“This is why BHA was built. For this opportunity. For this fight!”

As we all know, it has been a hell of a year for anyone and everyone who cares about our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. I recall a Winston Churchill quote: “It’s not good enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.” And that’s what Colorado BHA members (and tens of thousands of other BHAers across the country) have done this year!

“Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was (and is) inspired by the political activism of Theodore Roosevelt, the Land Ethic of Aldo Leopold, the hunting ethics of David Petersen, and the fiery oratory of Hal Herring.” We are: “The voice for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.” “Hunters are the canary in the coal mine, and it’s our job to sing,” Ryan “Cal” Callaghan, BHA President and CEO, said.

“In the lifetime of any living American, there has never been such a melee of concentrated assaults on our hard-won heritage of conservation, public lands, hunting, fishing, and the liberty that they provide,” Hal Herring wrote in the Winter 2026 Backcountry Journal. “In the luxury of having so much, we underestimated how easily it could all be lost—or taken.”

“This is the time of our awakening,” Hal added. “We who know and love America’s rivers, mountains, swamps, prairies, and the liberty we’ve had to experience these treasures were born for this moment, for both the gift and the burden of this unique responsibility … To whom much is given, much is expected … I will join all of you in this, the best work of our lives.”

The great public lands estate and legacy that we are fighting for today was brought forward to us by multiple past generations of hunter-angler conservationists and many others. We stand on the shoulders of giants, but now we have the opportunity to show future generations that they too stand on the shoulders of giants, from our generation.

 

 

During this 20th year of the first Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) state chapter, Colorado BHA—founded by David “Elkheart” Petersen (a U.S. Marine Corps veteran) in 2005—it seems appropriate to take a look back at the most notable chapter accomplishments from the last year of our second decade. Conservation issues and actions combined with selfless members and volunteer leaders have propelled our tribe forward for over twenty years while also keeping in mind, as BHA founder Mike Beagle (a U.S. Army veteran) says, “The best is yet to come.”

 

Top 2025 Accomplishments

Our top 2025 accomplishments (and related links/information) are included below. And as we posted on our Colorado BHA Instagram account (on 12/1/25): “With a month to go in 2025, Colorado BHA’s year has looked like this …”

 

-We recruited fifteen (15) new chapter leaders/volunteers during the year, a Colorado BHA record and testament to the resonating importance of BHA’s mission: “The voice for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.”

-During April, we went to Washington, D.C. to visit congressional offices (both Colorado U.S. Senators and four of our Representatives) and advocate for public lands. “In the first week of April, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers members traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in two strategic fly-ins, advocating for the protection of our public lands and waters,” Kaden McArthur, BHA Director of Policy and Government Relations, explained. “Members from our Arizona and Colorado chapters, joined by California-based staff, voiced strong support for national monument designations and stood firmly against efforts to sell off public lands.”

-We visited the congressional offices of four Representatives (Brittany Pettersen, Jeff Hurd, Jason Crow, and Gabe Evans) and both Senators (Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper). --“National Monuments At Risk (Veterans Defend Camp Hale).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/8/25.

-During BHA’s “Flood the Lines Day” (on June 25) over 2,200 Colorado-based actions were taken through the BHA action center, the second highest (Utah was first and Idaho third) of any state chapter in the nation! --“Colorado BHA Chapter Rallies Conservationists From Across the State (& Nation) for Flood the Lines Day.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/10/25. --“Giants of Conservation Rally For Public Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/18/25.

-The Colorado chapter wrote/published/posted forty (40) op-eds, letters, and blog/social media posts in defense of keeping public lands in public hands and over twenty (20) op-eds, letters, and blog/social media posts in defense of the Roadless Rule.

-We completed over twenty (20) stewardship projects (including five on Colorado Public Lands Day) that included fence removals, river clean-ups, installing/improving guzzlers, wet meadow restorations, trail closures, etc. The fence removal projects resulted in over fifteen (15) miles of public lands fencing being removed.

-Colorado BHA’s 3rd annual Beers, Bands & Barb Wire Strands event highlights: five public lands service projects completed; 7 miles of fencing removed to benefit wildlife habitat on your public lands in one day!

