Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Appoint David Gallegos To San Luis Valley Habitat Watch Volunteer Position
The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently appointed David Gallegos to serve as a Habitat Watch Volunteer (HWV) for the San Luis Valley region.
David was born and raised in the San Luis Valley between the towns of La Jara and Alamosa. He started hunting and angling at a very young age with his father and grandfather. “I started fishing with my father in the Rio Grande National Forest when I was pretty young. We fished Platoro Reservoir and La Jara creek mostly for brown, rainbow, and brook trout,” David said.
“I have been hunting with my father, grandfather, and uncle every year since I was born in 1996. Even in diapers I rode along in the pickup and stayed at camp,” he added. “I started out hunting small game such as rabbits, learned how to process game at an early age, and always ate what we harvested. I started big game hunting at 12 and still hunt the Hot Creek area and unit 81 in the Rio Grande National Forest for elk, mule deer, and black bear.”
David finished high school with a plan to attend Western Colorado University for a degree in Wildlife Biology or Wildlife Management but decided to ranch/cowboy and guide hunts for a living instead. “Sometimes I wish I had attended college and pursued that route but I am very thankful for the experience I have obtained through guiding and ranching,” he explained. “I believe it has given me real-life experience with wildlife, forestry, and grazing. I feel it has helped push me into wanting to be a steward of the land and appreciate our public lands, wildlife, and freedom to pursue my interests like hunting and angling,” David added.
He hunts small and big game along with predators, focusing on elk and mule deer, and hopes to hunt moose, caribou, mountain goat, bighorns, Dall sheep and brown bear one day. He primarily fishes for brook trout. David hunts with both rifle and compound bow but plans to add a muzzleloader and trad bow to the mix going forward.
“Right out of high school I had an internship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for one summer tearing down/building fences, repairs, wildlife studies, and trail maintenance on national parks and wildlife refuges,” David added. “Ranching has also helped me with knowledge on grazing and fences as well. I believe I can provide knowledge and leadership in these areas. I have also cleaned trash on national forest and BLM on my own time.”
David lives in Alamos and joined BHA in 2018 after hearing about us through The MeatEater Podcast/channel and the Hush Crew’s Youtube channel. “I came across the Habitat Watch Volunteer Program while searching for events/programs in Colorado on the BHA website and became very interested in participating,” he said.
We have Habitat Watch Volunteers (HWVs) who serve as our “eyes and ears” in all eleven Colorado national forests and multiple other regions. Contact HWV Program Coordinator/Chapter Co-Chair Don Holmstrom ([email protected]) for additional information. Also see the following link for Colorado BHA Habitat Watch Volunteer (HWV) program information: https://www.backcountryhunters.org/habitat_watchmen
Are you interested in serving on the Colorado BHA Chapter Leadership Team? Learn more about our volunteer opportunities here. Also see the latest news on BHA’s efforts to keep public lands in public hands here: https://www.utahisnotforsale.org/
For more about the ongoing efforts by some legislators in Congress (and others) to privatize our public lands estate see the “Bad Ideas” section in this 2023 BHA Blog: “A Hunter-Angler (Hell-Raisin’ & Habitat Savin’) Guide To Winning: Colorado BHA Examples (Browns Canyon & Camp Hale).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 10/23/23.
Founded by Mike Beagle, a former U.S. Army field artillery officer, and formed around an Oregon campfire, in 2004, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice for our nation’s wild public lands, waters and wildlife. With members spread out across all 50 states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories—including chapters in 49 states, two Canadian provinces and one territory, and Washington, D.C.—BHA brings an authentic, informed, boots-on-the-ground voice to the conservation of public lands. The Colorado BHA chapter was founded by David “Elkheart” Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) in 2005 (the first official BHA chapter)[1]
[1] David A. Lien. “Where Hope Lives: A Brief BHA History.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 11/30/20.