27 Jun Tread Lightly! Impact Report: Educational Signage in the Mark Twain National Forest
Project: Educational Signage in the Mark Twain National Forest
Project #43/50
State: Missouri
In collaboration with the Back Country Horsemen of Missouri (BCHMO), Tread Lightly! designed and produced new signage for the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. Together eight volunteers installed signage to help educate motorized and equestrian recreationists on best practices for interfacing on shared use trails.
BCHMO had a photoshoot with motorized users and an equestrian rider on horseback to illustrate the proper etiquette of ATV/dirt bike riders when encountering a rider. 25 signs, posts and hardware were provided to BCHMO to install across Mark Twain National Forest and the surrounding properties to help shared use areas remain sustainable through positive communication between different recreationists with safety in mind.
Thank you to the following partners for their support:
“In Missouri and nationally, there has been a sharp increase in the number of motorized recreational vehicles that share trails, trail heads and parking lots with the equestrian, hiking and bicycling communities. We felt a need for a universal message that could be easily recognized and read.” -Rebecca Krueger, Board Chair of Back Country Horsemen of MO, National Director of the Back Country Horsemen of America
“Education and knowing what to do when meeting other users while on the trail is vitally important for everyone’s safety. This sign is a great step to getting the word out. By simple reference of this message, communicated with the motorized users, hikers and bicyclists, we will arrive home safely, which is a goal everyone can agree on.”- Maury Mertz, Past Chairman, Public Lands Committee, BCHMO
“Collaborating with the Back Country Horsemen of Missouri on this project has drawn on all of our shared experience in public lands and dispersed recreation to create messaging that was concise and easy to understand. This sign design will be customized and produced for use by other Back Country Horsemen of America chapters nationwide in the future, for other shared use areas on public lands- helping create safe interactions and communication between OHV users and riders on horseback in the future.” Scott Ammerman, Tread Lightly! Northeast Program Manager
Want to get involved in your own Tread Lightly! project? Find upcoming activities, events and grant opportunities at treadlightly.org.
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