Month: <span>January 2021</span>

Rubicon Trail Foundation President Message

I would like to introduce myself to you as the new Rubicon Trail Foundation President.

We are beginning another great year and with that comes many new opportunities.   I am very excited to be leading such an important Foundation, one that I have been a Director/Officer  since 2010.  I look forward to collaborating with each of you, the users and the stakeholders to work towards our mission statement and educate all users.

I was appointed on January 20, 2021 so I am just getting settled, but look forward to hearing from each of you on how to best serve you and our beloved Rubicon Trail.

I have two main goals as of right now for the Foundation: to enhance the future health of the Rubicon through education and to be trusted stewards of the Rubicon Trail.

As I take on this new role, I would like to thank David Thomas for his contributions and work on behalf of the Rubicon Trail Foundation. Also, to welcome Laura Blake as our new Secretary.

Due to the COVID pandemic we have been unable to secure a site to have our Black Tie & Boots event at this time.  Trust me, I am devastated.  We are working on planning some great fundraising opportunities, so please stay tuned. 

I look forward to many great opportunities of growing our Foundation and  to spread awareness of the importance of our Foundation to all users.  I am grateful for all of your donations and support.  I invite you to reach out and share your ideas, thoughts, and feedback.  Hopefully, I will see you soon at an upcoming meeting/event or on the trail.

Officers of the Rubicon Trail Foundation

Chris Cowan, President

Ken Hower, Vice President

Jonathan Carlos, Treasurer

Laura Blake, Secretary

Directors of the Rubicon Trail Foundation

Rusty Folena
John Arenz

Dan DeWolf

David Thomas

Matt Warden

JC Jenkins

Mike Gerondakis

Tyler Hovelsrud

Ron Cannon

Diane Hawks

Administrative Assistant

Amy Wylie

Sincerely,

Chris Cowan
President, Rubicon Trail Foundation

Mission: To enhance the future health and use of the Rubicon Trail, while ensuring responsible, motorized, year-round trail access.

Vision: Our vision is to be the trusted stewards of the Rubicon Trail, ensuring sustainability for the experience of the users.

Laura Blake Elected Secretary

At the January officer election meeting, Laura Blake was elected Secretary of the Rubicon Trail Foundation.

Laura is a relative newcomer to the board, with her election in 2018.  Laura got into the weeds early and was instrumental in the creation of Rubicon U, an off-road education program.

Laura is recently retired from CDF, and is an avid Rubicon user with her family.  Laura is very active on the board and passionate about the future well-being of the Rubicon Trail.

Laura will be the Secretary of the Foundation until 2023.

Chris Cowan Elected President

At the January officer election meeting, Chris Cowan was elected President of the Rubicon Trail Foundation.

Chris has been a long-time member of the board of directors.  Originally elected in 2010, she was asked to join the board specifically to replace the vacant Secretary position.  Immediately thrown into business, Chris very quickly had to vote on the purchase of 317 acres from Mark Smith. Chris stated, “I cried. I thought how in the world are we going to pay for this?” But the incredible donors came through at event after event, leading to the final payment made in 2016.

Chris is very visible several times a year, as she has been the chairperson and co-chairperson of Black Tie & Boots for many years.  In addition, she has run Kids Club at Jeep Jamboree and Wine Tasting at Jeepers Jamboree.

Chris will be the President of the Foundation until 2023.

Meet Tyler Hovelsrud

We have introduced you to our newest Board members but now we would like you to know about all our other board members.  Tyler joined our board in 2018.

Tyler’s interest with the Rubicon Trail started in the early 2000s when he attended a TLCA Rubithon event, it was his first trip to the Rubicon. He had a great time and instantly felt a deep connection to the area. Since then, he has been to the Rubicon Trail every year at least once, while most years he makes it down two or three times.

In 2007 he and his wife jokingly mentioned that we should get married at Rubicon Springs. It was originally laughed it off as a logistical nightmare, but the next day they decided they were up to the challenge. In July 2008 they hauled 19 friends and family members along with their dog from Loon to Rubicon Springs for their wedding. It was an epic trip; they had some incredible memories. In addition, we were able to give many guests their first Rubicon Trail experience.

Meet Ron Cannon

Updated Bio-

Ron was born and raised in Placerville. He graduated from El Dorado High School in 1985. In 1991, married his first love “Tami” after dating for 5 years. He attended the police academy in 1995, served with the Placerville Police Department for 24 years, and retired in September 2020. Ron was also a volunteer firefighter for Diamond Springs/ El Dorado Fire for 10 years where he was a member of the volunteer firefighters association. He served as the President of the Union Mine Junior Rattlers youth football and cheer and served as the inaugural president for the merger of Hangtown and Timber Little League in 2009. He has always considered himself a public servant.

Ron became interested in off-roading relatively recently. His love for the Jeep developed after renting two of the JKU’s while in Hawaii on vacation in 2012. Upon return he found himself regularly having coffee with members of Jeepers Jamboree spending hours listening to jeeping stories (sorting through the BS), watching jeeping videos, and falling in love with the idea of owning a Jeep. In 2015 he purchased a used 2013 JKUR with the intent of building it for the 2016 Jeepers Jamboree. He built it with a basic lift, bead lock wheels, and all the steel he could find to protect it! The 2016 Jeepers Jamboree was “go big or go home” introduction to rock crawling that he and his wife both loved. Afterward he began volunteering at Jeepers Jamboree and he joined the Hangtown Crawlers. His newest goal is to Jeep the entire country, but the Rubicon Trail is his first love.

The Rubicon Trail Foundation became a source of information, so he began attending meetings, donating to Black Tie & Boots, volunteering at Cantina, and donating directly to RTF. Ron’s past experience serving the community makes him very familiar with the demands of organizational service. Being recently retired, Ron can now dedicate time to serve the greater good of the Rubicon Trail. He believes in private property rights and year round access to public lands with reasonable limitations for responsible conservation. Service to that end is his honor.