San Juan Back Country Horsemen receives national and state grants

Photo courtesy San Juan Back Country Horsemen
Volunteers with San Juan Back Country Horsemen, from left, Bo Reneau, John Nelson and Bob Volger clear downed trees from Williams Creek Trail. A matching grant to SJBCH from the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance will provide funding this year to fix a section of the trail with a mud bog.

By Lisa Nelson

Special to The SUN

A national-level grant and a statewide grant awarded to the San Juan Back Country Horsemen of Pagosa Springs (SJBCH) will enable the chapter to commit $3,500 — plus volunteer hours — to U.S. Forest Service trail-related projects on two national forests in 2016.

The National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance (NWSA) awarded SJBCH a $1,500 “boots-on-the-ground” matching grant. The grant, in tandem with a $1,500 contribution from SJBCH, will help fund a priority project of the Pagosa Ranger District to fix a roughly 200-foot mud bog along Williams Creek Trail — a gateway trail to the Continental Divide.