Advocacy-public lands-resources

Baling Twine—what barn doesn’t have some!

Advocacy-public lands-resources /

By Linda P Recently, looking at a handful of baling twine, it made me recall a post I did quite a while ago, What do you do with all that baling twine?  I thought I would revisit this and share some recycling resources. Baling twine just seems to accumulate, with most of it winding up in the landfill. You can’t burn it, the polypropylene twine emits toxic fumes. Worse, is how it can impact wildlife. When wildlife and livestock ingest baling twine they can become seriously ill or die. Twine also poses a deadly strangling hazard to birds. According to Waste-Not Recycling, researchers have reported that baling twine is responsible for entangling and killing around 10 percent of osprey chicks annually in some states (photo right: © Idaho Department of Fish and Game). I reached out to Kennedy Roddy, Education and Outreach Specialist, Boulder County Resource Conservation Division. I was told that this material is NOT recyclable in curbside collections, and was directed to Waste-Not Recycling in Johnstown. I found they offered a great recycling program, list of collection sites by county, and  information about setting up a program at your barn.  They also offer “Bedder“, an animal bedding, that is dust and spore free. It is excellent for at home, stall or shows; and is 100% recyclable, rapidly composts and an excellent worm breeding environment. Please visit them online to find out more. In addition JAX offers baling twine recycling drop-off at their locations in Fort Collins, Loveland, Lafayette, and Broomfield. What Can you Do? Think about starting a collection area at your barn. We […]

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Do Horses Spread Weeds Along Trails?

Advocacy-public lands-resources /

A follower, Randy W, recently sent me this article for Horse Science News. This issue has been under discussion many times in the Boulder area and here is a recent study that disproves the old question: Do horses spread weeds? Do Horses Spread Weeds Along Trails? By Liz Osborn, HorseScienceNews.com Horses have been blamed for scattering unwanted weeds across the landscape as they travel down public trails. This accusation has now been scientifically investigated. The results reassure trail riders that horses in the United States are not guilty as charged. Research probed from several different angles the possibility of horses causing non-native plants to take root alongside trails. The raw material examined was horse hay, manure and hoof debris. Samples were collected at endurance riding events in five states: North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The study investigated whether weeds would germinate from the material when carefully cultivated in pots under ideal conditions. Researchers also looked at what grew from the horse debris left alongside trails. They found that only a tiny portion of the potted hay samples actually sprouted any non-native plants. Meanwhile, no exotic species emerged among the cultivated manure or hoof debris. Alongside the horse endurance trails, nearly 300 plots of hay, manure and hoof debris that got left behind were monitored to see what plants they produced. Only three of these plots sprouted anything, and all were native plants. By the end of the second growing season, no plants had survived in the trailside leavings. A third angle of this study compared plant

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Forest Service Directed to Maintain Trails with Volunteers

Advocacy-public lands-resources /

FEBRUARY 11, 2015 AHC WASHINGTON UPDATE Copyright 2015 American Horse Council National Forest Trail Bill Introduced On February 10, 2015, Congresswomen Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Tim Walz (D-MN) re-introduced the National Forest Service Trail Stewardship Act of 2015 (H.R.845).  The bill would direct the Forest Service to take several actions to help address the current trail maintenance backlog that is adversely impacting all trail users on many national forests, including equestrians.  The bill was first introduced during the last Congress.  The American Horse Council, Backcountry Horsemen of America, and the Wilderness Society were significantly involved in the creation of this bill. A June 2013, study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Forest Service has deferred trail maintenance needs that exceed half-billion dollars, and only one-quarter of the agency’s 158,000 miles of trails meets agency standards for maintenance. This maintenance backlog is causing access and safety issues for equestrians and all trail users on national forests. The National Forest Service Trail Stewardship Act would direct the Forest Service to develop a strategy to more effectively utilize volunteers and partners to assist in maintaining national forest trails.  It will also provide outfitters and guides the ability to perform trail maintenance activities in lieu of permit fees.  Additionally, the bill would address a liability issue that has discouraged some national forests from utilizing volunteers and partner organizations to help perform trail maintenance and would direct the Forest Service to identify and prioritize specific areas with the greatest need for trail maintenance in the national forest system.

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