The New York Chapter has come into 2018 with a fury. With the election of new board members, the appointment of Chris Hennessey as the Northeast Coordinator, and the utilization of web based organizing tools, we have set the stage for a busy year.
The chapter is learning as we go. We began the year by defining goals, planning, and delegating responsibilities to smaller action committees focused on topics such as policy, outreach, fundraising and events, etc. We then released a statement reiterating National’s condemnation of the removal of monument status from Bears Ear and GSE, and quickly moved on to strategizing ways to increase our membership, foster collaboration with other organizations, and engage an eastern audience in public lands conservation.
State Chair Ron Rohrbaugh and board members Cosmo Genova and Kevin Koehler manned a BHA booth at the Spencer Van-Etten sportsman’s show on Feb. 3-4 which was well received despite few people being previously aware of BHA or public land issues. Vice-chair Todd Waldron hosted an Adirondack region pint night on Feb. 8th at the Common Roots Brewing Company in Glens Falls, NY, which was a big hit, and also manned a booth at the Sportsmen's Day at the Capitol in Albany on March 6th.
Board member David Gever organized the first BHA pint night in Brooklyn, NY on March 8th, bringing the public lands message and a positive image of hunter-based conservation to the big city. We also plan to host a speaking event and pint night in Ithaca, NY on March 20th, where BHA’s own Sawyer Connelly, NY state Chair Ron Rohrbaugh, and board member Cosmo Genova will be presenting. Our state Rendezvous is tentatively scheduled for April 28th at the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum.
Big things are on the horizon for NY, and we’re just getting started.
About New York BHA
The New York Chapter is focused on bringing BHA's proven approach to conserving wild places and outdoor heritage to the Empire State. Join us to conserve our wilds!