Don't be Shy- Volunteer Work Days at Highland Grounds

Fellow friends of the Highland Field Trial grounds, help is needed to keep the gounds in tip top shape. This is an on going process, which involves all individuals that use the grounds for trials or training needs.

We have included a list of dates, which were pulled off the Volunteer Match site. These dates will help the Highland Grounds clear invasive shrubs like buckthorn and autumn olive, also volunteers will be hauling and piling brush and stacking fire wood.

Please make a note to mention that you are with the Highland field Trial Club, when volunteering your time for the grounds, as our club gets credit for the hours which are volunteered.

Description

Sunday, January 11, 2009 Highland Recreation Area , 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The high quality woodlands at Highland need your help! Please join us as we remove invasive shrubs like buckthorn and autumn olive at this workday! Meet at the Goose Meadow parking lot just south of the park entrance on M-59.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 Highland Recreation Area
Silo Field Trial Area, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Join ongoing efforts to restore this area to an open grassland. Volunteers will be hauling and piling brush and stacking fire wood. Meet at the Silo Field Trial Area parking lot off Livingston Road, between Pettibone Lake and Beaumont Roads.

Saturday, February 14, 2009 Highland Recreation Area ,
Silo Field Trial Area, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Join ongoing efforts to restore this area to an open grassland. Volunteers will be hauling and piling brush and stacking fire wood. Meet at the Silo Field Trial Area parking lot off Livingston Road, between Pettibone Lake and Beaumont Roads.

Saturday, February 28, 2009 Highland Recreation Area , 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Haven Hill Natural Area needs your help! Help us remove invasive shrubs that are moving into the area and crowding out native species. Meet at the Goose Meadow parking lot just south of the park entrance on M-59.

Sunday, March 8, 2009 Highland Recreation Area , 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Want to help protect woodlands at Highland? Then join us as we continue removing the non-native shrubs that threaten to take over Haven Hill Natural Area. Meet at the Goose Meadow parking lot just south of the park entrance on M-59.

Saturday, March 28, 2009 Highland Recreation Area ,
Barn Course Field Trial Area, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Join ongoing efforts to restore this area to open grassland. Volunteers will be hauling and piling brush and stacking fire wood. Meet at the Barn Field Trial Area parking lot on the north side of Cooley Lake Road between Duck Lake and Beaumont Roads.

Skills
These workday activities are not suitable for children 12 or under. An adult must accompany children between the ages of 13 and 16.

Highland FTC First trial info

We will post more info as the first trial comes together.
This is an American Field sanctioned, US Complete Shooting Dog Association (http://www.uscomplete.org/) sanctioned, walking trial. We will run the Shooting Dog and Derby at the Silo course and will use the Barn course for Puppy stake. We run 2 trials per year, March 14 & 15 this year, weekend 11 and Sept 12 & 13, weekend 37. We will request the same weekends each year. We will be paying purses in the Open events, along with Rosettes. Amateurs stakes will be given Rosettes.

We would love to see entries from all the pointing breeds and the Amateur Shooting Dog stake would be a great stake for folks new to AF field trials to enter, compete and enjoy what we do in this format. If you want to review the rules, again go to the US Complete Web site and review the rules for this format.

The club is a member of the Association of Michigan Field Trial Clubs and all of our stakes will qualify for Michigan Walking Dog of the Year standings. Additionally, as a sanctioned club with US Complete, points will be earned for US Complete Dog and Hander of the year in both Open and Amateur and also the US Complete Invitational Championship.

The Highland Field Trial Club will run its first trial March 14-15, 2009 at the Highland Field Trial grounds in Highland, MI. This will be a U.S. Complete walking trial. Stakes to be run: Open Shooting Dog, Open Derby, Open Puppy, Amateur Shooting Dog. An Amateur Derby will be run time permitting.

Membership levels were discussed at the recent meeting of officers and directors.
Levels being- Founder: $200.00, Life: $100.00, and Yearly: $30.00 -Founding members will receive a Life Membership, name on Club stationary as Founding Member, Club embroidered cap, and free lunch at all trials held by Club. Founding membership deadline is March 15, 2009. -Lifetime membership will receive a Club embroidered cap. -Yearly membership is just that. All are welcome to join and support this new Club.

