Backcountry Horsemen of California
BCHC is an all-volunteer organization. People volunteer because they believe in the organization’s mission and they want to help and make a difference. The BCHC Special Awards Program recognizes members for their efforts, time and contributions to the organization. Awards encourage future effort, increase members’ sense of belonging and feeling of accomplishment. Special recognition is also given to members who donate money over and above their annual dues. BCHC appreciates their monetary contributions.
This award is presented as determined by accomplishments to the member who, in the
eyes of the judges (BCHC Past Presidents), blazed new trails in some facet of the
operations of the organization. Any member may nominate, by letter, anyone he or she
feels has demonstrated qualities of a “trail blazer”.
The award was created in honor of Dr. Ben York, Jr., DVM, who rode the entire length
of the Pacific Crest Trail in the spring, summer and fall of 1992. His ride took place
during the last year of his BCHC Presidency. Dr. York rode the PCT to promote trail
riding and the goals and purposes of Backcountry Horsemen.
Nominations for this award are due to the VP of Public Lands no later than February 1.
The award is presented at Rendezvous.
The winner of the 2024 Ben York Trailblazer Award was Susie Patton, Eastern Sierra Unit.
Anne Lange was a founding member of BCHC. Her focus was always on trails and
maintaining them for pack stock use. She was a powerful voice with BCHC, BCHA and
in Washington, D.C. - always advocating for trails and to keep them open.
This award is presented annually to a unit member who goes above and beyond in the
Public Lands arena, and has consistently worked in Public Lands, improving trails,
meeting with agencies, and advocating for trail improvement. The nominee should have
a true passion for preserving Public Lands.
The awards selection process is as follows:
A letter and the nominating form will go to all Unit Presidents and Public Lands Chairs
two months prior to Rendezvous. The form will be due February 1 to BCHC VP of Public
Lands and Award will be given at Rendezvous. A committee headed by the VP of
Public Lands and two other members will review the nominations and chose the
recipient. The specially selected, personalized award will be presented at that year’s
Rendezvous.
The winner of the 2024 Ann Lange Award was Bill ("Doc") Carter, Eastern Sierra Unit.
This award is presented to the unit that completed the most outstanding service record
for the year. Each unit prepares a complete report of the year’s activities, using the
Volunteer Service Hours Report form. Highest Dollar Value Per Capita and Highest
Dollar Value are the two awards given.
Unit Volunteer Service Hours Reports are due to BCHC Volunteer Service Hours Coordinator by
January 15.
Awards are presented at Rendezvous.
2024 Highest Dollar Value Per Capita Award - LOS PADRES UNIT
2024 Highest Dollar Value Award - SHASTA TRINITY UNIT
The unit and its newsletter editor are selected for the quality of their newsletter based
on the following criteria: Content 70%, Appearance 20%, Consistency 10%. Content
includes Substance, Interest, Variety, Completeness (Unit’s name, Issue month/year,
list of Officers, a calendar, etc.), Timeliness, and Accuracy. Appearance includes
Overall, Format, and Type. Consistency includes Frequency (monthly quarterly other).
All units are invited to send copies (paper or digital) of their year’s newsletters to the
BCHC Newsletter by the established deadline. A panel of judges reviews each paper
and scores the newsletters.
Entries for 2025 newsletters are due to the BCHC Editor by February 1, 2026.
First, second and third place awards are presented at Rendezvous.
The winners of the 2024 Max and Irene Cochran Journalism Award were:
1st Place – KATHY ZUMBRUNN, VICKI MORALES AND GAIL JAMIESON, MID VALLEY UNIT
2nd Place – Michele Machado, Top of the State Unit
3rd Place - Jim Laber, San Joaquin Sierra Unit
Honorable Mention – Albert Estrada, Shasta Trinity Unit
The education efforts of individuals and units throughout the state are deserving of
special recognition. Education is a cornerstone and integral part of the organization’s
purpose.
Individuals and units who go the extra mile in their education efforts should be
rewarded. The Backcountry Horsemen of California are proud to sponsor annual
awards given to the outstanding individual and the outstanding unit for their education
programs. The awards program is as follows:
• A letter and the nominating form will be sent to all Unit Presidents and Education
Chairs two months prior to Rendezvous along with the nominating form.
• An awards committee will make the selection. This committee will be made up of three
individuals from the BCHC Education Committee, selected at random.
• The nominations will be submitted to the Education Steering Committee by February 1st.
The awards will be presented at the Rendezvous.
The Selection Criteria for the Awards:
The 2024 Individual Education Award Winner was Stacy Kuhns, Redshank Riders Unit.
The awards selection committee will evaluate the nominating forms, as well as review the
Education Summary Reports, which are submitted in March and October.
Nominations forms must be submitted to the VP of Education no later than February 1st.
The 2024 Unit Education Award Winner was EASTERN SIERRA UNIT.
The Wilderness Rider program is a partnership between Backcountry Horsemen of California,
the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
Wilderness Riders are trained stock users who have made a commitment to educating others
about the value of wild lands and the importance of Gentle Use / Leave No Trace Skills.
