GMHA : The Green Mountain Horse Association

TRAIL USER GROUPS CONVENE AT GMHA

May 8, 2010: Members from recreational groups that share trails in the South Woodstock, West Windsor, Reading, and Hartland area convened at Green Mountain Horse Association on May 3 to discuss its trail preservation program. Groups included North Country Hounds, Vermont Equine Riding and Driving Association, Upper Valley Land Trust, Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, and Sport Trails of Ascutney Basin. It was the first of many anticipated meetings to build ongoing partnerships that will serve to keep trails open for a long time to come.

Peter Campot, President of GMHA’s Board of Directors, addressed the gathering, “GMHA is committed to serving as a steward to preserve and maintain the trail system, and it does not expect to be the sole leader. We enthusiastically encourage other trail users and towns to obtain and hold easements. GMHA welcomes input from our trail partners to further mutual objectives, the most important being keeping the trails open.” GMHA’s land use attorney, Annette Lorraine, was on hand to explain the GMHA’s flexible easement language, which is customized to suit the requirements of each landowner donating a trail easement. It borrows language from State statute to promote and protect the mission of GMHA members. The easement does not prohibit other uses, and a landowner can open the same trail to other groups for uses compatible with equestrian use if they choose. Other groups can layer their own easements onto that of GMHA, and GMHA strongly encourages such collaboration. It was agreed that some portions of the easement could be made clearer and easier to understand.

Groups asked about multi-use easements, when more than one group is listed on the same easement. Lorraine explained that it is possible to have multiple entities on one easement but can be problematic because one group does not want to be responsible for another group’s liabilities. Groups would need to contact their insurance companies and attorneys to be sure that kind of liability was covered.

Another question raised was the closing of trails by GMHA. Lorraine clarified that when GMHA holds an easement, it uses “best practices” to decide whether conditions are or are not favorable for equestrian use. It can choose to close trails to its members and event riders whenever it is likely such use will significantly damage trails, conditions may be unsafe or for any other reason that equestrian use is inappropriate. It is only temporarily “relinquishing GMHA’s rights to use the trail” until trail conditions improve. It does not restrict use by other trail user groups that have secured separate permissions or easements from the landowner to use the trail.

As the meeting wrapped up, it was agreed that future meetings should be convened at least twice a year to stay connected, maintain goodwill and cooperation among groups to accomplish the same goal: keeping the trails open.

GMHA now has new web pages devoted to Open Space Planning and Trail Preservation. They include “FAQs” on GMHA’s trail easement and process. To read about them, visit: www.gmhainc.org

The Green Mountain Horse Association, founded in 1926, is a 65-acre equestrian facility in South Woodstock, Vermont. It is a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization fully committed to serving five equine disciplines including: trail riding, hunter/jumpers, dressage, eventing and driving. With approximately 1,500 members, GMHA is a vital community of equestrian enthusiasts. In addition to competitions and pleasure rides, GMHA offers many educational activities and is a leader in land and trail preservation. Member support helps to ensure that GMHA will continue to exist for future generations and preserve its legacy in the equestrian community.

GMHA Holds Meeting to Discuss Kedron Brook Water Quality

April 23, 2010: Thirty landowners from Woodstock Village to South Woodstock attended an April 15 meeting hosted by the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) in partnership with the Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District (ONRCD) to discuss water quality impairments in the Kedron Brook.

The Kedron Brook is a tributary of the Ottauquechee River, which along with the Black River, forms Basin 10. It is on the list of “waters in need of further assessment,” which means the State has concerns regarding sediment, nutrients, and E.coli. Sources are most likely agricultural uses, dog waste, road runoff, loss of riparian vegetation, and chemicals used on the Woodstock Inn and Resort golf course. If the brook continues to show impairments, it will be placed on the EPA list that would require severe restrictions on land use and involve all landowners along the brook. This may be avoided if proactive efforts are begun now.

Marie Levesque-Caduto, Watershed Coordinator with the Agency of Natural Resources described the Basin 10 planning process, and Sylvia Harris, Agricultural Resource Specialist/Basin Planner for ONRCD, reviewed the Agricultural Section of the Basin Plan. Attendees engaged in lively discussion of the issues and offered suggestions for action to be included in the Plan. Many signed up to help collect water samples for testing in Waterbury. The evening clearly demonstrated how important the Kedron Brook is to local landowners.

