From 2007-2015 I was privileged to serve on the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) North American Board alongside some of the most dedicated hunter-angler-conservationists I’ve known, including (among others) BHA founder Mike Beagle (a former U.S. Army field artillery officer), Colorado BHA founder David “Elkheart” Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot), Joel Webster (Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Vice President of Western Conservation), and Ben Long (author of the Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell).
And in my opinion BHA likely would not have made the transition from a small, western-centric, all-volunteer outfit (i.e., no paid staff) to the continent-wide professionally staffed organization we are today without the leadership and guidance of, for example, Ben Long and Joel Webster.[1] Ben’s political savvy and strategic guidance along with Joel’s non-profit operations knowhow and grant connections, combined with the hard work and dogged dedication of all the BHA Board members at the time (not to mention those before and since), set the course for where BHA is today.
Among the many memories etched into my mind from those days is the strategic planning session where/when Ben walked us through developing and adopting our BHA mission statement, which remains essentially unchanged today: “The voice for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.” Our mission statement is the “why” BHA exists. Ben’s book (Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell) is a roadmap to “how” we can accomplish our mission.[2]
In Ben’s words, his book “is a primer to successful conservation politics, from a hunter/angler perspective. It’s basically lessons I have learned in 25 years in the conservation trenches. I’ve had front-row seats to nearly 20 million acres protected and put the basics in this little book. It’s aimed at folks who want to conserve access, wildlife habitat and clean water. Outdoor Life editor Andrew McKean calls it ‘required reading’ in ‘the long shadow of Jim Posewitz.’”[3]
A Wide-Open Slate
Public lands. That’s where most BHA members hunt, fish, and otherwise recreate.[4] That’s why I joined BHA, during March 2005, after receiving an invite from Mike Beagle. “Consider our organization, there are none like it anywhere,” he said.[5] Mike was right! BHA’s public lands focus was, oddly, not a focus for most other hunter-angler conservation organizations at the time. David “Elkheart” Petersen adds: “The three-part formula for assuring a rich elk hunting future … could hardly be simpler … Those three essential elements are: habitat, habitat, and habitat.”[6]
During 2005 David founded the first BHA state chapter, in Colorado. I joined him as co-chair during July 2006 and have been at it ever since.[7] In our 2023 Colorado BHA Chapter Plan, we outline how the Board/Executive Leadership Team (ELT) has organized the chapter to hopefully maximize our contributions to fulfilling BHA’s mission. Our Purpose: “Inspire, Empower and Inform (IE&I = Motivate) our Chapter Leadership Team (CLT) and Colorado BHA members.”[8]
Our Chapter Plan is intended to provide CLT members with a shared (general) strategic direction, starting with the wise counsel of David Petersen.[9] “You don’t inspire volunteers to action by decree from on high,” David explained. “Rather, you give them minimal direction and maximum freedom to do their own thing, within the realm of the group’s charter.” In short, we encourage and empower our volunteers to take the initiative, combined with appropriate doses of (as applicable) training and guidance.
“One of the best parts about BHA to me is that Backcountry Hunters & Anglers allows for a lot of interpretation … BHA is a pretty wide-open slate,” Colorado BHA Gunnison Valley Regional Director John Chandler said in a September 2023 Savage Arms Blog post. “If it benefits public lands and access, or serves as stewardship for wildlife habitat and fisheries, there’s a real good chance they support it.”[10]
“If your passion is hunting and fishing film festivals, creating opportunities to grow youth involvement in hunting, teaching others to tie flies at a craft brewery, or in this case, stomp around in the sage pulling out old fencing, BHA wants to support your advocacy and will allow you to get out there and make a difference,” he added.[11] John, like all true leaders, is someone who likes to take the initiative.[12] That’s how BHA started.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was born around a campfire in March 2004 thanks to seven hunters and anglers, men and women (including two veterans), taking the initiative. That’s how all battles are begun and won![13] We encourage our chapter leaders and members to take on whatever they have the energy and interest to pursue within the broad parameters of BHA’s wildlands and wildlife preservation mission.
