Policy:
- Spearheaded drone ban for hunting and scouting in Colorado
- Provided comments on CO Parks & Wildlife’s Mule Deer Strategy
- Advocated for a “Backcountry Conservation Area” designation on BLM lands
- Developed state legislation that would have required registration and visible identification on OHV’s in Colorado
- Championed efforts to rein-in game-cash subsidies to ranchers for livestock lost while grazing on public lands
- BHA successfully advocated to direct some state Land & Water Conservation Funding away from developed recreation and towards habitat conservation through the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
- Commented on CO Parks & Wildlife’s OHV Grant Applications and were successful in helping to direct funding towards OHV management, rather than new OHV development
- Successfully spearheaded mandatory, publicly-available wildlife review on all OHV grants that involve new development.
National Legislation:
- 22,000 acres along the Arkansas River through the Brown’s Canyon National Monument & Wilderness Area
- 61,000 acres in Southwest Colorado through the San Juan Wilderness Act
- More than 100,000 through the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act
- CO BHA continues working to help develop draft legislation in Gunnison County that would protect upwards of 200,000 acres through a combination of Special Management and Wilderness Areas
- Comments provided on the following Resource, Travel and Grazing Plans – Provided comments on
- Resource Management Plan for the Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area
- Resource Management Plan for the Grand Junction Field Office
- White River Field Office – advocated for Backcountry Conservation Areas
- Grazing comments on the San Juan National Forest
- Grazing comments in the Gunnison Gorge
Education:
- Hosted our 2nd Annual Taste of Backcountry Angling Workshop
- Provided honorary scholarships to participants of Colorado Youth Outdoors in memory of Caroline Petersen
Public Access:
- Defended public hunting access from planned commercial development on Macarthur Gulch State Trust Land
- Attended Senate Democratic Sportsmen Steering Committee meeting in Washington DC to advocate for Land & Water Conservation Funding.
- Defended public hunting access at Brainerd Lakes Recreation Area
Representation:
- 6 BHA members represented on CO Parks & Wildlife’s Sportsmen Roundtable
- BHA Member Bob Shettle joined CO Parks & Wildlife’s Wildlife Council
- 2 BHA members were represented on CO Parks & Wildlife’s Advisory Council for the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
- 3 Colorado BHA Members were represented at meetings in Washington DC focused on advocating for Land & Water Conservation Funding and for Wilderness protection of Hermosa Creek and Browns Canyon.
Events:
- Held both the national and state BHA rendezvous
- Hosted “Hunter Happy Hours” focused on habitat protection
- Built awareness to BHA’s Sportsman Pledge and Public Land Defense campaign through Hunting Film Tour showings in Montrose and Gunnison