The Green Mountain Horse Association, a 65-acre equestrian facility in South Woodstock, Vermont, is a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization fully committed to serving our five equine disciplines including: trail riding, hunter/jumpers, dressage, eventing and driving. With approximately 1,900 members, GMHA is a vital community of equestrian enthusiasts. In addition to competitions and pleasure rides, GMHA offers many educational activities and is a leader in trail preservation and land preservation. Member support helps to ensure that GMHA will continue to exist for future generations and preserves its legacy in the equestrian community. www.gmhainc.org.

TRAIL PRESERVATION SPECIALIST AT GMHA

March 17, 2010: The Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) is pleased to announce the addition of a Trail Preservation Specialist to focus exclusively on the expansion of its equestrian trail network.  The GMHA Board of Directors has recently re-affirmed the organization’s commitment to trails and land preservation and to dedicate the resources necessary to assure the attainment of trail easement goals for the next two years and beyond.

Cyndy Kozara of Woodstock, Vermont, has been hired to develop and implement an aggressive but realistic plan to secure a number of new easements by the end of 2011. GMHA recorded an easement through its own property in February 2009 and received an easement in December 2009 from West Windsor landowner, Linda Johnson. Easements with other interested landowners are in various stages of progress, and renewed efforts for outreach and education to generate more participation is planned.  Kozara will strengthen partnerships with local, regional and State conservation, preservation and related organizations to help further the goals of the program. She will also help to identify fundraising opportunities to sustain the GMHA easement program and trail maintenance fund.

“I feel so lucky to be working with GMHA at this point in my career.  Having been consumed with a love for horses and wild places since my earliest memory, helping to conserve beautiful land for equestrian trails brings me full circle with two of my deepest passions. The easement process—from initial landowner contact to signing the final legal document—can take quite a bit of time, and I’m eager to get going with this urgent work.”

Kozara earned a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, where she worked in the Environmental Law Center for nine years.  She served as a regional planner for seven years with the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, focusing primarily on community development, rural land use planning and the management of its watershed and basin planning program.

Her planning experience has extended globally to environmental justice issues.She has spent time in Bangladesh assessing arsenic contamination in rural water supplies and has collaborated with a Toronto consulting group to help strengthen the role of civil society in Tajikistan.

Peter Campot, President of the GMHA Board states, “We have been talking about this for a long time, and with our Capital Campaign behind us, the Board wanted to be sure we didn’t forget our commitment to identifying and preserving the trails, which is the primary reason that GMHA was founded over 80 years ago.  Adding this position to the staff effort that we already have will ensure that we can speed up our efforts and ultimately, our results.”

A trail easement is a perpetual legal agreement that allows others to use someone’s land in the manner provided for within the easement.  An easement can be very broad, granting access to the easement holder and the public or it can restrict what kind of access, when and under what conditions access can be used.  For example, an easement can be for equestrian use only or also hiking, biking, and snowmobiling. Management plans are created by both parties to clearly outline and agree upon maintenance responsibilities, which can be assigned to one of the parties or both. Vermont law encourages private landowners to allow public access by helping to limit landowners’ liability in the event of an injury.  The law says a landowner shall not be liable for personal injury or property damage of a recreational user so long as the landowner did not cause the injury by intentional or extremely reckless misconduct. For landowners to be protected by this statute, they may not charge fees for the access.

Landowners wanting more information and/or interested in donating a trail easement are encouraged to call Cyndy at 802-457-1509, extension 220, or email cyndy@gmhainc.org to learn more about our land preservation work.

The Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) was founded in 1926, when a small group of riders wanted to promote the use of horses, provide facilities for horse shows and activities, and develop and maintain bridle trails in Vermont.  At that time, GMHA was part of a trail network that stretched for thousands of miles from Canada through Vermont to Massachusetts.  Today, large numbers of trails have been lost due to property transfers, development, increasing population and other barriers.  GMHA has a network of woodland trails and country roads which covers hundreds of miles and connects fourteen towns in Windsor County.

The Green Mountain Horse Association, a 65-acre equestrian facility in South Woodstock, Vermont, is a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization fully committed to serving our five equine disciplines including:  trail riding, hunter/jumpers, dressage, eventing and driving. For more information about our programs, please visit www.gmhainc.org.

With approximately 1,500 members, GMHA is a vital community of equestrian enthusiasts.  In addition to competitions and pleasure rides, GMHA offers many educational activities and is a leader in trail preservation and land preservation.  Member support helps to ensure that GMHA will continue to exist for future generations and preserves its legacy in the equestrian community.

