Time to Pass the Baton

Greetings Black Forest trails users and another glorious Summer to you. I trust you are all getting out on the many beautiful trails we have in the Forest. Well it's time for me to pass the baton to the next leader of BFTA. 

After two years as an At Large Board Member, and four as President, it's time for me to move on using another sports analogy. I always enjoy the relay race at track meets. It involves four team members that outperform a solitary runner. But the key is smooth handoffs of the baton. If it drops, you lose. So, I'm working toward a smooth handoff to keep BFTA's trail advocacy mission winning the race. 

Long time BFTA president, Larry Fariss, recruited me as his replacement and he is a hard act to follow. That said, I think the BFTA board did well the last four years with a little help from me. 

The most important accomplishment was keeping BFTA functioning during COVID. Many organizations failed, but we adapted using technology to keep us going with no drop in membership. Through many generous donations we were able to install a bench at the Pineries overlook (see picture) and provide trail base for Fox Run Regional Park. We also built a connecting trail from Retail Ranch to the Pineries and resolved several neighborhood trail issues. 

I leveraged my relationship with El Paso County Parks staff built through my time on the Parks Advisory Board and Fairgrounds Corporation. Parks and Rec Director, Todd Marts drew the largest crowd I've witnessed at the March Board meeting when he talked about the future of Section 16. 

And I'm hoping we set another attendance record at the July 11 members meeting held at the Black Forest Brewery where Theresa Odello will update us on the Fox Run Nature Center. First beer is on BFTA, another of my ideas. 

We also coordinated our annual trail clean-ups with the larger Great American Clean-up for the Fountain Creek drainage basin. We completed BFRP and the Palmer Divide Trail but still have to do Section 16, now scheduled for June 16. 

To improve the handoff, I created an organizational email ([email protected]) and built a digital repository for BFTA documents. Being an Air Force Powerpoint ranger, I leveraged the BFCC projection system to use slides at our board meetings 

I've been fortunate to work with a great board. I already mentioned Larry Fariss, who I refer to as the Eskimo ice salesman for his ability to recruit new members. Andy Meng has moved on from his treasurer/membership role but continues to support us. I consider Cheryl Pixley as our unofficial lawyer for her understanding of BFTA history and negotiating with the county. She is currently working to transfer a quarter mile stretch along Vollmer Rd, given to us by a developer, to the county to create a N-S connector to Section 16. Nancy Reinhardt continues to support BFTA as an At Large Member and provides an equestrian perspective. 

The PotatoDoc, John Wallace, has stepped up to take on Andy's duties plus is a current member of the Parks Advisory Board. It's great to have Judy V's historical perspective back on the team as our secretary. New At Large member, Gary Sherwood is our eBike expert, an issue that will continue to grow. Lastly Jack Yonce joined last year as an At Large member. He has lived in the heart of the forest for many years and has a ton of talent to tap.

Please stop by our booth at the Black Forest Festival on Saturday, August 12, to discuss any trail related issues and to get involved in BFTA.  BFTA Elections will be by mail-in vote this year to be held on October 5th. Happy trails to you until we meet again. Peace out! 

Rich Mock President of BFTA since 2020