Indiana BHA 2024 Year in Review!!!
The Indiana BHA Chapter had an excellent 2024! Below, we are going to provide you with a quick recap of some of our accomplishments over the course of the last year.
(For a sneak peak into plans for 2025, including some opportunities to win awesome prizes in January, see the last section of this blog post.)
Membership recruitment and engagement was a top priority, with the objective of growing the Indiana BHA community so that we can make a widespread impact on Indiana conservation initiatives. This objective continually carries into the work that the chapter does, whether it is through various events, fundraising efforts, policy work, or community outreach. Through membership growth and engagement, we can continue spreading the mission of BHA and making impacts through stewardship and policy engagement.
Events
Our chapter was productive in 2024, having hosted 21 events over the course of the year, primarily stewardship and educational, but also R3 events and two large fundraising events. That’s nearly 2 events a month!
Many of these events feature speakers with mastery of knowledge in certain topics that engage and educate participants. In 2024, this included our fifth annual “Turkey Talk” event, this year with Tom “Doc” Weddle, a Q&A with the Indiana Natural Resource Commission, as well as a pint night featuring forest management expert, Michael Spalding of Indiana Sentinel Landscapes.
What makes BHA, BHA, is stewardship, and in 2024, we did it properly. We collaborated with several other NGOs representing a wide spectrum of the conservation community and spreading BHA’s message beyond the hook and bullet space.
Just check out this list of events!
2024 Event List
1. Wood Duck Box Event, J.E. Roush Lake FWA, Fort Wayne (event recap)
2. Sportsmans Classic Expo, Shipshewana
3. Sportsmans Classic Pint Night, Middlebury (event recap)
4. Sportsmans Luncheon at the Capitol, Indianapolis
5. Deer and Turkey Expo, Indianapolis
6. Deer and Turkey Pint Night, in collaboration with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, Indianapolis (event recap)
7. Turkey Talk, with Tom “Doc” Weddle, virtual (event recap)
8. Wabashiki Habitat Restoration, with Indiana State University BHA Collegiate Club and Indiana Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, West Terre Haute
9. Wabashiki Pint Night, Terre Haute
10. Heartwork Brewing Company Pint Night, with guest speaker Michael Spalding, Bloomington (event recap)
11. Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area Frog Giggin’, with Indiana DNR, Sullivan County
12. Willow Slough Work Day, Morocco (event recap)
13. Full Draw Film Tour, Franklin
14. Stream Restoration Workday, with Elkhart Trout Unlimited, Elkhart
15. River Clean Up, with Friends of the White River, Indiana Smallmouth Alliance, and Morgan County Soil and Water
16. Indiana Natural Resources Commission Rulemaking Process, with INRC, educational event - Virtual
17. Explore Wabashiki, in collaboration with Indiana State University Collegiate Club and Vigo County Parks, educational, West Terre Haute
18. Indiana Chapter Rendezvous, Rockville (event recap)
19. R3 Deer Butchering Workshop, with Indiana DNR, Indianapolis
20. Natural State Pint Night, Indianapolis
21. Unite the Lines Booth Pheasant Hunt, with Indiana Unite the Lines, South Bend
Policy
2024 was a rough year in Indiana for conservation. Despite this, the chapter put in noble efforts to address bad legislation, and we will keep fighting for your public lands in 2025.
To begin, we had three members attend the “Sportsman’s Luncheon” at the Indiana State Capital, where they met with lawmakers to share BHA’s mission.
The Indiana Chapter is a member of the Indiana Forests Forever Coalition. This coalition, which consists of representatives from conservation NGOs across the state and across the conservation spectrum, works together to influence forest and wildlife management policy. The coalition shares legislative updates, works together on policy issues, and lobbies the Indiana General Assembly on policies of concern to conservationists.
We engaged in efforts to educate the public about the importance of the USFS management efforts in the Hoosier National Forest, especially the Houston South Vegetation Management Project, including a blog post and two Op Eds. We also raised awareness about management efforts in our state forests and encouraged membership to submit comments to state officials.
