In a region where the wins that protect and expand the opportunities available to hunters are few and far between, the Massachusetts State Leadership Team (SLT) is happily celebrating a series of recent victories that were won on both the legislative and regulatory front.   Expanded Small Game Season & More Opportunity on Wildlife Management Areas – Regulatory Two of the Massachusetts SLT’s top regulatory priorities will soon be removed from the team’s list thanks to a recent decision by the ...

The Massachusetts State Leadership Team was disappointed to learn that S.507, An Act Addressing Noise Issues of Migratory GameHunters Near Coastal Dwellings, accompanied with S.508, An Act Establishing a Special Commission to Study the Noise Effects of Hunting Migratory Game Birds in Neighborhoods and Communities Within Established Coastal Zones, was referred to the Joint Committee on Rules. As was previously mentioned in the Massachusetts 2021 Legislative and Policy Roundup, the chapter was ...

Thanks to the hard work of the Massachusetts State Leadership Team and BHA’s Massachusetts membership, with the help of hunters, anglers, as well as other hunting and fishing organizations, we have made some serious gains this legislative session, but we’re not done yet! There are several bills with momentum, and if passed, will dramatically improve opportunity and access; help protect our wildlife by preventing poaching; and help give our state Fish and Game Agency the resources it needs to ...

2021 has been an interesting year, and while we did not host in-person events during the first half of the year the New England BHA team was hard at work standing up for the interests of hunters and anglers in Rhode Island. Below you’ll find updates on our work at the Rhode Island General Assembly and other state agencies from this year.   Issue: Shoreline Access For the second year in a row bills were introduced to clarify where the boundary of Rhode Islanders’ shoreline access lies. Rather ...

In April of 2020, two Little Compton brothers applied for a lease to establish a commercial oyster growing operation in the tidal waters adjacent to Sapowet Marsh Wildlife Management Area in Tiverton, Rhode Island. The state agency that manages aquaculture, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, proceeded to review and work towards approval of the application with little scrutiny from the public. In June, approval of the lease appeared imminent, but was delayed because the ...