Possibly Some Horse Trails to Close in Iowa

We received this email below and felt very strongly the need to get the word out to as many people as possible. We have removed some of the email addresses and last names, etc. in the interest of getting this information out quickly.

Denise Schieffer, president of Iowa Trail Riders Assoc urges everyone

to make sure Gov. Branstad, the DNR and the legislators are aware of

our protests.  Some riders have suggested they would be willing to pay

an annual bridle fee. Some have volunteered to help. We need to get

organized like the bicyclists did!  She suggests some text you can use: 

It has come to my attention that there is discussion of closing horse

trails in Yellow River, Shimek and Stephens State Forests to save

money.  There are already so few places where equestrians can ride

compared to other recreational activities in the state.  It would be

devastating to close these parks and basically eliminate riding

activities for many.  Given that our riding options are already so

limited, PLEASE when looking where to make cuts, consider other areas

where there are more options available and cuts would not be felt as

severely as would be the case here. 

We have so few places to ride in Iowa!  I hope people will keep calling

and writing!

Diana

(PS You don't need to read further, but if you are interested there is

related correspondence below.)   

From the DNR Communications Bureau Chief to me:

Thanks for sharing your very thoughtful and well-written letter.

As I¹ve explained to others, at this point we do not know what the

final appropriation will be so we are not sure whether the trails would

be closed or not. It is, at this point, an option that could be

considered depending on what kind of funding level we end up at.

In the meantime, I can't tell you how encouraged I am by the number of

equestrians today who have stepped forward, like your family, and

expressed a willingness to help be part of a solution in these

difficult times.

As a side note, I would mention that much of the public land in Johnson

County is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via the Coralville

Reservoir system. Have you ever had any discussions with them to see if

there are any opportunities? Likewise, didn¹t Johnson County dedicate a

portion of sales tax revenue to conservation/recreation projects? Maybe

there are opportunities there as well to explore trail possibilities.

Once again, thanks for sharing this letter with me and for your

interest in helping find alternative should the need arise.

Kevin Baskins

Communications Bureau Chief

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

515-281-8395

kevin.baskins@dnr.iowa.gov

From: Diana L

Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 4:33 PM

To: Baskins, Kevin [DNR]

Subject: FW: Preserve Funding for IA Horse Trails

Dear Kevin, while we understand that not every program of the DNR can

be sustained, we who live and ride in Iowa feel that there are special

reasons for keeping trails open to horseback riders in this state.  A

few of these are stated below in my letter to the governor. 

BTW, my husband and I are willing to donate to keep IA trails open to

horses, and also to volunteer time to horse trails in our area -- oh

wait, there aren't any horse trails in Johnson County AT ALL!  (A

situation we would love to see remedied, but that's a topic for another

time.)

Thank you for your efforts.

Diana

From:  Diana

Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 3:51 PM

To: governor.contact@iowa.gov

Subject: Preserve Funding for IA Horse Trails

Dear Gov. Branstad:

Please do not allow any cuts in funding for maintenance of horse trails

in Iowa!  Iowa has fewer public areas for people to enjoy on horseback

than do most other states, and it is important to preserve, even

expand, what we do have.  Horses are part of our national heritage;

millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iowans still own

and ride horses, in part to recapture the spirit and values of our

forbearers who settled and built this great country.  It is a wonderful

way for families to spend time together, and for individuals to

reconnect with nature.

I moved to this state several decades ago, and at first missed the

mountains and accessibility to the ocean where I used to live.  But

fortunately, I was able to discover that Iowa too has great natural

beauty, and I've done this from the back of my horse.  Horses were also

the medium through which my family and I got to know and appreciate

"real" Iowans, and escape the isolation newcomers to the state often

feel.  Trail riding in Iowa has truly enriched our lives.  While my

family and I can take our horses out of state to ride, we spend the

majority of our riding time on the trails in Iowa, where we live, and

where we pay taxes.  People may not realize how much money horse owners

spend on our horses and all the associated equipment--indeed, we could

use that money to take frequent vacations to exotic locales elsewhere

in this country and abroad, but that would take the money out of Iowa's

economy!  As long as we have access to horse trails in this state,

especially trails in Shimek Forest, Stephens Forest, Yellow River and

Brushy Creek--we will continue to not only love and be proud of natural

Iowa, but also to keep the money where we live.

But this should not be just about money.  There is Iowa's heritage to

consider, as well as the pride and enjoyment taken by today's hard

working Iowans in the natural beauty of their state.  For my daughters

who grew up here, camping and riding the trails in Iowa is among their

most cherished memories.  They would also like to raise families in

Iowa, unless they are denied the opportunity go riding on Iowa's trails

with their own children.  

Let me also add that more and more often, trail riders are volunteering

time and money to preserve trails in Iowa, and have been taking a more

active role in working with park officials to do what's necessary to

keep horse trails open. 

It would be a terrible shame to see Iowa close its trails to horse

owners and riders.

