Here comes Jerry and yes, he has sandwiches. The midday heat does little to dampen the appetite we have worked up after a morning of unburdening the local hillside of outdated fencing. There is a scramble to help Jerry unload the cooler and soon the frenzy dies down replaced with mild munching noises. We eat then lounge contented in the shade watching the Colorado River roll on as it is want to do. Jerry Pelis is back again and this time he means business. Not that he did not mean ...

Battle At Bellyache Ridge Fence Removal  By Briant Wiles   It was the end of May 2024, and the BHA stewardship team was riding high after victories at Meeker, Rabbit Mountain, Perins Peak, and the momentous Beer, Bands, and Barbwire Strands event. I might say that we were a little bit smug having battled everything from 4 strand wire in scrub oak to woven wire embedded in thick sage. Overconfident and foolhardy I plunged the Toyota off the pavement onto the dirt road leading up Bellyache ...

To celebrate this year’s Public Lands Day, Montana BHA Chapter volunteers organized a river cleanup on the Missouri River between Holter Dam and the town of Cascade. Boasting over 7,000 trout per mile, this 35-mile section is one of the most well-known stretches of river among trout anglers around the world. Consistent water temps and an excellent biomass of insects, baitfish, crustaceans, and vegetation makes this portion of the upper Missouri River a trout factory, attracting thousands of ...

Villa Grove State Trust Lands  Fence Removal By Briant Wiles   Looking up from the fence our eyes are drawn to a solid wall of mountains that sweep south lining the bathtub of sediment that is the San Luis Valley in South central Colorado. The breeze picks up and a gust of wind brings cool notes of autumn refreshing the smell of sage tinted air. With bolt cutters and fence pliers we drop the old, barbed wire from wind polished ceder posts. These weathered posts stood as mute testament to a ...

  San Isabel National Forest Fence Removal By Briant Wiles   “The fence just disappeared” was the overheard remark of one of the participants at the recent Salida fence pull event. 16 motivated volunteers meet up on a warm and sunny mid-September morning at a work site on San Isabel National Forest. A joint effort between BHA, Greater Arkansas Nature Association (GARNA), and Chaffee County Rec Adopters brought folks together from many walks of life with one goal in common: improve habitat. ...