About Us
See the answers to Frequently Asked Questions about what we do and about out membership below.
FAQs
What do you folks do?
We lobby for the historic right to use backcountry trails and forage;
We maintain and improve trails in the backcountry, as a public service;
We hold classes, clinics and workshops to help people use the backcountry safely and gently;
We ride together to have fun.
Our Activities page will show you some of our recent projects and rides.
When do you meet?
How do I join?
Fill out our Membership Application.
Can I come and watch?
Maybe. Non-members and members not current on their dues are prohibited from participating in any Mid Valley BCHC events where stock is present.
This is our insurance company’s rule and we are required to abide by it. You can come to a Dutch Oven Group meeting – the only stock there is chicken stock – or a board meeting, or any of our LNT or Packing demonstrations.
Do you make donations to worthy causes?
Occasionally we have supported outside organizations and individuals who request a donation, providing that the project being funded is related to BCHC Objectives and Purpose. Read more about our Donation Request Protocol.
Membership
To join the Backcountry Horsemen of California, first, determine what kind of membership you want (below). Then print the Membership Application.
Print it and fill it out. Remember, we are the Mid Valley Unit.
Mail it in with your check.
Need a bit of persuasion? Here are some good reasons to join us.
Types of Membership:
Individual memberships are for individuals 18 and over. You get one vote at General meetings.
Family memberships are for – families! You and your family may participate in all BCHC events. You get two votes during General Meetings. Everyone in your family has to live at the same address.
Benefactor: A Benefactor has all the privileges of a family membership, but you are contributing more to our cause.
Patron: A Patron has all the privileges of a family membership, but you are contributing even more to our cause.
Mt. Whitney: Mt. Whitney has all the privileges of a family membership, but you are contributing at the top level. In California, Mt. Whitney is as high as you can go and still touch the ground. That fact gave a name to our Mt. Whitney membership type; this group contributes the most to our efforts.
Associate: If you’d like to participate in more than one BCHC Local Unit, you may maintain one or more BCHC Associate Memberships. This Membership is available ONLY to persons already holding Individual or higher membership in good standing.
Why Join?
You love the backcountry. You love horses. You’d like to pay a little back for all that they have done for you. You’d like to introduce the joys of backcountry hoseback riding to the next generation. You’d like to work to conserve backcountry wilderness, protect stock users’ historic use of the wilderness and educate the public about “Leave No Trace” wilderness use. Are there more resaons to join the BCHC? Here are some:
We’re a great bunch of people. We laugh a lot and we’re not stuck-up. There isn’t much joy in doing good with a group of people you can’t stand. We’re down-to-earth and friendly.
Left: Michael King and Rich Kirchner at the Fall Play Day.
Right: 2008 Unit President CJ Hargreaves helping clean up at the Columbia Christmas Parade.
Expert Training. We work closely with the US Forest Service. They offer classes for volunteers. You can learn how to do things you never dreamed of doing before.
Left: Cross-cut saw training class. (Chain saws are not allowed in wilderness areas; back to Paul Bunyan.)
Right: Carl Perry and Joel Morken clearing a trail near Huckleberry Lake.
Strength in Numbers. Whether you are refurbishing a camp, clearing a trail, lobbying for (or against) a new Forest Service policy, or teaching a class on Leave No Trace to high school students, you do better in a group. We have 300 members in the Mid Valley Unit, more than 3,000 across the state. We work together.
Left: Donna Peterson, Manuel De Oliveira, Darla Coelho and Nancy Gross setting a fire ring.
Right: Riding together.
Beautiful Country. If you are going to work for the common good, what better place than the Sierra Nevada? We have work parties in some of the prettiest places in the state.
Left: Huckleberry Lake. ‘Nuff said.
Right: East side of the Sierra, near Ebbetts Pass.
We’re great cooks. People who camp with horses and mules, for work parties or for pleasure, can carry Dutch ovens. Our Dutch oven cooks can whip up a gourmet meal in the middle of the wilderness.
Left: Pecan-crusted dessert.
Right: Chicken stew.
Pass it on. We give you the chance to teach the next generation how to pack with horses and mules, how to treat the wilderness gently and how to cook with a Dutch oven.
Left: Carl Perry demonstrating how to pack an iron mule to 4-H students.
Right: Lloyd Erlandson demonstrating the same thing, with a real mule, to an MJC Class.
President’s Message
Howdy everyone,
Well, another month went by, seems like time is sure flying by pretty darn quick these days. We just had our Kennedy Meadows Campout a couple of weeks ago or so. It was a good one. I think this is one of the first times I have ever been to Kennedy that it did not rain. The weather was beautiful, the fishing was good and the camaraderie great.
