Backcountry Journal: Summer 2024 Backcountry hunters and anglers value wild country, clean water and intact habitat. It’s a founding principal of this organization, and one that remains a priority today. But we aren’t the only ones who know their value. Five years ago I teamed up with rancher Bill Fales to advocate for protecting Colorado’s Thompson Divide from proposed oil and gas development. Bill and his family ranch alongside the Crystal River, south of Carbondale. The ranch has been in ...

A different kind of FHF adventure Words and Photos by Melissa Hendrickson One of the lessons I’ve learned over the many years of doing field work and hunting is having several backup plans can make or break a day out in the woods. Carrying this preparation mindset into organizing BHA events helped me successfully host a recent gathering when Mother Nature was trying to cancel: a 90% chance of mountain thunderstorms. This led to a last minute change for a foraging and forest health hike from ...

The Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism is requesting a Special Use Permit for an area of National Forest Service lands for trail development and recreation-related infrastructure. The location is a section of the Ouachita National Forest in Mena, Arkansas, between Queen Wilhelmina State Park and Ward Lake. A public comment period is open through July 29, 2024. If you want to know more about the proposed project, or if you have an opinion and want to comment, please click on ...

It was a great evening at Filson NYC with History Channel's Alone Season 10 star, Melanie Sawyer! She spent the evening talking about her experience on Alone Season 10 and showing the tools she brought with her. Melanie shared her foraging knowledge that kept her well fed during the show and even brought many wild edibles including rock tripe, cattails, birch bark and many varieties of edible mushrooms. Those in attendance had the opportunity to ask questions and chat with Melanie throughout ...

Each year fish & wildlife agencies around the country assemble teams of biologists, technicians, and volunteers to take on the important conservation work of banding waterfowl. Unlike winter waterfowl banding, where efforts focus primarily on migratory ducks on their winter range, summer banding is focused on Canada geese in the areas where they raise young and go through the annual cycle of molting. In 2024, New England BHA’s RI team assisted wildlife biologists from the RI Department of ...