Sincerely, 

Diana

Iowa City, Iowa 

Please send your own emails to the Gov. Branstad and any other organizations that might be willing to help. Thanks

ACTHA Ride at The Natural Gait

Image via Wikipedia

August 7, 2010
Six Miles
Six Natural Obstacles
Six Judges

or... just come and ride the trails!

Please join with us, and have fun, learn, win prizes and most of all help us stop the neglect that thousands of horses find themselves enduring. There are wonderful rescues doing everything they
can…but they need help. Let’s have fun and feel good doing it!
ACTHA Website
The Natural Gait

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The Natural Gait: Northeast Iowa's rustic retreat

Taken from Radish Magazine
by Rich Patterson

The view from Grandview Cabin is startling at The Natural Gait in Allamakee County, Iowa.

The notebook in a rustic cabin overlooking Northeast Iowa's Yellow River captured the essence of The Natural Gait.

"We enjoyed being away from television and telephones for a few days to just let the natural beauty of the area sink in," reads one longhand entry. Others mention the cozy joy of curling up with a book by the wood stove as snow enveloped the cabin. Another entry relates a long day riding horses through the woods and prairies of this unusual Iowa location.

The Natural Gait and its sister, Ion Exchange, aren't just businesses. They are places to connect with natural Iowa. In a way, they are a state of mind as well as a beautiful and interesting place.

"These are creations from the heart and passion of two people in love with each other and the land and a desire for everyone to get connected to the natural world," says Howard Bright, who with his wife, Donna, started The Natural Gait.

Back in 1980, the Brights were working in Burlington, Iowa. Howard was a district conservationist for the Soil Conservation Service and Donna served as an agent for the Extension Service.

"Our jobs were good, but we started to question spending 10 hours a day apart doing separate things. We wanted to live in the country and own a piece of land that had trees, water, hills and valleys that faced in all directions. So we started to actively look." It took a while. Four years later, they found 160 acres of rugged hills, forests and river bottom in Allamakee County.

In what they describe as a magical moment along the Yellow River, they decided to buy the place. Their Realtor/banker tried to dissuade them by pointing out that the property had few visible financial assets. There was only about 35 acres of cropland and the forest had been logged.

"We had an idea to collect native plant seeds from remnant prairies and wetlands and sell them to people wishing to restore native ecosystems. Back then this was a novel concept, especially to rural bankers who wondered why anyone would want to grow what most folks considered weeds. But we bought the place and started collecting," Bright says.

Their native plant business was named Ion Exchange in honor of a chemical exchange that takes place in the soil and for a nearby ghost town named Ion that had flooded and washed away in 1916.

In the early 1980s, anyone wishing to reestablish a prairie faced an immediate problem: finding a seed source. There simply weren't many nurseries that sold native plant materials. The Brights' timing was good. Interest in prairies was blossoming, and they soon found a ready market in the growing number of people interested in restoration. Ion Exchange gradually has grown and today offers dozens of different species of seeds and plugs. They've expanded beyond prairies and also sell wetland and woodland seeds and plants. The business includes fields where seed plants thrive and a cluster of buildings where plants are allowed to dry, seeds are cleaned, and plugs are produced.

In 1999 the Brights created another business associated with the land. "We called it the Natural Gait because it was our intention of helping others find their own 'gait,' or direction in life," says Bright.

The Gait is a place where people wanting to enjoy natural Iowa can stay. Its bunk houses, cabins and apartments attract people wishing to spiritually connect with nature, hold family reunions and business retreats, and hike or horseback ride. Some of the buildings are near Ion Exchange's seed business. Other cabins and a campground are on the steep river bluff. They're within sight of Ion Exchange, but it's a six mile drive to reach them.

Our weekend at the Natural Gait started on a cold, windy October night. We found Grandview Cabin and soon had a fire crackling in the woodstove. Most of Iowa is so settled that it's hard to get away from lights and towns and we were pleased to see a mostly dark sky and horizon.

Just four of us stayed in the cabin, although it easily could hold ten. Phones and televisions were blissfully absent, but the cabin is set up for wireless Internet, an interesting combination of rustic and modern.

Shortly after dawn Saturday, we were amazed to look out the front porch and see the land drop to the river. No slope in Wyoming could match the dizzying steepness of the Yellow River bluff. In the distance below us, we could see the fuzzy growth of Ion Exchange's recently harvested prairie plants. The field's texture was surprisingly different from that of Iowa's common corn and bean fields.

That Saturday we toured the seed processing buildings and hiked above them to a large cave in a limestone outcropping where Native Americans once lived. Today the Brights sponsor concerts in this massive rock cavity high above the river. That afternoon we headed for nearby Marquette and Prairie du Chien for shopping and a coffee-shop lunch. As the sun dipped below the horizon, we grilled steaks behind the cabin and enjoyed total silence, broken only by the haunting call of a barred owl.

Following a brisk walk Sunday morning we packed and headed back to the busy world, but the quiet weekend at the Natural Gait remains a pleasant memory.

For more information, visit thenaturalgait.com or call (877) 776-2208.

Rich and Marion Patterson of Cedar Rapids are freelance writers.

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