Joel Gay’s herculean efforts on behalf of public lands and waters in New Mexico date back decades, though his leadership on behalf of NM BHA in recent weeks has been particularly notable. Joel helped lead a successful effort to rebuild the New Mexico BHA board from three people to 14, with eight executive board members and six regional representatives located throughout the state. Joel was instrumental in orchestrating the chapter’s robust efforts to secure a reversal of a rule that that allowed private land owners to block public access to the state’s streams — an effort that led to the New Mexico Game Commission’s 6-1 vote on Nov. 21 to release a critical memo from the New Mexico attorney general. For years, Joel has been a driving force for the chapter, and we’re lucky to have him in our ranks.