The battle to Save the Cutoff continues with new developments in the court case that BHA formally weighed in on earlier in the year – view the amicus curiae we submitted alongside the Texas Rivers & Parks Association in support of public access to the Cutoff. This suit, referred to as “the road case,” had a court hearing on July 17, 2024, where the judge decided to hold off on moving forward until “the navigability case” is resolved. The court is concerned about the possibility of reaching ...

The Wilderness Act was passed by Congress in 1964, and has protected over 109 million acres of American public lands (53% of them in Alaska) since then. But the idea was born in 1924, with the vision of none other than Aldo Leopold, who was then the Supervisor of the Carson National Forest, and had spent almost fifteen years working on and exploring the wild public lands of New Mexico. Leopold argued that among the resources the Forest Service was mandated to safeguard for the American ...

                                On July 20, 2024, NM and CO BHA members, BLM staff, a Pheasants Forever intern and multiple non BHA members joined Habitat Stewardship Coordinator Bard Edrington V on the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico to modify fencing. The goal of the event was to modify the existing fencing to be wildlife friendly for pronghorn, elk and mule deer. The current fencing separates grazing allotments and has a bottom strand that is ~10"-12" off the ...

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 ...