Browns Canyon and Camp Hale are two examples of Colorado conservation success stories (among many others), two initiatives that succeeded thanks to the combined efforts of hunters, anglers, and many others aimed at protecting our “wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.” The general process/steps we followed are the subject of Ben Long’s book, the Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell.
Browns Canyon (2015)
Browns Canyon is a 20,000-acre parcel of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands located in Chaffee County, between Buena Vista and Salida. The Arkansas River is within 200 feet of the western boundary and the area extends eastward to the forested areas of Aspen Ridge. Colorado Parks and Wildlife identifies Browns as an important wintering ground for deer and elk.
The Fall 2006 Backcountry Journal detailed some of our early Browns Canyon protection efforts. “On July 12, Colorado BHA Front Range … [co-chair] David Lien met with Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., at his Washington, DC office … Lien thanked Rep. Hefley for his Browns Canyon Wilderness legislation and lobbied for its companion legislation in the Senate,” the Journal noted.[14]
“The proposed 20,000-acre wilderness (12,000 acres of the San Isabel National Forest and over 8,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands) stretches from the high aspen ridges of its eastern boundary down through spectacular canyons to the Arkansas River on its western edge,” the Journal added. “The area is home to bighorn sheep, raptors and other wildlife, and provides unique hunting opportunities with sweeping views of the 13,000 and 14,000-foot peaks of the Sawatch Range. These lands are also important wintering ground for deer and elk. Additionally, a herd of approximately 150 bighorn sheep depend on this area.”[15]
Browns Canyon was also highlighted in BHA’s 2015 Annual Report. “Upwards of 300,000 visitors come every year to Colorado’s Browns Canyon. This stretch of river offers one of the West’s best public trout fisheries,” the Report explained. “The full quiver of Colorado big game inhabits Browns Canyon. The area encompasses a sprawling expanse of roadless habitat that helps sustain healthy populations of mule deer, elk and bighorns. Recreation here pumps an estimated $55 million annually into central Colorado’s economy.”[16]
“For years, BHA advocated for permanent protection of this rugged country,” the Report added. “In 2015, we attended meetings alongside recreationists, business owners, state and federal lawmakers, and administration officials to advance the area’s conservation, taking action via letters to the editor and columns in local and national news outlets. These efforts paid off in February 2015 when Browns was officially designated a national monument.”[17]
After over a decade of Colorado BHA efforts to protect Browns Canyon, on Feb.19, 2015, President Obama designated 21,586 acres of pristine canyons, rivers and backcountry forest in Colorado as the Browns Canyon National Monument. This was the culmination of lengthy campaign spearheaded by numerous hunting, angling, and other conservation groups.[18]
“This is a great day for Colorado and for sportsmen,” said Tim Brass, BHA Southern Rockies Coordinator at the time. “Browns Canyon is the gold standard for backcountry hunting and fishing habitat. Protecting this last bastion of wild country along the Arkansas River ensures that herds of elk and deer have high-quality winter range and anglers can pursue wily trout in an outstanding Gold Medal fishery.”[19]
“Sportsmen have been invested in permanently protecting Browns Canyon for years, both to sustain the area for hunting and fishing and to secure fish and wildlife habitat that is, quite simply, irreplaceable,” added Colorado BHA Co-Chair Don Holmstrom. “Would the area have been designated a national monument without our support? I don’t have an easy answer, but I am confident that our efforts helped get a 40-year process across the finish line.”[20]
“Hunters and anglers tend to understand some fundamental truths,” Ben Long explains in his Field Guide to Raising Hell. “One, nothing worth doing is easy. Second, success finds those who are prepared, and the odds favor those who work hard for what they want. Sure, there is always an element of luck. Timing is key. But attitude makes the day. The ability to keep going, to innovate, to persevere in the face of failure and hostile opposition. The hunter who is first in the field and the last one to return to the truck is the one who will find the most success. The same concept applies in conservation.”[21]
“Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must
be driven into practice with courageous patience.”
