​​Philosophy and Purpose

What Do We Do

We share our Philosophy and Purpose with the Backcountry Horsemen of California:

• To perpetuate the common sense use and enjoyment of horses in America's backcountry and wilderness.

• To work to insure that public lands remain open to recreational stock use.

• To assist the various government and private agencies in their maintenance and management of backcountry and wilderness resources.

• To educate, encourage, and solicit active participation in the wise use of the backcountry resource by horsemen and the general public commensurate with our heritage.

The Top of the State Unit has many activities throughout the year. Dates for these events are posted to the website as soon as the information is available. Click on the Calendar button for more information on an activity. Specifics about each activity are sent out through our E-Notices as well as being posted on this site. It is always a good idea to contact the committee or organizer about a particular activity.

Monthly Board meetings are on the 1st Thursday of the month, except August, starting at 7pm. Meetings alternate between the Fort Jones Community Center on odd-numbered months and Yreka CalFire on even-numbered months. Our General Membership meetings are held in March and November in place of the Board Meetings. Everyone is welcome.  Agendas, minutes, and newsletters are posted to the Unit Business page of this site.

Work parties - Members put in many volunteer hours maintaining trails and assisting with other projects. Check Calendar page for the contact for each event.

Fish planting - Members volunteer their time, money, use of animals and packing skill to help biologists plant fish in remote mountain lakes. Contact the Fish Plant Committee about participating.

Trailrides - We also hold several rides just to get out and enjoy the many miles of trails.

Highway cleanup - The Unit has adopted a stretch of State Highway 3 south of Etna. Twice a year we meet to clean up the trash.

Education programs - We participate in county wide 4th Grade Ag Day held at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds, Sportsmen's Expo, and Fair Booth at the Siskiyou Golden Fair.

Dinners and fundraisers - We gather every December for the Christmas Party and March for St. Patty's Day Dinner. We hold raffles to earn funding for the projects we sponsor.