Connecticut Horse Council Volunteer Horse Patrol What Is It ? What We Do ? And Why ? Property of Connecticut Horse Council 2010 Presentation Created By Judy Beliveau

What Is It ? The Connecticut Horse Council (CHC) partnered with Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2003 to create the Volunteer Horse Patrol (VHP) to ride and serve in State Parks & Forests. CHC has since added municipal parks, private lands and land trusts.

What We Do ? Our primary responsibility is to serve as auxiliary “eyes and ears” ---- on the lookout for what is happening on the trails. We assist DEP and other Land Management Administrations with non-enforcement tasks such as; promoting trail etiquette.

Connecticut’s VHP Program Facts: CHC-VHP Program was patterned after the Maryland’s Department of Natural Resource Mounted Patrol Program, and the National Park Service’s ‘Volunteers in Parks’ (VIP) Program. The Patrol operates under the auspices of the Connecticut Horse Council in cooperation with DEP and other Land Management Administrations.

Provide a Community Service And Why? Ride horses, meet people and … Provide a Community Service Protect and expand the network of open lands available for trail riding Educate the public to the equestrian community and to ‘Share the Trails’ Help maintain the integrity of trail systems throughout the State of Connecticut.

On The Trails...

On The Water...

And In The Winter…..

Volunteer Horse Patrol Facts: VHP Members can easily be identified by the color RED have completed CPR and First Aid ride their own horses and have passed the required ‘Horse & Rider Assessment’ serve as ‘Goodwill Ambassadors’ for the equestrian community at municipal programs and special events keep logs each time they ride, which are compiled on a quarterly basis and shared with the DEP, and any other Land Management Administrations requesting this information host ‘Work Parties’ to repair and maintain trails

CHC-VHP Uniforms Red Shirts Black Pants Orange Vest VHP Patch Helmet

CPR & First Aid Class

Horse & Rider Assessment

PARK VISITOR SIGHTINGS CHC VHP Quarterly Log - 2010   Check Quarter: 1st [ X ] Jan, Feb, Mar 2nd [ ] Apr, May, Jun 3rd [ ] Jul, Aug, Sep 4th [ ] Oct, Nov, Dec Name: Meg Sautter Park/Forest: Larkin State Bridle Trail Area: Putnam / Nathan Hale Time Patrol Maint. PARK VISITOR SIGHTINGS ASSISTANCE GIVEN Date of Day Hours Walkers Cyclers Equus *People Dogs OFF Dogs ON Hunters Motor cycle ATV Gen Info Direct-ions First Aid CPR* 1/6 11:00 4 0.5 3  3 2 1  1 1/12 12:00 3.5 1/13 10:30 18 7 2/9 2/25 1:30 8  2 TOTAL 19.5 2.5 30 26 6 Comments 4HP rode w/ HP Ciano/Beliveau/Greenberg rode Riggs to Wooster & back. I took stats. *People= 3 people cross country skiing. 3HP w/ Greenberg and Chris Mard - Riggs to Wooster & back - cleared a fallen tree and did head clearing. I took stats. 5HP w/Ciano/Greenberg/Beliveau/KowboyKen & 2 other riders - Rte. 63 to Riggs & back. Removed some brush from trail. I took stats. 4HP w/Ciano/Greenberg/Wilder from Riggs to South St & back. I took stats. *People= 3 people ice fishing at Towantic pond with dog (loose) 2HP w/Wood from Christian St to Kettletown & back. Did some trimming along the way. I took stats. *People= 2 birdwatchers Signature: Meg Sautter Date: 03/31/10 Coordinator: Meg Sautter

Trail Safety Reports

More Trail Maintenance

Trail Repairs Lower CT River Valley Horsemen’s Club and Bridal Path Conservancy Members

Camp Clean Up..