-Adm. Hyman G. Rickover (“father of the nuclear Navy”)
Camp Hale (2022)
Camp Hale is located in central Colorado between Red Cliff and Leadville in the Eagle River Valley at an elevation of 9,238 feet. From November 1942 through June 1944 Camp Hale housed 14,000 troops—along with 4,000 mules and 250 sled dogs—of the 10th Mountain Division, who learned to rock climb, perform military maneuvers on skis, and endure a brutal climate in preparation for mountain warfare. Over 18 grueling months soldiers trained to fight at high altitudes.[22]
During their first major battle the soldiers covertly scaled a snow-covered, 1,500-vertical-foot cliff late one February night to reach Riva Ridge in Italy’s Apennine Alps, site of a heavily fortified German observation post. After five days of fighting the Allied forces commandeered a series of defended posts, which allowed the division to stage an assault on Mount Belvedere, succeeding where others had failed, and to advance into the Po Valley. These key victories helped break the German stranglehold on northern Italy.[23]
In 141 days of combat the 10th Mountain Division saw 992 men killed and 4,100 wounded in some of the war’s toughest fighting.[24] It became one of the most decorated units of the war.[25] In 2015, Congressman (now Governor) Jared Polis introduced the Continental Divide Wilderness and Recreation Act (HR 2554) to protect wilderness lands and make Camp Hale the first National Historic Landscape, preserving the historical, ecological and recreational values of this landscape.[26]
“This area, west of the Continental Divide, supplies 80 percent of Colorado’s clean water and is the headwaters for the Eagle River,” Colorado BHA member Rick Seymour (a U.S. Air Force veteran) explained. “Three water providers are partnered with this measure: Eagle County Water, Colorado Springs and the Denver Water Board, as well as over 200 private businesses.”[27]
“This area is home to the land bridge corridor near Porcupine Gulch, which is considered the major wildlife migration route from Canada down to Mexico,” Seymour added. “Statistical data from Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimate wildlife population numbers in this and surrounding game management units for moose number 370, bighorn sheep 455, mountain goats 65, with elk, deer, bear and even lynx also calling this area home.”[28]
During October 2022 President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish the 53,804-acre Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument on these National Forest System lands in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, preserving the area’s important historic, prehistoric, natural, and recreational values.[29]
Following World War II, many members of the 10th returned to Colorado and dedicated their lives to the mountains and what would become the state’s world-renowned ski industry. They founded ski resorts such as Vail, Winter Park and Arapahoe Basin, ran ski schools and joined the National Ski Patrol. They not only promoted skiing but also developed an industry and a lifestyle that we embrace today.[30]
Some vets also became leaders in the fledgling outdoors industry, like Bill Bowerman, who came home to coach track and cofounded Nike (with Phil Knight) in 1964, and Paul Petzoldt, who in 1965 started the National Outdoor Leadership School. And David Brower, a 10th Mountain Div. officer, trainer, and bronze-star recipient, who went on to become the Sierra Club’s first executive director.[31]
His tenure, from 1952 through 1969, marked some of the country’s most successful environmental protection achievements, and Brower’s outreach was essential, starting with his campaign against a proposed dam in Dinosaur National Monument during the 1950s.[32] Another monumental achievement for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife in Colorado.
Following the war the 10th Mountain Division was deactivated.[33] Then, after a couple of hiatuses, it was reactivated in 1985 at Fort Drum, New York, and since then its troops have been deployed to Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. And no matter where they’re based, members of the 10th honor their alpine legacy by retaining the Mountain tab on their sleeve insignia.[34]
Public Lands Democracy
BHA has always been a quality over quantity outfit, despite our rapid growth over the years. We continually punch above our weight because of the selfless dedication and personal sacrifice of our members and volunteer leaders. That dedication cannot be bought because it’s priceless. On the other hand, there are those who oppose our mission, hellbent on keeping us from accessing, protecting, and perpetuating our wild public lands estate, with the ultimate goal of privatizing public lands.[35]
Take the issue of “corner crossing.” A parcel of public land is considered corner locked when it is surrounded by private land but touches another parcel of public land at one or more corners. The issue with this type of public land is that accessing it falls into a legal gray area, with no laws expressly forbidding or permitting corner crossings.[36]
Some wealthy private landowners and others hang their hats on the currently muddied legalities of corner crossing in order to keep hunters and others from accessing our public lands. They’re (functionally) privatizing public lands and resources, turning them into their own personal playgrounds. They’re no better than the clowns in Congress and state legislatures trying to turn our public lands over to the states and eventually corporations and others looking to make a quick buck, padding their already bursting-at-the-seams bank accounts.[37]
“Not only are those lands important to backcountry enthusiasts but also to Colorado’s expanding outdoor industry and population growth,” said Brien Webster, former BHA Colorado and Wyoming chapters coordinator. “Public lands are there for you. They belong to you. It’s one of the most democratic things we got in in this country.”[38] For more about the ongoing efforts by some legislators in Congress (and others) to privatize our public lands estate see the “bad ideas” section below.