-We hosted, co-hosted or joined more than twenty-five (25) events that included ice fishing, fly fishing workshops, pint nights, trivia nights, sage grouse lek viewings, Mile High Hunt And Fish Expo presence, New West Knifeworks event, multiple Colorado Steam Access Coalition events and “Common Waters” Film viewings, 3D Archery shoots, Full Draw Film Tour events, and a rifle sight-in.

-We also held our 16th Annual Colorado BHA Rendezvous. Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was the first BHA state chapter, formed by David “Elkheart” Petersen (a U.S. Marine Corps veteran) in 2005, the year after BHA was founded by Mike Beagle (a U.S. Army veteran) and the “Gang of Seven” around a southern Oregon campfire. We held our first chapter Rendezvous in 2009. The first BHA North American Rendezvous was held in 2012.

-We have eight (8) Colorado BHA members (including current/former chapter leaders) serving on Colorado Outdoor Partnership (CO-OP) Regional Partnerships (there are 21 throughout the state, as of 1/6/26): The Colorado Outdoor Partnership

-The chapter played a significant role in the defeat of HB25-1258 which sought to undermine the important role that the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAMWC) plays in the management of CO wildlife and protection of wildlife habitat. The Bill sought to make the

application of the NAMWC optional rather than mandatory. -We played an important role in the passage of SN25-053, the Protect Wild Bison bill. The bill classifies Bison as Big Game and allows for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) protection and management. Among other things, the bill provides the agency with the authority to establish license fees, fines, and penalties for the harvesting, illegal possession and poaching of bison. This would allow the opportunity for regulated hunting if and when it became useful as a management tool. -We co-founded the Colorado Stream Access Coalition that came together during April. The Coalition and BHA have recently sponsored the showing of the Colorado stream access film “Common Waters” to packed audiences in Grand Junction, Boulder, Denver, and Telluride.

-Between November 2024 and September 2025, the chapter had a net gain of over 200 members.

-As of 9/9/25, the chapter had net event revenue (i.e., net income) of $9,164.

 

Fence pulls, in particular, have been excellent activites for bringing hunters and non-hunters together to work on projects benefiting wildlife. As stated by Ally J. Levine, Soumya Karwa, and Travis Hartman in a July 2025 Reuters story (“Eroding protections for public lands,” 7/28/25), “Within the polarized and fractured political landscape, the geographic landscape may be the one thing that unites the left and right be they hiker or hunter.”

 

 

Regarding the 45 projects/events (20 stewardship projects and 25 events) referenced above, 39 were registered as Colorado BHA-specific projects/events, including: Intro to Ice Fishing - 2/2025; Post Season Pint Night (Fruita) - 2/2025; BHA Conservation Trivia Night - 2/2025; 5th Annual Sportsperson Wet Meadow Restoration Project - 3/2025; CSU BHA Rabbit Hunt - 3/2025; Pints for Public Lands - 3/2025; Rocky Mountain Flycasters Expo - 3/2025; Fence Pull & Cleanup @ Phil's World - 3/2025; Spring Grouse Lek Viewing & Fence Pull - 4/2025; Virtual Big Game e-Scouting Workshop - 4/2025; Mile High Hunt & Fish Expo - 4/2025; Night Out for Conservation - 4/2025; Sportsman’s Day at the Capital - 4/2025; CSAC Protect Public Access to Colorado's Rivers and Streams Event - 5/2025; Spring Creek Rim Fence Pull - 5/2025; Animas Mountain Guzzler Install - 5/2025; Patagonia Store (tabling) - 5/2025; Valor Archery Challenge 3D Archery Event - 6/2025; Full Draw Film Tour (Loveland) - 7/2025; Colorado AFI Fly Fishing Workshop - 7/2025; Dan Noble and Lone Cone State Wildlife Area Fence Pull - 7/2025; Public Lands Pint Night (Frisco) - 8/2025; Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers 16th Annual Rendezvous - 8/2025; Public Lands Pale Ale Pint Night Collab (Longmont) 8/2025; Public Lands Pale Ale Pint Night Collab (Denver) 8/2025; Animas Mountain Trail Removal - 8/2025; Full Draw Film Tour (Steamboat Springs) - 8/2025; Fort Carson AFI 3D Archery Shoot - 8/2025; Rifle Sight in Day - 8/2025; CSAC Fundraiser @ Upslope Brewing - 9/2025; Public Land Pints at High Alpine Brewing in Gunnison - 9/2025; Public Land Pints @ Base Camp Beer Works - 9/025; National Public Lands Day Fence Removal (Longmont) - 9/2025; Habitat Stewardship in Axial Basin Colorado - 10/2025; Common Waters Film Tour (Grand Junction) - 11/2025; Common Waters Film Tour (Denver) - 11/2025; Fence Removal (Macos) - 11/2025; Common Waters Film Tour (Telluride) - 12/2025; World Film Premiere: Inaccessible - 12/2025.