*** Membership dues can be mailed to:
Club Secretary- Dave Fletcher, 9517 S. Morrice Rd., Morrice, MI 48857

Ron Sposita, President
Mark Beniak, Vice-President
Dave Fletcher, Secretary/Treasurer
Bob Wheelock, Director
Greg Tereck, Director
Paul Tutro, Director

Highland Field Trial Club Spring date: March 14-15

Dates are set for the first Spring Trial for the Highland Field Trial Club.
The date for the spring trial will be March 14-15 of 2009. Please stay tuned for further details.
We will keep you updated at this blog and will post at the Coverdog web site. The trial will be in the US Complete format which will be listed in the American field one month prior to the running.

Wayne County Coonhunters USCSDA Fall Trial

USCSDA-Wayne County Coonhunters trial, Wooster Ohio

It was a VERY VERY COLD morning November 23rd, the country side of Wooster Ohio.
The trial was held using the US Complete format.
The judges were bundled and ready to go at 7:30am with a temp of 8 degrees F.
The trial was running like a clock, everyone was ready at the line, so there wasn’t a delay.
The results are listed below.

Sunday 11-23-08


Open Shooting Dog 17 entries

1. Zee, Mark Beniak


2. Dolly, Chris Catanzerite


3. Libby, Ed Bartlett

Open Derby 13 entries

1. Mac, Joe Berardi


2. Jane, Sandy Mclain


3. Max, Dave Hawk

Amateur Shooting Dog 8 entries

1. Stone Cold, Joe K


2. Vince, Mark Beniak


3. Gwennie, Bob Wheelock
   

South of the Border Training - No No, I mean North

Normally when you see these Trucks you are quite a bit farther South. On a recent training exercise in the Beautiful UP of Michigan, one can experience protection and inspection from our Homeland Security, this just adds to the Fauna Flora for this time of the year.

Highland Field Trial Grounds Work Day

Ron Sposita (center), President of the new Highland Field Trial Club, listens intently to MDNR Land Steward Manager, Ray Fahlsing, discuss the Highland field trial grounds plan for native grass habitat and improvements for the August 2nd workday.

There were 10 workers that showed up to pile brush that MDNR crews left when clearing open spaces on the Silo course.

Ron Sposita, Greg Tereck, and Paul Tutro came to represent the Association of Michigan Field Trial Clubs.

Ray Fahlsing, MDNR Land Steward Manager for the Highland Field Trial Grounds, tells all in attendance at the August 2nd workday, details of the native grass habitat program for the Silo course. Notice the native grasses in the background.

Updates since this original posting at that board.

Ron presented the info for this new club at the Association of Michigan Field Trial Clubs annual summer meeting on July 20. The club was heartily accepted into the fold. US Complete has also accepted us. The Michigan Association will now add a yearly Walking Shooting Dog, Walking Derby & Walking Puppy of the Year award. The Kalamazoo Field Trial Club, The Southwest Michigan Field Trial Club and the Grand Valley Field Trial Club all run walking events at Ionia, Highland & Allegan. (If I left off a club that runs walking events I apologize.) With this new club we now have enough walking events (less Coverdog which has a yearly awards) to have Dog of the Year awards. As stated we are still working out the details for the club, By Laws, dates, etc. As of this writing we are targeting a mid March spring trial and a mid September Fall trial (prior to the bird opener.) We will not overlap the Gladwin Cover trials and we will attempt to not overlap with other similar trial formats. We are shooting to have our first trial next March, 2009. We plan to hold Open events for certain and Amateur events if time and entries allow. More to follow as this Club evolves. All are welcome to come on board and work to get this club up and running. We need seed money to get started and as stated in the above we are putting together membership levels to do this. All input and help will be accepted with open arms and open minds.Thanks

Starting Out

At a nightspot well known to field trialers ….the Red Dog Saloon in Milford, Michigan a new walking field trial club was formed July 10, by a panel of six well seasoned field trial devotees. The name chosen for the new venture was the Highland Field Trial Club, and the aim is to hold top notch walking field trials at the Highland Recreation Area near Milford, Michigan. Named president was Ron Sposita, vice president Mark Beniak, Secretary/Treasurer Dave Fletcher and Directors Greg Tereck, Paul Tutro and Bob Wheelock. Much discussion took place including dates for spring and fall events that would not conflict with other field trial clubs, affiliation with the Association of Michigan Field Trial Clubs, insurance for events, liason with the American Field and Field Dog Stud Book and AFTCA, options such as affiliation with US Complete Shooting Dog Association, establishing the club as a 501-C-3 non profit entity with the IRS, getting a tax ID number and opening a bank account, coming up with enough seed money to fund the early expenses of our first trial before income becomes available. At future meetings we will discuss other forms of membership besides our original six voting members. Memberships such as lifetime, Founding Membership, etc will be discussed to help the new club financially and get us rolling, and this information will be put on the web.