As Jim Harrison wrote (in The Beast God Forgot to Invent), “The danger of civilization, of course, is that you will piss away your life on nonsense.” And in the words of BHA North American Board member T. Edward Nickens, “BHA is here to make sure that we’re not the Americans who pissed away the greatest heritage of public lands the world has ever known.”[39] Wise words, but let’s give Ben Long the last word.
“One of the best pieces of advice I received I learned from a wiry old lumberman in northwest Montana. ‘Never waste a good mistake.’ In part, that means take time to learn from your missteps … don’t fear mistakes,” Ben wrote in his Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell. “Welcome them. Experiment. Try something new. Push beyond your comfort zone. You will fail, but that’s part of the plan. It’s how you find the path to success.”[40]
“We don’t win, which is annoying for two or three seconds.
But as Ulysses S. Grant said, ‘Get ‘em tomorrow.’”
-Douglass Wood, Boundary Waters Journal (Summer 2023)[41]
Related Information/Resources
-Ben Long’s Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell: https://www.scottpublishingcompany.com/fieldguide
-BHA Podcast & Blast, Ep. 162. “Ben Long, The Hunter & Angler Guide to Raising Hell.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 8/15/23.
-“For those who answer the call to speak for those who cannot, this book is for you! Wild public lands, waters and wildlife need your voice and this book, this grassroots bible, will help you engage.” -Land Tawney, BHA President and CEO (4/3/23)
Colorado Public Lands Day
-Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (7/25/23). “Colorado Public Lands Day Recap With COBHA.”
-Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (7/26/23). “Barbed Wire Strands-Pullin' Fence in Gunnison Colorado.”
-“Member of the Month: John Chandler.” Backcountry Beat: May 2023.
-Colorado BHA Public Lands Day Bash (“Beers, Bands & Barbed Wire Strands”) in Gunnison photos (May 19-21, 2023).
BHA/Colorado BHA
-“Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: Mission, Issues & Actions (Triads).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 8/17/23.
-“Armed Forces Initiative Helps Veterans Hunt … And More.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 8/17/22.
-“It’s All About The Meat.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/17/22.
-“Conservation (& Conciliation).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 9/15/21.
-“Colorado BHA State Chapter Leadership (Triad) Structure.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/26/21.
-“Hunting For Experience: At BHA’s North American Rendezvous.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/9/21.
-“BHA State Chapter Development (Recruiting/Retaining Leaders & Avoiding Burnout).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/1/21.
-“The ABCs Of LTEs: Writing Letters To The Editor.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/5/21.
-“Empowering Leaders: It’s In BHA’s DNA.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 1/7/21.
-“A Letter from CO Co-Chair David Lien.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 12/18/20.
-“Where Hope Lives: A Brief BHA History.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 11/30/20.
-“Looking back, looking forward: A brief history of BHA.”
National Monuments
-Katie McKalip. “National Monuments, A Net Gain for Hunters and Anglers.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/27/23.
-Drew YoungeDyke. “A Monumental Win for Fishing and Hunting.” Trout Unlimited: 7/27/23.
-Noah Davis. “National Monuments, A Net Gain for Hunters and Anglers.” Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: 7/27/23.
-Amber Kornak. “Hunt-Fish Community Outlines Principles And Priorities For National Monuments.” National Deer Association: 8/4/23.
-Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) Report. “Hunter & Angler Tenets for New Monuments.” BHA: 10/12/22.
-Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “Hunting National Monuments.” BHA National Monument Hunting & Fishing Maps (for six Western national monuments): 2017.