In case you missed out on any of these blogs or op eds, you can check them out here:
USFS Management Communications:
BHA Blog
“Preventing management of the Hoosier National Forest is bad for birds.” The Herald Times, 2024.
“Proposal would be detrimental to wildlife habitat.” Tribune Star, 2024.
State Forest Communications:
The biggest challenge for us for the 2024 legislative season was HR 1383, a bill backed by the Indiana Builders Association, that reworked classifications of wetlands reducing many of our highly protected Class III wetlands down to just Class I and II. This bill was passed quickly and quietly despite widespread public outcry and opposition. We are ready to work with partners across the state to pick up the slack and make sure we do everything we can to protect our wetlands and create new ones. Click Here to read information and view the Auction Alert.
The chapter also advocated for the newly established bobcat trapping season. Though this season was opened due to Senate Bill 241, the state fur-bearer biologist determined that the bobcat population in the southern part of the state can support a harvest of 250 bobcats. An animal rights organization began a disinformation campaign that misrepresented trapping and dramatically downplayed the role of hunting and angling in the local economy. We called on members to comment on the proposed rule change and continue to work to set the record straight as far as the contributions of hunters and anglers to conservation funding and tourism dollars. Keep your eye out for an op ed that shares accurate numbers on the contributions of hunters and anglers to our state.
Fundraising
We gained three new IN BHA Chapter Corporate Sponsors in 2024!
We are thankful for the support of Hoosier Trapper Supply, Maple Lane Furs, and Two Forks Guide Service. We couldn’t do what we do without such awesome supporters! Be sure to show your appreciation and support them.
The Full Draw Film tour, which we hosted at the Historic Artcraft Theater in Franklin, IN, was a hit. Between ticket sales, raffle ticket sales, and merch sales, this was our top fundraiser for the year. In addition to that fundraiser, we held two other raffles, one during the Deer and Turkey Expo in Indy, and one during our annual Indiana Chapter Rendezvous.
Finally, the Chapter was awarded $6,000 in grants. This included a $3500 grant from Bendix, which was used for pollinator habitat at Indiana DNR properties at Tri-County FWA in northern Indiana. Two additional grants were awarded to the Chapter from Beacon Credit Union for $1,000 each to be used for projects in Grant and Jackson counties in 2025.
The ISU BHA Collegiate Club received a $250 Public Land Owner grant. This was used for a Grassroots Workday at Wabashiki FWA in collaboration with the IN Chapter and the Indiana Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.
Membership
In 2024, we saw the Indiana membership grow by 6.5%, and we head into 2025 energized and ready to continue to build on this momentum. We also assisted the Indiana State University Collegiate Club as they grew their membership and better established their place in the community. Exciting things are in store for the club in 2025!
2025 Sneak Peak
We have already been hard at work planning for 2025, and there are some seriously exciting things that await Indiana BHA members.
We already have 21 events planned (initial stages, at least), and these include an awesome pint night at the Slippery Noodle Inn during the Archery Trade Association show in Indianapolis on January 9th from 7-10pm. There will be an opportunity to buy raffle tickets and take home a Mathews bow and accessories and to win an $500 XOP gift card if you renew your membership between now and the Deer and Turkey Expo in February (info on that pint night forthcoming)!
We are planning an R3 event called “Learn to Hunt Upland Birds,” in collaboration with Outdoor Minority Alliance. Details forthcoming in 2025!
In addition to all of the awesome stewardship and social events we have planned, we will also be organizing a high-level conservation focused Fundraising Event that our members will love. BHA traditionally has not done banquets, and that’s not going to change in 2025. Instead, we have something much cooler in store that we promise you will love!
If you haven’t done so yet, be sure you renew your membership and support Indiana BHA. Already a member but want to contribute more to conservation our public lands? CLICK HERE to learn how to be a donor to BHA and conservation!
We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you at some events in 2025! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
About Indiana BHA
Our chapter is dedicated to serving the interests of conservation and access to clean public lands and waters. Through planning, collaboration, and dedication, we will make a difference.