Media Chapter News Stewardship News Press Releases Veterans Give Back Through Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration 7/18/2025 For Immediate Release: July 18, 2025 For Information Contact: Valerie DiMarzio, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, vdimarzio@cbf.org Alena Billingsley, Armed Forces... Tags: media, Press Releases, Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Public Lands & Waters
Media News Chapter News Issues Federal Issues These Woods Saved Me. Now I’m Fighting to Save Them for My Sons 5/20/2025 By Hunter Owen I’ve spent most of my adult life in uniform. As a dad I’ve done my best to balance fatherhood and life in uniform. But the truth is, I’ve been in and out of... Tags: media, Armed Forces Initiative
Media Chapter News National Monuments At Risk (Veterans Defend Camp Hale) 4/8/2025 During early April members of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) and other conservation groups converged in Washington, D.C. to advocate for keeping public lands in public hands. I had the... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Colorado Chapter
Media Chapter News Volunteers Restore Habitat for Rio Grand Cutthroat Trout 5/7/2024 The Kirtland AFI club and New Mexico Chapter had an incredible time at the Annual Lincoln National Forest stream restoration project on April 20th! Our crew worked diligently to repair two small... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship, New Mexico Chapter
Media Chapter News AFI Oklahoma Waterfowl Dual Skills Camp 1/11/2024 Oklahoma Waterfowl Dual Skills Camp Review: What is it: A Dual Skills Camp is a learn-to ______ event. Attendees will be mentored through a hunting or fishing experience from the planning phase... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Oklahoma Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Get Another Boost from U.S. Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron 12/13/2023 ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK, Calif - For the third year in a row the brave men and women of the U.S. Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron HMLAT303 have stepped up to provide aerial support for bold... Tags: media, California Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship
Media Chapter News Operation Javelina 10/2/2023 I received word in 2019 that the military was sending me to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. To save time among ourselves, my wife and I named the move “Operation Javelina.” Javelina - more properly... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Arizona Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues Wilderness in Virginia? Yes, that there is! 9/17/2023 Back in the spring I was fortunate enough to participate in a “fly-in” event in support of the LWCF Coalition at our Nation’s capital. You can read the blog post I published about that... Tags: Policy, Armed Forces Initiative, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues The Land and Water Conservation Fund benefits our nation, so let’s build on it 8/16/2023 The following article was first published by The Virginian-Pilot on 15 August 2023. It is an op-ed I wrote in support of an ongoing collaboration with the LWCF Coalition on behalf of Backcountry... Tags: Policy, Armed Forces Initiative, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues Alaska BHA Partners with Stream Watch Program to Mitigate Bank Erosion on the Famed Russian River 6/22/2023 Of the many things that I remember wanting as a young kid, but not among the few that I never obtained, living in Alaska was in the top two. Early in my military career and after garnering... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship, Alaska Chapter
Media Chapter News The Warden is Watching 5/31/2023 The Warden is Watching By Spencer Como Last January, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Armed Force Initiative held a leadership camp outside the Parker River Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts.... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, New England Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues LWCF Coalition Fly-in with Capital Region Chapter and AFI 5/25/2023 Capital Region Chapter Vice Chair and Mid-Atlantic AFI Liaison Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a fly-in hosted by the LWCF Coalition in Washington, D.C. This is the second time... Tags: Policy, Armed Forces Initiative, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Media Chapter News BHA recognizes USMC Squadron with Plaque and Ram Skull 5/23/2023 BHA and partner organizations recognize U.S. Marine Corps Squadron HMLAT 303 and Major Johnny "CONGO" Zimmer for their critical role in support of desert bighorn sheep during the extreme drought... Tags: California Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship
Media Chapter News North Carolina AFI Turkey Camp 5/17/2023 I recently had the pleasure in attending the 2023 North Carolina Armed Forces Initiative Turkey Camp as a mentor. There was a bit of trepidation on my part about being a mentor as I do not have a... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, North Carolina Chapter
Media Chapter News Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Armed Forces Initiative (AFI) Names Matt Lee Colorado AFI Liaison 5/5/2023 Army National Guard veteran Matt Lee was named Armed Forces Initiative (AFI) Liaison for the Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers AFI Club. Matt was born in Iowa and raised in both Iowa and... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Colorado Chapter
Media Chapter News New Year, New Zero "a day at the range" 4/18/2023 I hear the familiar sound of the bolt running a round into a chamber of my buddies Browning X-bolt. I am focused on looking through my spotting scope and watching the young Black tail, slowly... Tags: California Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative
