I didn’t grow up hunting. Back in Minnesota, it always felt like something other people did to embrace the cooling temps and an excuse to sit in a deer stand and drink beer all day. Not me....Still, I struggled to take the leap on my own. I had always been the curious observer tagging along—helping prep gear, mapping hunts on OnX, waterproofing tents, packing food—yet never the hunter. That’s when I discovered Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Hunting for Sustainability program: a chance to finally step into the role I’d been circling for a few years.

Taking pictures of our backcountry experiences is just one way hunters and anglers capture their most beloved memories in designated wilderness, on Bureau of Land Management tracts, Forest Service parcels, and on public waters in between. And we want to see your pics! Our winners will take home over $8,900 in prizes from partners like Savage, Simms, Fishpond, Seek Outside, Benchmade, Sitka, First Lite, Walton’s, Irish Setter, Grundens, NRS, and more!

Central Yukon Resource Management Plan:

Alaskans Deserve Stewardship, Not Political Shortcuts

The Central Yukon Resource Management Plan (CYRMP) covers 56 million acres in northern Alaska—13.3 million managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This is not just empty ground; it’s the Yukon River watershed, the Dalton Highway corridor, and lands that sustain local communities, hunters, anglers, and Alaska’s economy. It also includes areas tied directly to national energy infrastructure and military readiness. In short, it matters.

For decades, management here was guided by outdated plans from the 1980s and early ’90s. After more than ten years of work, extensive consultation, and $6.7 million in taxpayer investment, the new plan was finalized in late 2024. The CYRMP balances habitat necessary for hunting, fishing, and trapping, subsistence, recreation, and responsible development. It gives certainty to communities, businesses, and agencies operating in one of the most remote and challenging landscapes in America.

Now, Congress is considering rolling it back using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). That may sound like a quick fix, but in practice it would waste millions of dollars, undo years of public engagement, and throw Alaskans back into regulatory limbo. Worse, under the CRA, BLM couldn’t issue a “substantially similar” plan in the future without a new act of Congress. That’s not efficiency—it’s paralysis.

Alaskans deserve better. If there are genuine concerns with the CYRMP, the Bureau of Land Management already has a process to revise or amend these plans. That system requires public input, tribal consultation, and coordination with state and local governments. It’s not perfect, but it’s the right way to ensure all voices are heard and tax dollars aren’t wasted.

Scrapping the plan through the CRA would set a dangerous precedent, politicizing land management and sidelining Alaska’s interests in favor of Washington gridlock. The CYRMP may not please everyone, but it provides clarity and balance. At its core, it reflects Alaskan values: responsible use of resources, respect for tradition, and passing on healthy lands and strong opportunities to the next generation.

Alaska needs durable land management.

At Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, we believe public lands are the cornerstone of our outdoor way of life. They belong to all of us, no matter where we live or what we earn. That is why we are standing against HB 4851, and why we are asking you to join us in defending the lands that make Michigan special.