The Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) is proud to announce the addition of Colby Balazs of Scituate, Mass., to its board of directors. Balazs previously served as an advisory council member for the organization, and her move to the board was elected by ELCR’s current directors on Oct. 3. The ELCR board of directors consists of sixteen members representing fourteen different states and a variety of backgrounds and involvement in equestrian sports. In addition to her work with the board, Balazs will also continue her service as a member of ELCR’s Strategic Planning Committee.

"Members of the ELCR Board of Directors serve a critical role for our organization, and I am delighted at the election of Colby Balazs," noted Larry Byers, president of the ELCR board of directors. "As a previous member of our advisory council, she has already demonstrated how her extensive equestrian and professional knowledge, experience, and expertise are tremendous benefits towards our land conservation goals."

As an outdoor enthusiast and competitive three-day eventer, Balazs is familiar with land use issues and is especially sensitive to land conservation. Growing up in the small community of Glen Summit, Pa., which borders 2,000 acres of accessible state game lands, she became a supporter for responsible trail maintenance and advocacy. Although lucky to have had access to the open land for recreation, she learned that not all users were responsible trail stewards, which in turn threatened access for all.

Currently, Balazs is an active equestrian competitor in the sport of eventing. For the past two years, she was ranked in the top ten on the United States Eventing Association’s National Leaderboard at the Training Level. Having recently sold her Irish Sport Horse, Hard Alee, she is looking forward to a bright future with her new young horse, Watermill Time