The 2024 Wilderness Rider of the Year was George Archer, Shasta Trinity Unit.
When a BCHC youth completes an activity/project, a Project Completion Form is submitted to
the unit’s Youth Program Leader. Each month these forms are compiled and sent to the BCHC
VP of Youth Education to receive achievement medallions for that unit’s participants.
At the end of each year, the unit’s Youth Program Leader submits one name and
a detailed explanation for the submission, for each of the four age groups.
Names are placed in the running for the State Top Achiever Award, presented at
Rendezvous.
Every year each unit President selects an individual that, in the President’s estimation,
provided the greatest service to the President and to his/her unit. The award itself is a
stainless-steel cup engraved with the year and name of the recipient. The selection is
not necessarily made from unit officers or Board of Directors.
Members who donate money over and above their annual dues are given special recognition in
appreciation of their monetary contributions to BCHC. Names of special members are
published in the quarterly Backcountry News as well as being listed on the BCHC website, and
the BCHC President sends each individual a thank you letter.
BENEFACTOR ($100) PATRON ($250) MT. WHITNEY ($500)
Youth Achievement Program
The achievement medallion is a two-inch leather medallion with leather cordage. Each
activity/project category has graphics representing the project and includes the recipient’s name,
unit and year. Achievement medallions are awarded to the youth at unit and/or general meetings.
Top Achiever
Age Group Winners:
(The age is determined for the calendar year of the youth’s birthday regardless of their birth
month.)
6-9 years
10-12 years
13-15 years
16-18 years
This program is brand new. No awards have been presented to date.
Unit Top Hand Awards
Each unit President submits the selected individual’s name to the BCHC Treasurer by
February 1.
This award was first presented at the 1988 Convention and continues to be a popular
award presented at every Rendezvous.
2024 Top Hand winners were:
Antelope Valley
Marcy Watton
Eastern Sierra
Sage Lancaster
High Country
Olivia Smutz
High Sierra
Cathy Caskey
Kern River Valley
Steve Horst
Kern Sierra
Steve Cozzetto
Los Padres
John Gleason
Manzanita Riders
Lynda Sterns
Mid Valley
Cathy Dollarhide
Mother Lode
Remco Van der Linden
North Bay
Lindsay Marget
Redshank Riders
Stacy Kuhns
Redwood
Mary Moore
San Joaquin Sierra
Marcee Hansen
Santa Ana River
Carol Kellys
Sequoia
Jan Walker
Shasta Trinity
Axel Drake
Sierra Freepackers
Lee Smith
Sutter Buttes
Diane Day
Top of the State
Debbie Bacigalupi
Special Membership Recognition
The following special members are recognized for their extra donations to BCHC (4/22 through 7/16/2025):
Antelope Valley
Marge Biehl
Rayen Richmond
Eastern Sierra
Greg Allen
Craig London
Troy Patton
High Country
Lorene Guffey
High Sierra
Ruth Gerson
Nancy Hamill
Trish Pendegraft
Kern Sierra
Mylon Filkins, DVM
Craig Gunderson
Lynn Joiner
Roger Whitaker
Los Padres
Kaye Bruns
Robin Cederlof
William Chaides
Eve Devine
Laurie Henry
Manzanita Riders
Patricia Achilly
Mid Valley
Tony Alamo
Jay Barnes
Gary A. Cain
Carol Jo Hargreaves
Rian Hudson
Debra Lewis
John V. Marshall
Jennifer Marshall
John Schaapman
Mother Lode
Tom Cooper
Hetty Dutra
Donna Jones Furlow
Annabelle Toothaker
Stephanie Williams
North Bay
Lynn Cominsky
Tom Holliday
Redshank Riders
Kathy A. Burleson
Redwood
Gary Alves
Carole and Darrel Polasek
San Joaquin Sierra
John Cunningham
Larry Nishma, Knapp-Yosemite Trls Pk Sta
James Laber
Stephen Naylon
Santa Ana River
Doris Bartholomew
Pat Wolff
Shasta Trinity
Lori Henderson
Levi Solada
Sierra Freepackers
Ann Bates
Eastern Sierra
Bill Carter
Andrea Walker
High Country
Lynn Saunders
High Sierra
Richard Cochran
Jacob Hamstra
Karl Pendegraft
Sonia Shepard
Kern Sierra
Willi Coeler
Manzanita Riders
Lynda & Michael Sterns
Mid Valley
Karen Barindelli
Lloyd Erlandson
Dennis M. Serpa
John Young
Sequoia
Kathryn C. Bennett
Jan Walker
Jamie Wilson DVM
Shasta Trinity
Doug Maxwell
Bruce McGowan
Sutter Buttes
Kay Walters
Eastern Sierra
Sarah C. Sheehan
Los Padres
Otis Calef
Mid Valley
Terri Arington
Mother Lode
Catherine McArthur
Redshank Riders
Allison Renck
Shasta Trinity
Dean Angelides