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‘Right to Ride’ bill could grant Michigan horses trail access

By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — Trail riding enthusiasts are hopeful that a bill to expand their rights on state land will make it through the legislature.

House Bill 4610, the “Right to Ride” bill, would establish more rights for those interested in trail horse riding on public land. A public hearing has been scheduled by the Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources regarding this bill, for April 28 at 10:30 a.m.

“We don’t have a date scheduled yet for a vote on the bill in the committee,” said Brady Schickinger, committee aide for Rep. Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch), chairman of the committee. Schickinger also said that they don’t canvas members of the committee on their positions until after the hearing.

The legislation would amend 1994 Public Act 451, the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The new law would add specific language to the statute spelling out much more clearly the rights of trail riders and those who use pack animals.

Dick Kleinhardt, president of Back Country Horsemen, is upset that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) banned trail horse riding in Pigeon River Country State Forest last year. DNR Director Rebecca Humphries signed the order implementing the ban on May 8, 2008.

“We’ve ridden up there for the past 20 years with my family and friends,” Kleinhardt, a retired farmer, said of Pigeon River Country, northeast of Grayling.

The proposed legislation states, “(T)he department shall preserve and facilitate the continued use and access of pack and saddle animals on all state owned land where there is a historical tradition of use of pack and saddle animals.

All trail ways and other areas on state owned land that were open on May 7, 2008, and available for use by pack and saddle animals shall remain open and accessible for use by pack and saddle animals.

“Additionally, all trail ways and other areas on state owned land that, prior to this date, were available for use by pack and saddle animals shall be reopened and made accessible for use by pack and saddle animals.”

The legislation, if passed, would also mandate that a network of trails for trail horse riders be established, that would include trails that have been traditionally used in this way.

Scott Whitcomb, DNR’s unit manager for Pigeon River Country, was unavailable to comment for this story, but a DNR employee at the Grayling service center said there were user conflicts among mountain bikers, hikers and trail horse riders.

“People were riding on the hiking trails, which made it difficult to hike,” the employee said.

The DNR employee also said there was a video allegedly showing someone chasing an elk on horseback.

Jason Wadaga, an aide to Rep. Tim Moore (R-Farwell) – the primary sponsor of the Right to Ride bill – is familiar with the issue.
“The idea that horses are chasing the elk off there is ridiculous,” he said. Wadaga also said someone sent a photo to Moore’s office of an elk grazing undisturbed right behind several horses.

“We have a lot of our constituents who ride the trails in Pigeon River State Forest,” he said.

“Representative Moore felt the DNR didn’t do it the right way. It didn’t prove the case for closing the trails. Our biggest argument all along is that you have 118,000 acres of land and everybody ought to be able to use it.”

4/22/2009