Pack Llama Trial Association
Dedicated to Preserving & Promoting the Pack Llama
Membership renewals continue to come in and with them, many encouraging comments. We are most appreciative that the membership is supportive of the PLTA's revitalization.
The Board is happy to announce that three talented people have filled the Board vacancies so we are now again operating at full capacity. We welcome Laura Higgins, of English Mountain Llama Treks, LLC from Tennessee, Dick Williams, of Lothlorien Llamas from Montana, & Esther Sue Sykes of Mystical Llamas from California. Dick Sheehan, long term Board member and Jo Sheehan, PLTA Office Manager have officially discontinued their direct association with PLTA as they begin to enjoy their retirement years with a wheeled trek around the country in their new RV. With gratitude and appreciation for their 10 long years of distinguished service, they have been granted life memberships in PLTA and sent a memento, adorned with clock, carved representation of the PLTA logo, and plaque bearing our thanks. We wish them well and hope to see them at future PLTA events.
One of PLTA's goals is to again provide a publication of articles for our members. While members have stepped up to volunteer their services to coordinate articles and other inserts for a publication, we still lack someone with actual editing and publication experience willing to produce the newsletter itself. The Board has decided that the most efficient way to support both our membership and the llama packing community in general in this area, is to help sustain the only similarly focused publication currently already in production. We are excited to announce that Dick Williams, who also has recently taken on the role of Editor for The Backcountry Llama, will be working with us to provide this missing membership benefit. Details have not been worked out yet but will be announced as soon as they are finalized.
One issue of growing importance has been the long-standing PLTA requirement that hosts and sponsors of PLTA sanctioned pack trials have liability coverage. We therefore investigated the possibility of a cooperative affiliation with the Llama Association of North America (LANA) to provide liability insurance under their umbrella. However, the complexity of providing adequate coverage to any trial held in any state, under the framework of two separate organizations, and meeting requirements of both, prevented an economical solution at this time. Since the costs of this insurance is the crux of the problem, another resolution will be needed. But arriving at an answer will not be easy. We will establish a separate ad hoc committee to study this matter, and to present a working proposal to the Board. Any PLTA member with a strong background in insurance matters is encouraged to contact the Board.
Another issue the Board had re-evaluated was memberships. We learned that some Club and Group memberships had been accepted in previous years. This practice is not allowed by the bylaws. A membership in PLTA is considered an individual family membership and may include up to two adults (18 years & older) with the same mailing address, plus all children under age 18 living at that address (regardless of whether or not children own llamas separately from their parents or siblings). Additional adults living at, or affiliated with, the same address should purchase separate memberships. The current regulations require that owners of llamas must be PLTA members; handlers need not be members. There has been a fair amount of misunderstanding about this issue. If individual children from the same family own their llamas, the parents should take out a membership in their name and list their children. PLTA is not trying to soak families for every dime we could; we do support the original intent of the family membership initiated when PLTA started in 1998.
The Board will meet for a face-to-face working meeting the first weekend in April at Board member Shirley Weather's home in Utah. The individual Board members are covering their own costs. We expect to lay the groundwork and set priority for a number of projects that will move PLTA towards becoming more of the organization we all want it to be. To help us with these tasks, we asked the membership for feedback. Membership Questionnaires were sent to all current and recently expired members. Certifier Questionnaires were mailed to all Certifiers, regardless of status. The information collected from those questionnaires was considered to be so important, that stamped addressed envelopes were included for convenience.
Thank you to the llama packing community for your support. The PLTA can only be strong when it serves the membership. On behalf of the PLTA Board, Happy trekking,
Viv Fulton, President & Membership Manager - 607-674-9488 bvfulton@frontiernet.net
Nancy Hester, Vice President & Webmaster - 530-365-9530 latitudellamas@aol.com
Mike Thompson - Trial Database Manager - 707-923-1016 cornomike@gotsky.com
Shirley Weathers – Secretary/Bookkeeper - 435-548-2630
wrw@ubtanet.com
New Board members:
Laura Higgins - 865-453-7513 hikingmd@aol.com
Dick Williams - 406-826-2201 bcllama@blackfoot.net
Esther Sue Sykes - 530-743-4803 sue@mysticallamas.com