The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) appointed Lane Joseph to serve as a Rio Grande National Forest Habitat Watch Volunteer.
Lane was born and raised in Durango and started hunting and fishing with his dad as early as he can remember. “We used to go trout fishing at Vallecito and Lemon Reservoirs from the bank, and then bass/pike fishing at Navajo Reservoir from his boat,” Lane said. “He started taking me hunting with him when I was old enough to walk. I have many vivid memories of freezing my toes off waiting for the sun to come up or playing with sticks and rocks underneath a poncho so that my movements were concealed.”
Today Lane hunts and fishes most often around the Rio Grande national forest near his family’s second home between South Fork and Del Norte. “However, I like to venture out of state for at least one hunt per year if I’m lucky enough to draw a tag,” he added. “My childhood best friend lives in Farmington, New Mexico, so if I don’t draw my own non-resident tag somewhere I’m likely to be stomping around the elk woods of Unit 52 in NM with him as well.”
Lane tacked on a couple years college credits after high school, then took a “break” from college to save some money and has extended that break indefinitely. “I was very involved at a high level with two locally owned family businesses and am currently working as a logistics coordinator for a trucking company that allows me to work remotely, which suits my fancy,” he said. “I am happily married with 4 young kiddos who we have begun homeschooling – between our outdoor lifestyle and involvement in their daily education, working remotely is my best friend.”
He hunts big game with compound bow but will do rifle and muzzleloader as well. “I will gladly do it all, but when left to my own devices I love early season high country mule deer with a bow, and rutting elk in September,” Lane said. “I spend most of the rifle seasons helping other friends and family members but will scour the re-issued list to try and pick up last minute rifle tags when I can manage to! I love bass fishing, but these days my time fishing is primarily spent helping my kids in little trout ponds and streams.”
Lane says he heard about BHA “over the years via many podcasts and influential people in the hunting industry.” “I’ve been wanting to get involved with the right conservation group for a while and I believe that partaking in the habitat watch program and potentially some habitat restoration projects is a perfect place for me to be,” he explained. “I have heard great things about BHA and I appreciate that it is a group with a local and national presence.”
He says that the access we have to public lands and the outdoors in this country is a great privilege and has “shaped the life that I live.” “It is important to me to always protect that, not only to preserve it for future generations, but also as a reminder of where we come from and most importantly what came before us,” Lane emphasized. “Stewardship is of the utmost importance and if we don’t hold ourselves accountable, we’ll lose it!”
Lane and his family live in Berthoud. “Adventure is the name of the game, never afraid of trying something new,” he said. You’re going to fit right in, Lane! Wildlands and wildlife need many more like you.
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)
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