Backcountry Hunters & Anglers - Public Waters Access

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Press Releases

New Mexico Supreme Court Rules in Support of Public Access to Public Waters

Thomas Plank
News for Immediate ReleaseSept. 2, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org   Decision confirms the public’s right to walk or wade streambeds that cross privately owned lands SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled again in support of public access to public waters in a Thursday decision that confirms the public’s right to walk or wade streambeds crossing privately owned lands. The opinion ruling by the court follows its unanimous decision in ...
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Boundary Waters Conservation Advanced by Administration Action

Katie McKalip
News for Immediate ReleaseJune 24, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org          Lukas Leaf, SFBW, 612-270-6805, lukas@sportsmenbwca.org U.S. Forest Service says copper-nickel mining jeopardizes nation’s most visited wilderness WASHINGTON – Hunters and anglers applauded a proposal Thursday from federal agencies that would protect the nation’s most visited wilderness, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota. A long-awaited ...
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New Mexico Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Public Access to State Waters

Katie McKalip
News for Immediate ReleaseMarch 1, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Court rules unanimously that ‘non-navigable regulation’ is unconstitutional, voids existing closure certifications SANTA FE, N.M. – Today the New Mexico Supreme Court issued a ruling strongly in support of public access to the state’s waters when it unanimously struck down a regulation allowing landowners to close access to streams running through their properties. The New Mexico ...
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Hunters and Anglers Commend Administration Action to Ensure Long-Term Protections for Boundary Waters

Katie McKalip
News for Immediate ReleaseJan. 26, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org          Lukas Leaf, SFBW, 612-270-6805, lukas@sportsmenbwca.org  WASHINGTON – A broad coalition of hunters and anglers today applauded an announcement by the Department of the Interior to cancel two federal hardrock mineral leases located in the Superior National Forest within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed, citing the importance of this move to sustaining the ...
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Stream Access Weighed by Utah Supreme Court

SuperUser Account
Public opportunities to legally fish, hunt or float Utah waterways could be decided this week SALT LAKE CITY – Years of legal uncertainty surrounding public access of Utah streams and waterways soon could be resolved, as the Utah Supreme Court prepares to issue a ruling on a controversial state law prohibiting public access on waters that cross private property. On Monday, the court heard oral arguments on Utah’s stream access law. At issue is the public’s ability to access waters that ...
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