Guest Blog: Rose Schroeder, Backcountry Horsemen of BC
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Written by Rose Schroeder on behalf of the Yarrow Chapter of BCHBC.
Careful what you wish for! For the annual opening work bee at the Headwaters Corral Equestrian Campground in E.C. Manning Park, Yarrow Chapter wished for good weather and a good turnout of volunteers….we got both!! Matter of fact we got so much good help it was hard to keep everyone busy! A total of 15 Yarrow members, 11 Aldergrove members, 1 guest from Princeton, 2 from North Carolina, Park Ranger: Andrew Simpson and one Resort employee pitched in. Incredible hey!
West Okanagan Area Supervisor Ed Atkinson steered us through the Volunteer Agreement and we were off to work! Order of the day was to build at least two if not four log corrals to house 1 horse each. The week before 3 Parks Rangers had cut the logs to the correct length. These logs were the result of Pine Beetle affected wood felled on a recent hazard tree clearing along the trails. Jonathan (the teamster) and Bob (the horse) now had to drag the logs into camp. Manning Park Resort supplied a bobcat and operator to help with placing the heavy logs.
Yarrow member Gene Peters supervised the crew and managed to build the corrals exactly according to plans. They are a beautiful sight to behold! High lining is still the main method of containing stock but the corrals give an option for those horses not yet accustomed to it.
As a reminder this is a Provincial Park Campground so a camping fee is in effect per rig, per night. Check the BC Parks website, the Manning Park Resort website or contact the Visitor Center at EC Manning Park for details, including which are designated horse trails.
While the corral building was going on, others were hanging signs, installing sign posts at each site, building a roof over the manure bin, repairing perimeter fencing and end gates, raking camping pads, pulling weeds, fixing bridges, preparing food and doing general cleanup after winter. Headwaters Corral in EC Manning Provincial Park – Back Country Horsemen of BC Work bee June 29 – July 2 2012
Yarrow provided lunch and the meat for the evening pot luck. As you can see it was a delicious feast! On Sunday we finished the last two corrals then took a break to learn some outdoor survival skills from Jason Baskin who is a Search and Rescue volunteer.
Some volunteers had brought their equine partners and went out for a ride. Monday saw people head for home while a few of us made the finishing touches. Once again Yarrow proves that “Many Hands Make Light Work”. Till the next work bee….many thanks to all you Volunteers! Happy Trails for the summer.
