Tuttle Creek Chapter of BCHKS

03/15/2026

Our final introductory post (after a bit of an unintentional hiatus from posting) is our Chapter President: Alyssa Deters

Alyssa grew up near Topeka, KS, and has been riding since before she could walk. She was introduced to horses through her grandma, a long-time member of the Kansas Horse Council, the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office Mounted Posse, and the BrushBusters trail riding group. Alyssa grew up on horseback, dabbling in a little bit of everything and enjoying every second of it!

In college, Alyssa joined K-State's IHSA Western Equestrian team, started taking regular lessons, and even taught riding lessons herself for a while (both therapeutic and traditional lessons). While she's dabbled in a lot of disciplines, she's always been passionate about trail riding, and after growing up seeing all the beauty our State Parks have to offer she became dedicated to helping preserve that beauty for the future!

Alyssa works for Kansas State University as the Companion Animal Management Instructor in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and thrives off of the connections she gets to make with students, faculty, and industry partners alike. She and her husband live just a hop and a skip from the Carnahan Creek Recreation Area, and she's made it her 2026 goal to see those trails revitalized!

Stay tuned to see some of the work planned for the Tuttle Creek Chapter of BCHKS this year!

03/01/2026

We've introduced our lovely treasurer and secretary, now it's time to meet our Vice President!

Jeff D. Jones grew up in the Wamego, KS area. He started riding before he could walk and just hasn't quit. As a child, Jeff participated in 4H horse shows as well as local shows. He's attended several clinics to learn the art of horsemanship and routinely ropes and doctors cattle in the pasture. Jeff is an avid trail rider, riding all over the country with an itch to see the world from the saddle, finding places and seeing sights that just can't be replicated from the interstate. He works for Evergy and runs the Electrical Maintenance Department at Jeffery Energy Center, and calls the flint hills of KS home, residing just southeast of Maple Hill.

Jeff joined BCHKS after learning through family and friends that "we" are the responsible party for maintaining and improving the trails we all love so dearly. You can regularly find him riding and clearing trails on his trusty stallion Cobalt! We're thrilled to have him as our VP and cannot wait to see what can be accomplished in the next couple of years!

02/28/2026

Executive Board Introduction #2, our new secretary!

Camille (aka Frenchie)! She is originally from France and has been riding most her life (though mainly English!). She moved to the US in 2009 as an exchange student at Fort Hays and returned to KS 3 years ago after living in OH, IL, and MA with her partner George (who also rides!) She’s a French prof at KSU. Loves to travel, any food, and loves to steal Alyssa Deters’s horses!
Pictures below on Gigi!

02/24/2026

We'll start off our Executive Board Introductions with one of our founding members, and someone we couldn't possibly do without: Pattie Stalder!

Pattie and her husband Bob have a small breeding farm in Pottawatomie County where they stand Connemara stallion, JEF Sir Lancelot. Raising ponies/horses provides many opportunities to travel the U.S. and meet folks with shared interests. Pattie retired from the Kansas Horse Council and Bob as a construction superintendent. They both enjoy traveling with their horses, riding with friends and family and have embraced the goal of maintaining and developing the horse trails on Tuttle Creek Lake.

Pattie is our current treasurer, having assumed the role the beginning of this year. She's the one who handles the finances and makes sure we can continue to afford to do all the things we do! Prior to her role as treasurer, Pattie served as the president of the TC chapter for its first 4 years!

02/23/2026

Cleared most of the Blue trail on the west side of Carnahan! Clear to ride or hike from the Trail Head to the lake! Follow the Blue markers!

02/22/2026

What is the Tuttle Creek Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Kansas? How did we get our start?

At our heart, the Tuttle Creek Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Kansas is a chapter of the nationwide non-profit organization Back Country Horsemen of America (BCHA). Our organization is committed to protecting the access of equestrians to public lands, now and for the future. While we do a lot of advocating behind the scenes, the most tangible way we accomplish this is through the maintenance of equestrian/multi-use trails throughout the country.

The Tuttle Creek Chapter of the BCHKS was established in 2021 with the explicit purpose of advocating for, maintaining, and promoting the use of our public trails at both Randolph State Park and Carnahan Creek Recreation Area. Both of these areas have (or have had) expansive multi-use trail systems, and our members are by and large the ones that are making sure they remain accessible to equestrians and non-equestrian outdoor enthusiasts alike. Members volunteer their time, equipment, and labor to tirelessly improve our trail systems so that they can be enjoyed by generations to come.

Since our founding in May 2021, the primary focus has been on the revitalization of the Randolph State Park trail system and equestrian amenities. Our members have drastically improved the conditions of the trails, added horse pens to the equestrian camp sites, and raised funding for future improvements including new manure bunks, hitching posts, and additional amenities. Randolph State Park boasts over 14 miles of trails of various difficulties and terrain, providing users with breathtaking views of Tuttle Creek Reservoir and the flint hills.

With the Randolph trails in good shape, our focus is expanding towards the re-establishment of trails at Carnahan Creek Recreation area. Members are presently engaged in marking and clearing historic trails, as well as advocating for increased signage and amenities. At one time, Carnahan Creek Recreation area held over 7 miles of trails, spanning both lush woodland and the high prairie, and crossing Carnahan Creek itself. Our hope is to see these trails reclaimed, maintained, and enjoyed once more.

How can you support our mission? Anyone is welcome to become a member of the TC Chapter of BCHKS, whether you're a horseman, hiker, or just a lover of nature and our public lands. Your membership supports funding for improvements, and adds to our numbers of volunteers. We host regular trail maintenance days, which will be posted here on the page, where we encourage anyone to join us for a sense of community, service, and camaraderie.

For further information, please check out the BCHKS website, where you can also renew your membership or join our ranks. More questions? Email us or send us a message, we'd love to chat!

Stay tuned for a look at some of the key faces of the organization later this week!

Back Country Horsemen of Kansas is committed to keeping equestrian trails open for future generations.

02/22/2026

Welcome to our page dedicated to sharing all of the amazing things the Tuttle Creek Chapter of BCHKS is up to. Current members will be familiar with our Facebook group, which is still active, but this page is an addition to that in an effort to reach even more folks! Stay tuned for our first “real” post on what the TCC of BCHKS is and what we do!