-David A. Lien. “Antiquities Act protects hunting and angling on public lands.” Greeley Tribune: 4/26/17.
-“National Monuments Report.” Backcountry Hunters & Angers: 2/19/16.
-“Conserving large tracts of undeveloped public lands as national monuments is essential to America’s hunting and fishing traditions.” –John Gale, BHA Conservation Director[42]
Browns Canyon
-Browns Canyon National Monument: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/browns-canyon
-“Colorado Sportsmen Applaud Renewed Effort to Protect Browns Canyon.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 12/3/14.
-“‘Bill makes sure it stays that way.’” The Mountain Mail: 4/10/13.
-“Lamborn blocking Browns efforts.” The Mountain Mail: 12/3/12.
-“Protecting big game habitat.” The Denver Post: 4/3/12.
-“Protecting big game habitat in Browns Canyon.” The Denver Post: 5/18/08.
-“A Gem for Sportsmen: Browns Canyon, Colorado.” Backcountry Journal: Fall 2006.
Camp Hale
-Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/camp-hale-continental-divide-national-monument
-Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (10/12/23). It’s been one year since the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado was designated!
-David A. Lien. “Camp Hale National Monument A Win For Veterans (& Hunters).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 10/28/22.
-David A. Lien. “Camp Hale becoming a national monument is an overdue recognition.” Summit Daily: 10/25/22.
-Sage Marshall. “Conservation Groups Cheer Biden Administration’s National Monument Designation: The Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument permanently protects an iconic former Army Base—and critical habitat for elk and mule deer in Colorado.” Field &Stream: 10/19/22.
-David A. Lien. “How Camp Hale National Monument will protect elk.” Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily Sentinel: 10/16/22 (scroll down).
-David A. Lien. “Designation long overdue.” Aspen Daily News: 10/14/22.
-Katie McKalip. “BHA Commends Administration Designation of National Monument in Colorado.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 10/12/22.
-The White House. “A Proclamation on Establishment of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument.” Briefing Room-Presidential Actions: 10/12/22.
-Colorado Snowsports Museum & Hall of Fame/10th Mt. Div. Displays in Vail photos (8/20/22).
-Tennessee Pass 10th Mountain Division Memorial photos (8/19/22).
-Leadville & Lake County Visitor Center photos (8/19/22).
-David A. Lien. “The CORE Act (& Camp Hale).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/29/22.
-David A. Lien. “CORE Act Will Honor Camp Hale, Provide Habitat Protections for Wildlife.” Pagosa Daily Post: 7/29/22.
-David A. Lien. “Final steps for crucial preservation of over 400,000 acres in Colorado: The CORE Act would honor Cape Hale legacy and provide important habitat protections for wildlife.” Colorado Newsline: 7/27/22.
-David A. Lien. “Preserve Camp Hale and other public lands for future generations: Wilderness bill will protect Colorado’s robust outdoor recreation economy.” Colorado Newsline: 9/24/21.
-David A. Lien. “Colorado BHA Supports HR 803 (Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 3/18/21.
-“Protecting America’s Wilderness.” Aspen Daily News: 3/6/21.
-“Hunters and anglers support the CORE Act.” Daily Camera: 2/9/21 (scroll down).
-“Hunters, anglers support the CORE Act.” The Durango Herald: 2/5/21.
-“Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers 10th Annual State Gathering Recap.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/9/18.
-“Lien: Sportsmen’s top 10 reasons to pass Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness and Camp Hale Legacy Act.” Vail Daily: 6/28/18.
Bad Ideas
-“Guest opinion: Selling off our public lands is a bad idea that won’t die.” VailDaily: 1/29/23.
-“Fighting to keep public lands in public hands.” Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily Sentinel: 1/26/23.
-“Bad ideas never die.” Aspen Daily News: 1/25/23.
-“Lien: Trump’s public lands (and CORE Act) tyranny.” Vail Daily News: 9/10/20.
-“Conservationist’s View: Minnesota knows firsthand Trump’s toll on public lands.” Duluth News Tribune: 8/20/20.
