Can you believe it's already June?!  While some seasons may be in the rearview, we hope they are replaced by new pursuits to get you outdoors and explore all that our beautiful state has to offer!  Your Arkansas board is excited to share some upcoming events and news with you in our latest newsletter.  We also have an opening on our board for a Communications Chair - to learn more about this opportunity - click here.  For our Summer 2024 Newsletter - CLICK HERE or on the image below!

Grouse Creek Pack Out Recap Words and Photos by Melissa Hendrickson   How much trash can 12 adults, 3 pre-teens, and 3 toddlers pick up in 3 hours? Apparently the answer is 2 overfull dump trailers and a pick-up bed full! Or at least that was the amount a crew of BHA members and friends did recently at a shooting site in North Idaho. I “discovered” the site on Easter, when our family went out for a bike ride on the road by the shooting pit. I say “discovered” in quotes because the site was ...

  BHA Chapters are unique due to their abilities to cast a broad focus within the conservation world. Chapters identify and engage in important topics, issues, and trends that are localized to their specific state and region. BHA chapter leaders also simply know how to have a great time while engaging on important and impactful topics! That’s exactly what the Kentucky BHA Chapter did on June 8th in collaboration with Kevin Murphy of Small Game Nation and hosting Small Game Bootcamp! This ...

The policy team at Kansas BHA rode a veritable roller coaster of legislation in the 2023-2024 session aimed at abolishing or drastically modifying the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission, the regulatory body of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. The impetus for making these changes is widely attributed to the commission holding a listening session regarding banning baiting for deer to combat disease transmission. Some Kansas legislators disliked that conversation and publicly ...

On June 12, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held a legislative hearing which included the consideration of six bills supported by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Members of BHA have advocated for these bills which together would permanently conserve nearly 3 million acres of public lands and 3,600 miles of rivers and streams, as well as improve publicly available data for accessing federal waters. These priority landscapes contain ...

Update from Chapter Chair I hope everyone had an amazing May out chasing turkeys, trout or just spending time outdoors! As we roll into the summer months, we hope to see you at one of our many upcoming events happening this summer, including Muster in the Mountains (Aug 9-11 in PA), and our own NY Chapter Rally in the Valley happening August 16-18.  Check out this month's newsletter for events happening near you and also some legislative news now that the legislative session has closed.  I ...

The Arkansas Chapter Board has an immediate opening for our Communications Chair.  This volunteer role is all about keeping our members in the loop. You'll be the mastermind behind our quarterly newsletter, social media buzz, blog posts, and email blasts. To lighten the load, you can even build a team of volunteers to help you out. Just like a quarterback, you'll work with the board and other volunteers to get the content flowing and keep our chapter connected with everyone who matters. The ...

On June 1st volunteers from the New York Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers assisted NYS DEC West Almond Foresters with the construction of a new foot trail around Allen Lake. The trail begins near the ADA compliant fishing dock and traverses through many different forest cover types before looping back to the parking area. In total, the project added 1.5 miles of trail to the 2,421-acre state forest in Allegany County. Future projects for this trail include constructing spurs to the ...

Just days before the end of the 2024 legislative session the RI General Assembly approved three wildlife bills in concurrence, each of which was supported by the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Now, each will be transmitted to the Governor for the final step of RI’s legislative enactment process.   “The New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is grateful to the House and Senate bill sponsors, the Committee Chairs, and House and Senate Leadership for their ...

Alaska Ice Fishing Event Dec 2022   I need to tell you about your Alaska AFI leader, David May. I cannot thank him enough, and he needs some sort of award or recognition. David May saved my life. I was in a bad place before BHA and AFI. Because of David, I am feeling better than I have in Years. My marriage is better, my home life is better, and my work is better. Thanks to David, I have a new purpose in the Armed Forces Initiative.