 

2025 Chapter Leader of The Year

Just one example of the selfless, highly motivated chapter leaders we have in Colorado includes our “2025 Chapter Leader of The Year,” Southwest Colorado Assistant Regional Director Jarret Childers. Between February and November 2025 Jarret organized and led five stewardship projects or activities including:

 

1.) February: a regional ice fishing meeting/local engagement event; 2.) March: a fence pull with 11 volunteers removing a half mile of fencing combined with a two-mile pack out; 3.) June: a guzzler repair and installation with 8 volunteers; 4.) August: an illegal trail removal (1.5 miles) impacting winter big game and raptor habitat; 5.) November: a fence pull with 9 volunteers removing a quarter mile of decrepit public lands fencing.

 

Fence pulls, again, have been excellent activities for bringing hunters and non-hunters together to work on projects benefiting wildlife. “On Saturday, November 22, 6 adults volunteers, one child, and 3 BLM staff came together outside of Mancos, Colorado, to remove a little over 1/4 mile of aged and damaged fencing which ran through some critical winter range for wildlife,” Jarret said about his November fence pull. “The area is closed to protect wildlife December 1 - May 1 every year.”

 

 

Southwest Regional Group

Additional examples of our chapter’s active leadership include our Southwest Group. Regional Director Alex Krebs served as Colorado BHA’s representative within three distinct collaboratives, working groups, and planning processes that shape long-term recreation infrastructure, access policy, and habitat protection across southwest Colorado. Additional details (shown below) include:

 

1.) Montelores Coalition – Colorado Regional Partnership Initiative. Alex represented hunters and anglers at coalition roundtables; reviewed and submitted comments on goals, objectives, and conservation language; produced mapping and LOS support for grant funding and planning documentation; provided mapping and LOS for RPI grant application.

 

2.) Durango Northwest Recreation Project. Alex Participated in planning meetings and submitted public comments centered on responsible access, wildlife impacts, and seasonal recreation considerations.

 

3.) Unauthorized Travel Routes Working Group (Dolores Watersheds Collaborative). Alex contributed to strategy development for addressing unauthorized routes, supporting habitat protection, route inventory review, and conflict reduction.

 

Some of the related outcomes include: ➡ Maintained hunter/angler representation in recreation planning ➡ Advanced habitat-first considerations in project design ➡ Provided technical mapping support for planning and grant evaluation ➡ Strengthened multi-stakeholder collaboration.

 

 

Blake Mamich is a Southwest Colorado Group Assistant Regional Director. Blake represented BHA through ongoing involvement in the Pagosa Area Recreation Coalition (Colorado Regional Partnership), which meets regularly to address access planning, recreation expansion pressures, and long-term land management direction. Additional information below.

 

1.) Pagosa Area Recreation Coalition. Participating in stakeholder meetings, providing BHA input on recreation planning, submitting letters of recommendation and comment, and ensuring conservation-focused access and responsible-use perspectives are represented in project planning. Outcomes: ➡ Sustained influence in early-stage recreation planning ➡ Maintains Colorado BHA presence where decisions are being shaped, not reacted to.

 

Summary of Southwest Group Regional Impact: ● Habitat protection through fencing removal and unauthorized trail decommissioning ● Drought resilience through critical water infrastructure stewardship ● Policy and planning representation for responsible recreation and hunting access ● Coalition-driven conservation through long-term partnership and decision-shaping ● Growing regional engagement via meetings, field projects, and community events.

 

“Triad” Chapter Structure

Our unique chapter organization/structure (i.e., leadership “triad”) has allowed us to essentially provide anyone who shows applicable interest and initiative with a position on either: 1.) Executive Leadership Team (ELT)/board; 2.) Regional Groups, which are part of our much larger Chapter Leadership Team (CLT); and 3.) Appointed “Liaison” positions (also part of the CLT). We also have a Habitat Watch Volunteer (HWV) program.