Second Annual GMHA Trails Conservation Summit

March 15, 2010: To kick off GMHA’s renewed commitment to open space planning and trails conservation, the Second Annual Trail Conservation Summit was held on March 13. With mud season in full swing, 32 attendees converged for a four-member panel discussion and information exchange. Jill Helmer, Co-chair of the Landowner Ambassador Committee began the day by welcoming the group, and Debbie Donahue, Trails Coordinator, provided a background of trail preservation efforts and importance.  She also introduced new Trail Easement Specialist, Cyndy Kozara, who told the gathering: “Knowing how many miles of trails have been lost to development since the founding of GMHA in 1926 really puts my job in perspective. There is much work to be done and the first step is to set priorities for the most important linkages. With Debbie’s guidance, I look forward to getting acquainted with the land and landowners.”

A well-balanced quartet of speakers carried the day. Annette Lorraine, Attorney and Land Consultant, provides GMHA with legal assistance on its easements.  She returned again this year to debunk the nuances of conservation easements and fielded questions about working with land trusts and landowner liability.  She also explained how trail easements differ from conservation easements because there are no federal tax credits for them and that trail easements are often overlaid on already conserved land.

Whitney Beals, Conservation Specialist with New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), described ways in which it promotes conservation and sustainable management of private forestland. He also talked about land transactions, easement stewardship and monitoring, legacy giving, and important community benefits of forest conservation such as protection of wildlife habitat and recreational open space.<

Frank Moore, a West Windsor landowner whose property abuts that of NEFF, has conserved his land with them as well. He shared his personal experience with the changing countryside, the insidious nature of subdivision and new development, equestrian safety concerns due to increased traffic speeds on local roads and the urgent need to face these challenges.

Patrick Bartlett, Forester and Wildlife Consultant, presented information on Current Use and the upcoming changes to that program. He also discussed techniques for developing proper equestrian trails through managed woodlots, such correct design for water bars and culverts, proper signage to prevent trail damage during wet season and the preferred use of conservation mix over wood chips on trails. Clover in conservation mix grows and mows well, attracts insects and then songbirds, setting the stage for a succession of wildlife. After lunch, Pat led a tree pruning demonstration to wrap up the day’s events.

Landowners wanting more information and/or interested in donating a trail easement are encouraged to call GMHA at 802-457-1509, extension 220 to talk with Cyndy Kozara or email her at cyndy@gmhainc.org.

The Green Mountain Horse Association, a 65-acre equestrian facility in South Woodstock, Vermont, is a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization fully committed to serving our five equine disciplines including: trail riding, hunter/jumpers, dressage, eventing and driving.

With approximately 1,500 members, GMHA is a vital community of equestrian enthusiasts.  In addition to competitions and pleasure rides, GMHA offers many educational activities and is a leader in trail preservation and land preservation.  Member support helps to ensure that GMHA will continue to exist for future generations and preserves its legacy in the equestrian community.

GMHA TO HOST TRAIL CONSERVATION SUMMIT

February 15, 2010: The Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) will host a day-long program on conservation of land and trails on Saturday, March 13. The informational session is open to landowners, equestrians, snowmobilers, mountain bikers, hikers, skiers and others interested in learning more about conservation of land and trails. Topics will span the legalities of land and trail conservation, forest management, current use, wildlife habitat, trail building and maintenance. There will be a workshop on tree and apple tree pruning. This summit is offered free of charge as part of GMHA’s Winter Educational Series.

Leading the program will be Annette Lorraine, attorney and consultant in land and trail conservation, Whitney Beals, a conservation specialist with the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), and Pat Bartlett, forester and wildlife consultant.

Registration is at 8:30 AM, and the program will end at 2:00PM. Lunch is available for $15.00 per person. Reservations in advance are requested. Please call GMHA at (802) 457-1509 or e-mail ddonahue@gmhainc.org to register. To view schedule go to http://www.gmhainc.org/clinics.html

The Green Mountain Horse Association, a 65 acre equestrian facility in South Woodstock, Vermont non-profit 501 (3)(c) organization fully committed to equine activities including:  Trail Riding, Hunter/Jumper Shows, Dressage Shows, Horse Trials and Driving Events.

With approximately 2,000 members, GMHA is vital community of equestrian enthusiasts.

Our members’ support helps to ensure that GMHA, will continue to exist for generations to come and preserves our legacy in the equestrian community with horsemanship clinics, educational activities, trail stewardship and preservation.

