REGION 1

By: Kristine Strasburger

Greetings to all USAWE members, and special greetings to the members of Region 1! My name is Kristine Strasburger. I’d like to start off my first Regional Director’s Report by thanking you, the members of Region 1 for electing me to be your Regional Director. It is an honor to serve you in the inaugural year of USAWE.

Region 1 covers the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Region 1 has many unique and special things just waiting to be explored!

Alaska

Alaska is rich in Russian culture, having been purchased from Russia by the U.S. in 1867. Alaska is only 55 miles from Russia at their closest points.
The tallest mountain in North America is in Alaska (Mt. McKinley, 20,310 ft.). Juneau, the state capitol, is the only state in the U.S. that cannot be reached by road. Alaska covers almost 1/6th of the total area of the United States.

Washington

Washington has the only temperate rainforest in the continental U.S. (Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula). Washington is home to the largest concrete structure in North America (Grand Coulee Dam). Washington produces more apples than any other state in the U.S. The largest building in the world is in Everett, WA (Boeing Airline’s final assembly plant). Washington’s Mt. St. Helens volcano significantly and explosively erupted in 1980.

Oregon

Oregon’s Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. (1942 feet/592 meters).
Almost half of Oregon’s landmass is forested, and Oregon harvests more lumber than any other state in the U.S. Oregon’s Mount Hood (11,249 ft.) is the second most explored mountain in the world (after Mt. Fuji in Japan.) The largest meteorite discovered in North America was found in Oregon (Willamette Meteorite). Modern toilet paper (perforated squares rolled into a roll) was invented in Oregon (patented in 1871).

Idaho

Idaho’s rivers and waterways total over 107,000 miles (that’s 38 times across the U.S.), and Idaho has more rivers than any other state in the U.S. (3,100 miles). Idaho’s Hells Canyon is the deepest gorge in the U.S. (7,900 ft.) (deeper than the Grand Canyon). The Church River Of No Return Wilderness in Idaho is the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states (2.3 million acres of backcountry). Lake Pend Oreille, in the Idaho Panhandle, is the fifth deepest lake in the U.S. and is used by the U.S. Navy for acoustic underwater submarine research. Idaho grows approximately one third of America’s potatoes and is also home to the largest hops farm in the world.

Montana

Montana is the only state in the U.S. with a Triple Divide, allowing water to flow to Hudson Bay, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
Montana has almost 28 million acres of public lands (almost 30% of the state’s total acreage). Montana’s Flathead Lake is the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River. The original entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first National Park, is in Gardiner, MT (the North Entrance). Montana was the first state to elect a woman to the U.S. Congress in 1916. As you can imagine, with all of the public lands and parks these states contain, traveling to any of the states in Region 1 for a Working Equitation event would offer ample opportunity to plan additional trail riding and backcountry riding experiences. Let Region 1 be #1 on your bucket list if you have not visited us yet!

Region 1 USAWE Affiliate Organizations

You may have noticed that the new USAWE national organization is offering Affiliate Organization membership to independent organizations and groups who are promoting Working Equitation locally. You can learn more about this and see the whole list of AO members on the USAWE website (https://usawe.org/affiliate-organizations/). So far, Region 1 has three Affiliate Organizations listed.

Working Equitation Oregon – Willamette Valley, located in Eugene, Oregon
Run-A-Muck Ranch, located in Wolf Creek, Montana
Idaho Panhandle Working Equitation, located in Spirit Lake, Idaho
This is a great start, and I’m looking forward to helping more groups and organizations join USAWE as Affiliate Organizations. Please contact me if you are interested in getting an AO started in your local area of Region 1.
How Can You Help USAWE Grow? As the new competition season is just getting underway, and event organizers are still getting their events on the books I encourage everyone to check usawe.org/events often.

2021 is a unique year because it is the inaugural year for USAWE. I will be relying heavily on you, the members of Region 1, to take some initiative and give me your thoughts and ideas for our region. You can do several things to help USAWE grow this year in Region 1:

Region 1 Members:

Do you love posting on Facebook? Please join my team of Facebook Fanatics and help keep the Region 1 Facebook page current and relevant.
Do you like to write? Please join my team of Regional Reporters who will put together snippets of regional news reports for the USAWE newsletter Region 1 Director’s Report.

Are you an event organizer?
Please get in touch with me so I can promote your event.

Do you have a Working Equitation organization or USAWE Affiliate Organization?
Please contact me so I can highlight your group.

Are you thinking about starting a Working Equitation group or USAWE Affiliate Organization in your local area?
Please let me know so I can support your efforts and connect you with resources.

Do you want to host a Working Equitation event in your local area?
Please reach out to me so I can help you make it happen.

Do you know of a person, equine or event that you want others to hear about?
Please send me their story so I can feature it in a future article.

Do you have ideas to share? Feedback? Suggestions? Concerns?
Please share them with me so we can make USAWE better than ever.

Together we can begin to lay the foundation for USAWE in Region 1. My goal this year is to connect with you who live in Region 1, support your efforts to promote Working Equitation in your local area, help you to connect with one another and support the growth of Working Equitation all across Region 1.

Thanks again for placing your confidence in me as your Region 1 Director this year. I look forward to meeting each of you in person some day!

Kristine Alonzo Strasburger

Contact me directly in any of these ways (if you don’t get a response within 24 hours, please try another method in case the first method didn’t get through):

Email: r1director@usawe.org
Text or call: (208) 818-0400
Facebook Messenger:
Kristine Alonzo Strasburger