• Essay on the impact of trail access between McCoy Creek and Alpine earned him $3500.

Jake Burchard, a senior at Star Valley High School, has received one of eight Wyoming State Snowmobile Association Scholarships.  Burchard earned the award of $3500 by writing an essay that discussed current issues with land management and snowmobiling land access.

Jake is the son of David and Andrea Burchard of Alpine, and the family holds membership in the Top of the Rockies Snowmobile Club.  Members of all clubs in Wyoming automatically become members of the Wyoming State Snowmobile Association, which gives scholarships each year to several members of the association that are enrolled in any educational institution, including a high school or trade school.  Each year, funds for the scholarships are raised through auctions during the Association’s “Fun Days” event. Applicants prepare and submit an essay that discusses a topic currently affecting access to the outdoors. Judges do not know the name, hometown, or club of any applicant.  Winners receive a portion of the funds raised that year.

With the highway expansion that took place on the northern end of Star Valley last year, snowmobilers lost the trail between McCoy Creek and Alpine, and some of the parking area. This loss has had a significant impact on snowmobiling for businesses and individuals. Jake addressed this access problem in his essay, and did it well enough to earn the second largest scholarship in this year’s contest.

In an interview with SVI Media last week, Andrea explained that the auction format used at the Fun Days event requires bidders to pay any money that they bid.  “I think the final bid this year was $15,385, but they raised a total of $29,250, which is pretty amazing!  75 percent of the funds go to the scholarship and 25 percent go to the Access Wyoming fund, which helps keep our trails open…Another amazing thing about this is that everyone who applies gets something.”

According to the state association’s website, SnomobileWyoming.org, this scholarship program has awarded 148 scholarships totaling $230,650 over the last 16 years.

Jake, who just turned 18 a few weeks ago, plans to attend the University of Wyoming in the fall. Though he has not yet decided on a course of study, he does enjoy history. His outdoor interests also include snowboarding, mountain biking and hunting. He also played football this year at SVHS and enjoys welding.

“I’m very grateful for this scholarship and I am truly blown away by how much the Wyoming State Snowmobile Association raised for myself and the other applicants to help us further our education,” said Jake in an interview with SVI Media. “The time spent volunteering with my club has helped me grow as a person and I’ve met some amazing people. I never imagined it would contribute this much towards my schooling. I plan to make the most of my time at the University of Wyoming and I hope I can make proud those that have supported my journey!”