This award recognizes an individual that has made outstanding contributions and provided consistent support for trail planning, development, or maintenance. It is intended to recognize the efforts of a private or public sector individual working for enhanced trail recreation on either the local, state, or national level.
Mike Bossert has been a member of Fort Harrod Back Country Horsemen (FHBCH) since its inception approximately four years ago.
Mike is a retired Lexington, KY firefighter with a love of the great outdoors and a willingness to serve. For the last two years, Mike has volunteered his time as Trail Boss for Eagle's Nest – a 1000+ acre privately-owned network of trails in Mercer County, Kentucky. The FHBCH was the recipient of a 2009 STEP grant from Tractor’s Supply for trail repair and maintenance at Eagle's Nest. When FHBCH’s original trail boss passed away in 2010, Mike stepped up to the role as Trail Boss and has done a terrific job of recruiting volunteers for work crews and keeping the project on track.
In addition to his "post-retirement" duties, which include raising twin teenage sons together with his wife, Susan, managing a roofing business, and raising beef cattle, Mike, Susan and his sons stepped up last spring to help eastern Kentucky tornado victims repair and rebuild fences destroyed by a powerful system of tornadoes. Together with a handful of FHBCH volunteers, Mike and his family spent nearly a month of “stolen” weekends helping to contain and provide for storm victims and their equines. In a day and age where many parents would opt to leave the children at home when pursuing leisure activities, it is a safe bet that if Mike is out volunteering on behalf of FHBCH, his sons are right there with him, operating machinery and pitching in to lend a helping hand to those in need.
Mike also helps with trail maintenance at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill – a 3,000 acre equestrian and hiking facility in Mercer County. He is extremely knowledgeable about trail building techniques and the various “tools of the trade." Last summer, he hosted a FHBCH membership meeting and assisted in a clinic at the Southeastern Trails Conference featuring the Kentucky BCH Tool Trailer.
In March 2011, Mike was elected to the FHBCH Board of Directors. He will serve on the board for two more years. He has consistently proven himself to be a valuable, insightful, effective, yet self-effacing board member whose comments and contributions have done a great deal to forward FHBCH’s mission as an affiliate of BCH.