CHC Volunteer Horse Patrol Members and Their Mounts CHC - VHP Supervisors: Diane Ciano & Aladdin Meg Sautter & Dancer

Judy Beliveau & Luke Kowboy Ken & Red Vevette Greenberg & Dusty

Denise Ciano & Aladdin Jim & Yankee Debbie & Joya Judy, Meg, Vevette, Diane & Denise; Luke & Aladdin in the background

CHC-VHP Patrol Hours Since 2003 Totaling 16,029 Hours Saving Connecticut Taxpayers $312,655.00 !!! 594 Hours Total 92 Hours Trail Maintenance 2004 975 Hours Total 80 Hours Trail Maintenance 2005 1,565 Hours Total 306 Hours Trail Maintenance 726 Patrols 2006 2,537 Hours Total 317 Hours Trail Maintenance 1,001 Patrols 2007 3,053 Hours Total 631 Hours Trail Maintenance 1,299 Patrols

CHC-VHP Patrol Hours Since 2003 Totaling 16,029 Hours Saving Connecticut Taxpayers $312,655.00 !!! 2008 3,459 Hours Total 824 Hours Trail Maintenance 1,404 Patrols 2009 3,905 Hours Total 692 Hours Trail Maintenance 1,654 Patrols 2010 2011 2012

64 Patrol Areas State Wide 21 State Forests Cockaponset S.F.: Deep River Guilford Haddam Madison Chester Clinton Middletown Westbrook Goodwin S.F. Hampton Great Hill S.F. Seymour Massacoe S. F. Simsbury Mattatuck S.F. Waterbury Thomaston Plymouth Litchfield Mohawk S.F. Cornwall Warren Goshen Nassahegon S. F. Burlington Natchaug S.F. Eastford Nathan Hale S.F. Andover Coventry Naugatuck S.F. Naugatuck Oxford Beacon Falls Nehantic S.F. Lyme East Lyme Salem Nepaug S.F. New Hartford Nipmuck S.F. Union Pachaug S.F. Voluntown

64 Patrol Areas State Wide 21 State Forests Paugussett S.F. Newtown Southbury Peoples S.F. Barkhamsted Quaddick S.F. Thompson Quillian Reservoir Ansonia Salmon River S.F. Colchester Marlborough Shenipsit S.F. Somers Tunxis S.F. Granby Hartland

26 State Parks Currently Patrolled Airline Greenway East Hampton Through To Colchester Bigelow Hollow S.P. Union Bissell Trail Windsor Black Rock S.P. Thomaston Bluff Point S.P. Groton Chatfield Hollow S.P. Killingworth Day Pond S. P. Gay City S. P. Bolton Hebron Glastonbury George Waldo S.P. Southbury Great Pond S.P. Simsbury Hammonassett S.P. Madison Hop River Greenway Andover Coventry Columbia Huntington S.P. Bethel Redding Newtown Hurd S. P.

26 State Parks Currently Patrolled Kettletown S.P. Southbury Larkin Bridle Trail Naugatuck Middlebury Oxford Machimoodus S.P. East Haddam Mansfield Hollow S.P. Mansfield Mianus River S.P. Greenwich Stamford Mooween S.P. Lebanon Old Furnace S.P. Danielson Sleeping Giant S.P. Hamden Southford Falls S.P. Stratton Brook S.P. Simsbury Talcott Mountain S.P. Bloomfield Wadsworth S.P. Middlefield

Also Wildlife Areas, Land Trusts, Town Parks, and Open Space Simsbury WMA Simsbury Babcock WMA Colchester Nod Brook WMA Roraback WMA Harwinton Aldo Leopold WMA Southbury Quinebaug WMA Plainfield Sugar Brook Field Trials 3 - Land Trust: Clinton Land Conservation Trust Clinton Rockland Preserve Madison Wyndham Land Trust Windham 5 - Town Parks: Eisenhower Park Milford Matthis Park Beacon Falls Racebrook Tract Park Orange Salmon Brook Recreational Park Granby Tarrywile Park Danbury

Also Wildlife Areas, Land Trusts, Town Parks, and Open Space DiDominicus Property Cheshire Burr Farm Open Space Brookfield Fairfield Hills Open Space Newtown

Diane Ciano @ (203) 757-1904, or visit Contact Information: If you are interested in becoming a part of the CHC Volunteer Horse Patrol, or if you would like more information, please contact: Diane Ciano @ (203) 757-1904, or visit www.cthorsecouncil.org This has been a CHC-VHP 2010 Presentation: The Connecticut Horse Council, Inc. P.O. Box 57 Durham, CT. 06422-0057