, President of BCHFL, Gary Macintosh, VP of BCHFL & Shindig Coordinator, Dwayne Jojoba, This Ride's for Them (Wounded Warriors), Lita Hart, Recreation Administrator, Florida Forestry Service, and Doug Ott, State Coordinator for Friends of the Forest. |
News
Cross Florida Greenway Meeting Jan 21, 2017
Hello Cross Florida Greenway Friends, Recently you received an e-mail from Rob Ern asking you to join the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation for an introductory and organizational meeting of all user groups along the Cross Florida Greenway. He is currently the co-chair of the Cross Florida Greenway committee along with our longtime friend and previous Director of the Cross Florida Greenway, Jena Brooks on the Foundation board. They are the CSO for the Cross Florida Greenway! The Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation provides support to the Land Manager, even helping me with my events like the Ride of the Living Dead, Volunteer Luncheon, Black History Celebration and the Christmas parade!!! The meeting you were invited to is intended to update user groups of the ongoing work of the Foundation, and help to organize our efforts for the coming year, specifically as it pertains to the needs for additional staff and funding for the operation and management of the Cross Florida Greenway. I gave your e-mail addresses to Rob, in hopes that he could build a HUGE support group for TEAM GREENWAY J!!! You love the trails, we love our volunteers and the trails that you help us maintain and we need a group of the best representatives of the Cross Florida Greenway to support us by being part of this and giving your input. Please attend the meeting on Saturday, January 21st, from 1 to 4. The Foundation is providing refreshments and will send you more information once we find out who can attend. Please pass this invitation along to all of your perspective Boards, and please let me know how many you anticipate bringing to the meeting and what group you represent. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all there! Bre Ximenes Trails and Volunteer Coordinator Cross Florida Greenway 352*236*7143 As space is limited and if you would like to attend personally, please contact Rob Ern at rern@besandh.com. He will be able to confirm that room is available. 2017 Legislative Organizational Meetings Agenda Coffee Reception – 8:30 to 9 am Morning Session – 9 am to 12 pm 9:00 - 9:10 Welcome & Introduction of Speakers – Rob Ern Expansion of MTB Trails/New Trail Construction 10:30 – 10:40 Break 10:40 – 11:00 Discuss “reach” of each club (number of members each club can reach) & ask for representative from each club for ongoing communication 11:00 – 12:00 Discussion of Next Steps to Continue Momentum Lunch Break – 12 pm to 1 pm Afternoon Session – 1 pm to 4 pm 1:00 – 1:10 Welcome & Introduction of Speakers – Rob Ern (Rob & Jena FTGF Greenway Committee) 1:10 – 1:20 Introduction of Attending User Groups/Representatives Thomason 2:15 – 2:25 Break 2:25 – 2:45 Discuss “reach” of each user group (number of members each club can reach) & ask for representative from each user group for ongoing communication 2:45 – 4:00 Discussion of Next Steps to Continue Momentum Handouts:
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Greenways & Trails meeting St. John's County Horse Council
GREENWAYS & TRAILS MEETING ST JOHNS COUNTY HORSE COUNCIL AUGUST 27 SJCHC MEETS to draw lines on the map to develop equestrian specific trails in St Johns County.  |
NATIONAL EQUESTRIAN TRAIL CONFERENCE
Hosted by the North Carolina Horse Council NETC Registration is now open! Equestrian Trails Investing in our future - working together - stronger than ever Registrations are now being accepted for the 2016 National Equestrian Trails Conference being held in Raleigh, NC July 8 - 10, 2016. Many great speakers have been confirmed for the Conference. There will be a separate agenda for the bus tour which will be on Saturday, July 9th. The bus tour is available as an option to the first 50 registrants. Be sure to check out the sponsorship opportunities. Don't forget, early registration ends May 31st. Follow this link to register: http://natetc.org/ For information on NETC, please visit the website at natetc.org or contact the North Carolina Horse Council Office at (919) 854-1990. Sue Gray, Executive Director Our mailing address is: NC Horse Council 4904 Waters Edge Drive Suite 290 Raleigh, NC 27606 USA |
DOT Announces Results of C2C Feasibility Study
In meetings on March 30,2016 in Center Hill, Fl and on March 31, 2016 in Ridge Manor, Fl. the DOT presented the results of their feasibility study to determine the most viable route for the C2C connector trail through Sumter County. An overview of the various factors that went into the final selection were presented along with the map showing the alternate routes that were considered. The final route selection is shown on the map as a corridor bounded by the green and yellow trail. The route selected will go through Webster, but the exact route will be determined in the next phase of the study. A bridge that will accommodate equestrians will be built across the Withlacoochee River. The bridge will connect the equestrian trails in East Croom with the equestrian trails in West Croom. The exact location of the bridge will be determined in the next phase of the DOT study. The two sites currently under consideration are where the power lines cross the river and where the Iron Bridge crossed the river at one time. Note of interest from the meeting: Of the over 115 people in attendance at the meeting in Ridge Manor we are proud to report that over 25 of them were equestrians. We were well represented and many of us submitted comment forms.  |
BCHFL Shindig 2016
Update on the Planning Study for C2C