Trail Easement Granted to the Green Mountain Horse Association

December 17, 2009: The Green Mountain Horse Association is pleased to announce that we have received a trail easement from landowner Linda Johnson granting the organization use of a trail on her West Windsor property. The easement was signed in the GMHA offices in South Woodstock, VT, on December 15, 2010 by Johnson and GMHA Executive Director, Marty Hunt. Paul Kendall, longtime GMHA supporter and former Board Member, notarized the document, which was recorded in the town office later that day. The event was celebrated with the GMHA Trail Committee and staff, who enthusiastically toasted the acquisition.

Linda Johnson, a supporter of GMHA for many years, was eager to place the easement on her West Windsor, Vermont property in order to keep the trails open to equestrians. Johnson’s property, which occupies 26 scenic acres on Banister Road in the heart of horse country, is currently listed for sale.“I’d like to think that the next owner of this property would enjoy horses as much as I do, but you never know,” said Johnson. “I hope that other landowners will take this same precaution and consider granting easements, whether to GMHA or other conservation groups.” Linda, a longtime GMHA Member, supporter, and equestrian enthusiast, considered GMHA the obvious choice to receive the easement.

The easement’s purpose was clearly defined and easily agreed upon by both Linda and GMHA. The goals for creating the easement included several aspects.  First, the creation of the easement provides permanent equestrian recreational and transitory use for GMHA’s members and event participants, in a scenic and natural environment. As Johnson’s largely open property affords spectacular views of Mount Ascutney, the Connecticut River Valley, and beyond, it gives equestrians an ideal place to enjoy all that the rolling Vermont hills have to offer.

Another of Johnson’s goals was to promote and celebrate traditional equestrian trail use in the region, which has become a part of the local culture for many residents. Johnson herself moved from Connecticut to Vermont in 2005 to become part of the unique equestrian community. Since then Johnson, a well known hostess, has been known to greet local equestrian friends passing through her trails with a friendly wave, big smile, and refreshments from her porch for both humans and equines. Johnson is planning to stay in the area, but purchase a smaller property when her home sells.

The easement gives GMHA use of a 26’ wide corridor which begins on Banister Road and follows Johnson’s driveway, then splits off in two directions, ending at the abutting Gaynor and Stone properties. GMHA and Johnson will collaborate on a management plan each year, and will share responsibilities for maintaining the trail. The easement connects Banister Road, a popular area for horseback riding and conditioning, to the trails on the Gaynor and Stone property and beyond. The location of the easement will prove invaluable for both GMHA and local equestrians, easily fulfilling another goal of the easement: to link this trail with others in the vicinity.

When GMHA was founded in 1926, bridle trails stretched from Massachusetts to Vermont. The organization’s mission tasked future generations with developing and maintaining bridle trails, which has been an uphill endeavor through the years with many land sales and subdivisions, an increasing population, and other cultural roadblocks.  GMHA’s Board of Directors recently re-affirmed the organization’s commitment to trails and preservation, and decided to dedicate more resources to securing easements.

“The entire organization, including our Board, staff, and members, are truly committed to preserving, protecting, and maintaining the trails network that surrounds GMHA. The trail system, which covers hundreds of miles, and five area towns, is what makes GMHA and Windsor Country truly unique,” said Executive Director Marty Hunt.  “We are incredibly lucky to have dedicated, generous landowners like Linda who support this effort. They deserve all of our thanks!”

GMHA Trails Coordinator Deborah Donahue, who worked closely with Linda Johnson on her easement, is confident that there are more easements in GMHA’s future. “GMHA is currently working with several other landowners in our area who are interested in granting easements, several of which are pending and very near completion.  We hope that there are many more announcements like this to come.” “For the last five years, we have been working hard to secure open space and preserve equestrian access to the trails, and now we are seeing those efforts begin to pay off with signed easements.  It is a really exciting time for GMHA,” said Deborah Donahue. GMHA recorded a trail easement through its own property in February 2009. This trail, which is used by snowmobiles in the winter, runs from Morgan Hill Road through the length of the property and connects with Route 106.

The Green Mountain Horse Association, a 65-acre equestrian facility in South Woodstock, Vermont, is a non-profit 501 (3)(c) organization fully committed to serving our five equine disciplines including: Trail Riding, Hunter/Jumpers, Dressage, Eventing and Driving.

With approximately 1,500 members, GMHA is a vital community of equestrian enthusiasts. In addition to competitions and pleasure rides, GMHA offers many educational activities and is a leader in trail stewardship and land preservation. Member support helps to ensure that GMHA will continue to exist for future generations and preserves its legacy in the equestrian community.