Media Chapter News State Issues Anza Borrego Desert Helicopter Guzzler Replacement with US Marine Corps 12/2/2022 Tags: California Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship
Media Chapter News NM AFI ladies Night 11/28/2022 The Kirtland AFB AFI chapter hosted its first ladies’ night. The event was centered around a pack dump where we discussed gear, tools, resources, and lessons learned. Attendees were treated to... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, New Mexico Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues AFI Podcast Tour 10/31/2022 AFI Director Trevor Hubbs has been hitting the podcast network on a speaking tour for a few months garnering support for the program and building sponsor relationships. For a list of Podcast... Tags: Montana Chapter, Michigan Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative, Wisconsin Chapter, New England Chapter, Kansas Chapter, Minnesota Chapter
Media Chapter News Capital Region Celebrates Public Lands Month with Pack-Out Work Days 9/28/2022 For the third year in a row, Capital Region BHA held a Public Land Pack Out at C.F. Phelps Wildlife Management Area in Hartwood, Virginia as part of its Public Lands Month celebrations. After... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Media Chapter News NM AFI Antelope Adventure 9/14/2022 As I sit here watching the sun go down, the chickens peck and the sheep do sheep things, I am chewing on a piece of backstrap from an antelope that not a week ago was living on a pasture that... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, New Mexico Chapter
Media Chapter News Podcasts BHA Podcast & Blast, Ep. 137: Marine Veteran and Storyteller Russell Worth Parker 8/2/2022 Russell Worth Parker, known as Worth, is a retired Marine and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. After 27 years in the Corps, he is home in Wilmington, North Carolina, hunting and fishing and... Tags: media, Podcast, Armed Forces Initiative, North Carolina Chapter, Public Lands & Waters
Media Chapter News AFI Alaska in the News 6/14/2022 Alaska AFI leader David May had the opportunity to represent the program. Have a listen below. https://sourdoughoutdoorsmen.buzzsprout.com/1443304/10367598 This time on Lead and Line, Brandon... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Mentorship, Alaska Chapter
Media Chapter News AFI Podcast appearance 6/14/2022 AFI Leader Trevor Hubbs and Chapter Coordinator Aaron Hebeisen were able to sit down with Amaazen Outdoors and record a podcast while turkey hunting in Northern Wisconsin. Have a listen... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Wisconsin Chapter, Minnesota Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues BHA Endorses Petition to Restore Historic Fishing Access to Surf Beach 6/10/2022 The California Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers urges the California Fish & Game Commission to adopt the regulation change proposed by the city of Lompoc to modify the Vandenberg State... Tags: California Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative, Public Waters Access, Access & Opportunity
Media Chapter News Press Releases BHA Bestows Top Honors at North American Rendezvous 5/17/2022 News for Immediate ReleaseMay 17, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org MISSOULA, Mont. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers bestowed its top honors on a suite of... Tags: Montana Chapter, media, Press Releases, Armed Forces Initiative, Arkansas Chapter, Collegiate Clubs, New England Chapter, North Carolina Chapter, Wyoming Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues Water for Sheep 3/31/2022 Photo: Brian Schwab, SCBS BHA’s California chapter, Armed Forces Initiative and the Marines team up to save bighorn sheep BY EVAN NORDSTROM While the devastating fires of the Western... Tags: media, California Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative, Backcountry Journal
Media Press Releases Veterans Gain Access to Public Lands Via Measure in Defense Bill 12/15/2021 News for Immediate ReleaseDec. 15, 2021Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org WASHINGTON – Military veterans and Gold Star families will gain lifetime access to... Tags: media, Press Releases, Armed Forces Initiative
Media Chapter News California Chapter & AFI Events Recap 8/10/2021 Shark tacos, guzzler installations & pint nights The California Chapter and BHA Pendleton AFI Club have been busy Operation Horno Last month BHA Pendleton Armed Forces Initiative Club and the... Tags: California Chapter, Armed Forces Initiative
Media Chapter News Press Releases Sportsmen Welcome Move to Conserve Colorado’s Thompson Divide 3/1/2017 WASHINGTON – Acknowledging years of collaborative, community-driven efforts to permanently conserve valuable backcountry habitat in Colorado’s Thompson Divide, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers... Tags: Press Releases, Armed Forces Initiative, Habitat Stewardship, Colorado Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues Book Cliffs Get Three-Year Reprive 9/20/2013 The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) announced today it would give a three-year reprieve to a controversial lease it planned to issue in the Book Cliffs. An... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Utah Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues Prized hunting and fishing area leased to oil and gas 8/26/2013 Book Cliffs leasing blindsides sportsmen, threatens to derail protection efforts Sportsmen expressed dismay Monday after learning that the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands (SITLA) Board... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Utah Chapter
Media Chapter News State Issues Members Urged to Attend Grand Bargain Meetings 7/25/2013 The upcoming meetings regarding the Grand Bargain Land Exchange Initiative are an important opportunity for members to speak-up for Utah’s backcountry fish and wildlife habitat, and sporting... Tags: Armed Forces Initiative, Utah Chapter