-“Lien: Trump’s BLM pick poisons the well.” Vail Daily: 7/7/20.
-“Trumping our public lands and boundary waters.” Grand Rapids (Minn.) Herald-Review: 6/12/20.
-“Sportsman’s Column: Despite pandemic, assault continues on hunting, habitat, BWCAW.” Duluth News Tribune: 4/5/20.
-“Trump ramps up attacks on hunting and habitat.” Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily Sentinel (scroll down): 3/30/20.
-“Lien: Trump’s assault on BLM and CORE Act part of larger trend.” Vail Daily: 1/5/20.
-“BLM wants to liquidate your lands.” The Durango Telegraph: August 1-7, 2019.
-“Conservationist’s View: 'No net gain' bill just the tip of an anti-public lands push.” Duluth News Tribune: 2/17/19.
-“Sportsmen vote public lands and waters.” Four Corner Free Press: 11/2/18.
-“Backcountry Hunters & Anglers encourage sportsmen to vote public lands and waters (column).” Vail Daily: 10/18/18.
-“Sportsmen: Vote public lands and waters.” Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily Sentinel: 10/17/18.
-“Rally for Minnesota public lands.” Grand Rapids (Minn.) Herald-Review: 4/11/18.
-“Sportsman’s View: Sportsmen planning rally for Minnesota public lands.” Duluth News Tribune: 3/19/18.
-“Lien: Trump administration’s public land policies sucker punch hunters and anglers.” Vail Daily: 1/25/18.
-“Trump throws sportsmen under the bus.” Four Corners Free Press: 1/1/18
-“Shrinkage hurts hunters, too.” The Durango Telegraph: Dec. 22-27, 2017.
-“Backcountry Hunters & Anglers chair: Trump pushing anti-hunting agenda with monuments plan.” Vail Daily: 12/12/17.
-“Trump pushing anti-hunting agenda with monuments plan.” Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily Sentinel: 12/10/17
-“Lien: Hunters, anglers, veterans ask Trump to keep public lands intact.” Fort Collins (Colo.) Coloradoan: 9/15/17.
-“Lien: Sportsmen want Trump to leave monuments intact (column).” Summit Daily: 8/24/17.
-“Guest opinion: Sportsmen want Trump to leave monuments intact.” Glenwood Springs (Colo.) Post Independent: 8/24/17.
-“Lien: Sportsmen want Trump to leave monuments intact (column).” Vail Daily: 8/24/17.
-“Don’t undo the Antiquities Act.” The Durango Telegraph: 6/29/17.
-“Trump and Zinke: Roosevelt Republicans in name only?” Vail Daily: 6/29/17.
-“Are Trump and Zinke Roosevelt Republicans in name only?” The (Greeley, Colo.) Tribune: 6/22/17.
-“Sportsmen embrace Public Lands Day.” Vail Daily: 5/19/17.
-“The Minnesota chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers oppose HF 143 & SF 372 (counties no net gain of state lands policy authorization).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 3/10/17.
-“Teddy rolls over in his grave.” The Durango Telegraph: 2/16/17.
-“Protect public lands.” Glenwood Springs (Colo.) Post-Independent: 2/10/17.
-“U.S. House Escalates War on Public Lands: BHA is Fighting Back.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/6/17.
-“Guest opinion: Keep public lands in public hands.” Glenwood Springs, Colo., PostIndependent: 9/24/15.
-“Selling public lands bad for hunters/anglers.” Grand Rapids (Minn.) Herald-Review: 7/25/14.
[1] https://www.backcountryhunters.org/backcountry_hunters_anglers_award_recipients
[2] David A. Lien. “Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: Mission, Issues & Actions (Triads).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 8/17/23.
[3] https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/hot-off-the-press-field-guide-to-raising-hell.318844/
[4] Travis Bradford. “2023 BHA Membership Survey Results.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 9/29/23.
[5] David A. Lien. “Where Hope Lives: A Brief BHA History.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 11/30/20.
[6] David Petersen. “The Future of Elk Hunting.” Traditional Bowhunter magazine: December/January 2013, p. 69.
[7] Ed Dentry. “Backcountry Power.” Rocky Mountain News: 9/5/06.
