The 2019 summer has proven to be both busy and trying for NDBHA. We’ve dealt with multiple project cancellations due to weather and logistical issues. However, we were able to complete the Whitetail Picnic Area renovation in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service in July.
In addition to work projects, we’ve been refining our event formats to make better use of time and exposure. We’ve started to roll out new events like “Bows and Beers” to add a little flavor to our event calendar. Events like these offer more interaction for attendees and networking through common interests. We’ve also spent a significant amount of time planning for the annual Chapter Rendezvous in Medora and our fall raffle fundraiser.
To get ahead in the planning department, we’ve began discussions for 2020 events. In early June we decided that we needed to add members to our Board of Directors to better serve our mission. We put out board position advertisements to our members and were pleasantly surprised with the number and quality of our applicants. In July we added five new board members to bring our total to 13. The new members have already offered new ideas and new demographics, as well as more leadership coverage geographically.
Our board positions will temporarily be full until our founding chairman Adam Leitschuh moves out of state at the end of the year. While Adam might be leaving North Dakota, he will always be a part of the NDBHA family and have the support of our chapter. We thank him for his dedication on behalf of our chapter and the public lands and waters of North Dakota.
We’re also reviewing the Chronic Wasting Disease Research Act (S. 1326), introduced by North Dakota Senator John Hoeven. We hope to work with Hoeven’s staff to address BHA’s concern about this bill as it is currently proposed. The board now looks forward to HUNTING SEASON!
About Zack Williams
Backcountry Journal editor