C2C stakeholders, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide a brief update on the Planning Study for the South Sumter Connector Trail. The Project Team recently concluded the second phase of the Study which resulted in the Existing Conditions Report and Purpose and Needs Statement. We’re currently gearing up for the third and final phase of the project where viable alternatives will be evaluated and refined. This phase will involve quantitative assessments associated with trail costs and impacts to determine the preferred corridor in which a specific trail route can be developed. Once this information is developed and vetted, the Alternatives Development Workshop will be conducted. At this public meeting, tentatively scheduled in January 2016, the results of the evaluation will be presented for public comment and input. Following this meeting, the viable trail alternative(s) will be determined which will feed into the following project phase, the Project Development & Environment Study. Within the next couple of months, we will be presenting a project update to the four Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) in the Study Area. These presentations will cover the findings from the Existing Conditions Report, as well as public input gathered from the Public Kick-off. These meetings are scheduled by the MPO and are held within business hours. If you are unable to participate, you can check our website for a copy of the presentation or feel free to contact us for more information. The following presentations have been scheduled. Please feel free to pass this on to others who may be interested in attending. · Pasco County MPO – September 10 @ 10am Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 2nd Floor 37918 Meridian Ave Dade City 33525 · Lake~Sumter MPO – September 23 @ 2pm 1616 South 14 Street, Leesburg, FL · Central Florida MPO Alliance – October 9 @ 10am MetroPlan Orlando One Landmark Center, Suite 355 315 E. Robinson Street, Orlando, FL · Hernando-Citrus MPO – October 20 @ 1pm Lecanto Government Building, Room 166 3600 W. Sovereign Path, Lecanto, FL We hope to see you there. Happy Trails! Heather Garcia Planning and Corridor Development Supervisor PLEMO Office 719 S. Woodland Blvd. DeLand, FL 32720 386.943.5077 |
Help plan the future of Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area
A 10-year plan for the Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area will be presented at a Tuesday, June 30, public hearing in Hendry County. People are invited to the 7 p.m. public hearing at the John Boy Auditorium, 1200 South W.C. Owen Ave. in Clewiston. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff will present the draft land management plan for the FWC-managed Dinner Island Ranch WMA, and people will be encouraged to comment and ask questions. For more information on the upcoming local public hearing, go to MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial Programs” then “Management Plans.” Dinner Island Ranch WMA, encompassing almost 22,000 acres near Lake Okeechobee, gives its visitors a sense of the wide open spaces of south Florida that once were plentiful. Outdoor recreation opportunities include hiking, camping, hunting, wildlife viewing, biking and horseback riding – and it’s a great place for a scenic drive. “Dinner Island Ranch WMA was purchased to conserve and restore cultural resources, landscapes, forest, water resources, biological diversity and other elements important to ecosystem functions,” said Peter Vandeburgt, FWC land conservation planner. “This draft plan will specify how we intend to do that.” All lands purchased with public funds must have a management plan that ensures the property will be managed in a manner consistent with the intended purposes of the purchase. Hunting and fishing regulations are not included in this plan or meeting; those are addressed through a separate public process. To obtain a copy of the draft land management prospectus for Dinner Island Ranch WMA, call Dylan Imlah at 850-487-7063 or email Dylan.Imlah@MyFWC.com. For more information and background on management plans and their goals, visit MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial Conservation Programs” then “Management Plans.” For more on the Dinner Island Ranch WMA, go to MyFWC.com and select “Wildlife Viewing” then “Wildlife Management Areas.” |
Equestrians are now Represented
Truman Prevatt, President of Back Country Horsemen of Florida and a Certified Trail Master, has been appointed to the C2C Trail Project Advisory Group to represent equestrian interests. If you are the member of a group that is in close proximity to the C2C trail please have a representative from your local group contact the C2C Trail planners at www.cflroads.com (search for "South Sumter Connector Trail") . Please discontinue sending your E-mails requesting equestrian representation during the planning process as that has been achieved. |
GOOD NEWS FOR EQUESTRIANS
The good news is that the E-mails from Back Country Horsemen of Florida and equestrians throughout Florida to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) was VERY effective. At the "Kickoff" meeting in Webster yesterday the Coast to Coast (C2C) Trail planners agreed to provide equestrian trails, where appropriate, along the C2C Trail. The also agreed to seek out and contact equestrian organizations and riding clubs local to the route of the trail in order to determine needs and to get recommendations. Finally, Truman Prevatt, president of Back Country Horsemen of Florida and a Certified Trail Master, was appointed to the C2C Trail advisory committee to represent equestrian interests. Some residents living adjacent to the proposed southern route, along SR 50, were very vocal and adamantly opposed to the southern route which would go through the Richloam section of the Withlacoochee State Forest. The FDOT planners also stated that much of Richloam is under water for much of the year and not conducive to trails. Another concern was bicyclist safety as hunting and hunting with dogs is permitted in Richloam. We must remain diligent to monitor the progress of this project. Gary Macintosh, VP Back Country Horsemen of Florida |
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