[8] David A. Lien. “Colorado BHA State Chapter Leadership (Triad) Structure.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/26/21.
[9] https://davidpetersenbooks.com/
[10] John Chandler. “Fence Removal: Beers, Bands, And Barbed Wire Strands.” Savage Arms Blog: 9/28/23.
[11] John Chandler. “Fence Removal: Beers, Bands, And Barbed Wire Strands.” Savage Arms Blog: 9/28/23.
[12] “Member of the Month: John Chandler.” Backcountry Beat: May 2023.
[13] David A. Lien. “Where Hope Lives: A Brief BHA History.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 11/30/20.
[14] Editor. “A Gem for Sportsmen: Browns Canyon, Colorado.” Backcountry Journal: Fall 2006, p. 2.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA). “Sportsmen Unite To Conserve Browns Canyon.” Annual Report: 2015, p. 11.
[17] Ibid.
[18] U.S. Forest Service (USFS). “Browns Canyon National Monument: President designates Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado’s vibrant upper Arkansas River valley.” USFS: 2/19/15.
[19] Chaffee County Times (CCT). “Sportsmen groups praise creation of Browns Canyon National Monument.” CCT: 2/19/15.
[20] Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA). “In The Words of Our Members.” Annual Report: 2015, p. 11.
[21] Ben Long. Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell. Kalispell, Montana: Scott Publishing Company, 2023, p. 34.
[22] David A. Lien. “Final steps for crucial preservation of over 400,000 acres in Colorado: The CORE Act would honor Cape Hale legacy and provide important habitat protections for wildlife.” Colorado Newsline: 7/27/22.
[23] Cindy Hirschfeld. “Colorado’s Camp Hale Could Pioneer a New Mode of Land Protection.” Sierra: 10/12/17.
[24] “Lien: Sportsmen’s top 10 reasons to pass Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness and Camp Hale Legacy Act.” Vail Daily: 6/28/18.
[25] Cindy Hirschfeld. “Colorado’s Camp Hale Could Pioneer a New Mode of Land Protection.” Sierra: 10/12/17.
[26] Rick Seymour, Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “Protect Camp Hale, surroundings.” Glenwood Springs (Colo.) Post-Independent: 2/1/17.
[27] Ibid.
[28] Ibid.
[29] https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/camp-hale-continental-divide-national-monument
[30] Susie Tjossem. “Colorado Olympians’ connection to World War II should be honored.” Vail Daily: 2/27/18.
[31] Cindy Hirschfeld. “Colorado’s Camp Hale Could Pioneer a New Mode of Land Protection.” Sierra: 10/12/17.
[32] Joshua Zaffos. “The uncompromising environmentalist behind the Sierra Club.” High Country News: 2/5/18.
[33] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10th_Mountain_Division_(United_States)
[34] David A. Lien. “Preserve Camp Hale and other public lands for future generations: Wilderness bill will protect Colorado’s robust outdoor recreation economy.” Colorado Newsline: 9/24/21.
[35] David A. Lien. “Bad ideas never die.” Aspen Daily News: 1/25/23.
[36] Amy Golden. “Report: 101,000 acres of Colorado public land are corner-locked: Study by onX looks at public access in legal gray area.” Longmont Leader: 5/24/22.
[37] David A. Lien. “Guest opinion: Selling off our public lands is a bad idea that won’t die.” VailDaily: 1/29/23.
[38] Elise Schmelzer. “Large swaths of federal public land in Colorado are inaccessible. Here’s why: Of the 269,000 acres, the largest landlocked parcel in Colorado is 5,286 acres.” The Denver Post: 11/27/18.
[39] Backcountry Hunters & Angers Headquarters. “Rendezvous Recap.” Backcountry Journal: Summer 2018, p. 12.
[40] Ben Long. Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell. Kalispell, Montana: Scott Publishing Company, 2023, p. 34.
[41] Douglass Wood. “Making Camp.” The Boundary Waters Journal: Summer 2023, p. 10.
[42] Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA). “BHA Maps Hunting Opportunity in At-Risk National Monuments.” AmmoLand.com: 11/17/17.
About David Lien