I got up there on Wednesday and stayed until Sunday. Garrett gave me a hand setting up camp; more like set up my camp. After that we went and did some fly fishing, which worked out pretty well for the most part. We caught plenty of fish, but the river was just a tiny bit deeper in some areas than my boots. Thursday I had to drive down to Modesto and back to take care of some business that I could not get out of. That kind of put the kibosh on my Thursday’s activities. Friday I went out and did some more fishing for a little while, then just hung out at camp.
Saturday was a nice, relaxing day. Again, I just did a little fishing and hung out at camp and enjoyed the scenery and waited for the Dutch oven gathering later in the evening. We had another great turnout at the Dutch oven gathering with plenty of food; afterward sat around and listened to Lance Kell. After a while of listening to Lance, some of our members decided they were born to sing, and sing they did! It was a great time had by all.
The next day I went and enjoyed Cowboy Church. Doug did a great job. I then went over to start breaking down camp and a crew came over and gave me a hand breaking down the tent, pop-up, tables – you name it and they did it. I want to thank Garrett, Carl and Julie Perry, Jim and Chris Westmoreland, and Cheyenne. I know I am forgetting some of you, and I apologize for that, but without the help you all gave me I would not have been able to come up this year and enjoy the mountains and me with you all. So once again, thank you all for the help.
We had a work party at Clark Fork putting up our new sign and hitching rails. They did a great job. If you get a chance, go up and check it out. The sign looks outstanding and the hitching rails look nice and stout. Another work party went out of Gianelli and cleared some trails. Keep up the good work, people!
That’s about it for now.
David Rumsey, President
(Our President writes a message every month for the newsletter.)
Officers & Committee Chairs
Officers
Name
Responsibilities
Phone
David Rumsey
President
(209) 532-2681
Barbara Riner
Vice President
(209) 402-4473
Cathy Dollarhide
Secretary
(209) 602-1489
Vicki Morales
Treasurer
(209) 404-0561
Doug Dollarhide
Past President
(209) 605-2403
Lloyd Erlandson
Insurance Liaison
(209) 761-3942
Crystal Dalby
Volunteer Hours
(209) 968-0483
Roy Jones
Education
(209) 272-5634
Michael King
Alternate State Board
(209) 606-8323
John Marshall
Parades, State Board
(209) 968-3826
Carl Perry
Volunteer Service Projects, Pack Clinics, State Board
(209) 321-5410
Dennis Serpa
Volunteer Service Projects
(209) 531-5175
Stephanie Stott
Facebook, General Meetings
(209) 402-4417
Jim Westmoreland
Peoria Flat Project Chair
(209) 815-3125
Vicki Whisler
Dutch Oven Group
(209) 480-0566
Committee Chairs
Dave Moser
Saw Program, Stanislaus Wilderness Volunteers
(209) 404-1372
Stephanie Stott
Merchandise
(209) 404-4417
Kathy Zumbrunn and Gail Jamieson
Newsletter
(209) 765-4923 (Kathy)
(209) 918-8869 (Gail)
Dan Prine
Email Newsletter, Email blasts
(209) 485-0844
Aida Nunes
Photographer/Historian
(209) 620-1759
Jim Westmoreland
Rides
(209) 815-3125
(209) 847-5253
Crystal Dalby
Sunshine
(209) 968-0483
Eileen Forte
Webmaster
(209) 622-0654
Memorials
These are on-line tributes to members who are gone but not forgotten. They are in chronological order, the latest first.
Claudia Parrish, July 2, 1951 – November 5, 2016.
Larry Difani, February 13, 1936 – February 21, 2016
Victoria “Vickie” Kardell, January 16, 1940 – July 15, 2014.
John Thomas, 1932 – June 19, 2014.
Bobby Lee Thomas, 1940 – January 15, 2014.
Donald Eugene Butler, March 4, 1936 – November 7, 2012.
Kim Marie O’Hagan, November 22, 1957 – September 27, 2012
David M (Dave) Coelho, January 27, 1938 – July 31, 2010
Safety
Safety
What we do is a little more risky than, for instance, filling in the daily crossword with a pen instead of a pencil. We are usually in the back country, hours from medical help, horses and mules are large, powerful creatures, and, if we are working (as opposed to just riding) our tools are both sharp and powerful. Here are some safety tips.
These are forms and directions as to how to fill them out, on ther BCHC state site. The US Forest Service and BCHC require them when we have work projects. State level Safety forms.
Here’s a Google Slide presentation, Safety in the Backcountry, from Karen Lopes. (4.5 MB). (Use your right and left arrow keys to navigate.)