2014 Accomplishments for Colorado BHA

moose monitored by dronePolicy:



  • 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
About Caitlin Thompson