-“Colorado BHA Habitat Watch Volunteer Program History & Training.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/6/20. -“Colorado BHA State Chapter Leadership (Triad) Structure.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/26/21. -“Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: Mission, Issues & Actions (Triads).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 8/17/23.

 

Although the Colorado BHA Board is in the process of revising our leadership structure, the results both during 2025 and the prior 20 years speak volumes, as indicated (in part) by the number of our chapter’s National BHA award recipients (below).

 

 

National BHA Award Recipients

Just as an example of the leadership excellence our chapter structure has helped facilitate, we have had eight Colorado BHA chapter leaders recognized with National BHA Awards. See the Colorado BHA Recognitions And Awards link here and the list below for details.

Dan Parkinson - 2024 Aldo Leopold Award Recipient Don Holmstrom – 2023 Sigurd F. Olson Award Recipient Adam Gall – 2021 Jim Posewitz Award David Lien - 2019 Mike Beagle(Chairman’s) Award Colorado Chapter - 2015 George B. Grinnell Chapter of the Year Award Scott Willoughby – 2014 Ted Trueblood Award Craig Grother - 2013 Aldo Leopold Award David “Elkheart” Petersen - 2013 Mike Beagle (Chairman’s) Award Robert “Bob” Marion - 2012 Aldo Leopold Award

 

Among the award recipients listed above, co-chair David Lien (who will transition off the Board this year) joined BHA at the behest of founder Mike Beagle on March 3, 2005: “Consider our organization—there are none like it anywhere,” Mike said. David started serving on the Colorado BHA Board on July 22, 2006, and will have served for almost 20 years upon stepping down during the first half of 2026.

 

In addition, co-chair Don Holmstrom has served on the Board since June 2018; vice chair Ivan James since April 2017; and vice chair Craig Grother since 2015, with each of them scheduled to transition off the Board during 2026 or 2027. We refer to them as “lifers” and BHA (i.e., our “wild public lands, waters, and wildlife”) needs many more like them. That level of lifetime commitment is rare, precious, and priceless.

 

 

Stay Involved

“BHA is also the one organization that is willing to take a stand for public lands when it matters most and always leads the way,” Indiana Chapter Board Member Brian Stone wrote in the Fall 2025 Backcountry Journal. “In this, BHA is part of a proud tradition, led by volunteers, of defending our public lands from the numerous threats they face. As I like to put it, if Theodore Roosevelt were alive today, he’d be a BHA member.”

 

“So, would Teddy Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold respect and appreciate our efforts? I think those two men would applaud them, but they would warn us to maintain vigilance and avoid apathy,” former BHA President and CEO Jim Akenson cautioned (in the Winter 2011 Backcountry Journal). “In short, stay involved.”

 

“Selflessness is an uncommon virtue, and seemingly increasingly so these days,” chapter co-chair David Lien said. “Thank you for your selflessness, your incalculable efforts to protect wildlands and wildlife for current and future generations. When we all do a little, we accomplish a lot!” But as BHA founder Mike Beagle (a U.S. Army veteran) says, “The best is yet to come.”

 

BHA History/Accomplishments -“A Brief BHA History III: Taking The Initiative and Raisin’ Hell.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/29/25. -“Freedom & Fire: A Brief BHA History II.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/24/25. -“Hunting For Experience: Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Oral History Project.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 3/28/24. -“The Patron Saints of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 3/12/24. -“Stalking Wildness: BHA’s Wilderness Warriors.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/13/24. -“Public Lands (& Freedom) Unite Our Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Tribe.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 1/5/24. -“Conservation (& Conciliation).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 9/15/21. -“Where Hope Lives: A Brief BHA History.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 11/30/20.

 

Colorado BHA

-Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (1/11/26). “Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) chapter Strategic Planning Session: Colorado Springs (1/10/26).” “‘I’m beyond privileged to work/volunteer alongside such a dedicated group of selfless, tireless, hunter-angler-conservationists and friends. Colorado BHA is getting better and better. The best is yet to come!’ -David A. Lien, Colorado BHA Co-Chair.” -Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) chapter Strategic Planning Session (photos): Colorado Springs (1/10/26). -Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) 2025 Highlights (video): “This is why BHA was built. For this opportunity. For this fight!”

 

“Public lands are not a left or right issue; they’re an American issue. This is our national heritage; and once it’s gone, it is gone forever.”