This is your October edition of BHA's State Policy Spotter - a high-level scan of state policy and legislation impacting our wild public lands, waters and wildlife across North America.
Note - this is not a comprehensive list of legislation or issues that chapters are working on, but rather a spotlight in the moment of what is moving. There are many more bills and issues BHA's chapters are grappling with so be sure to check out individual chapter pages for more news and updates.
October 2025
Pennsylvania: Increasing Public Lands Purchase Power. News
The Pennsylvania Chapter has been working to support House Bill 1811, which aims to modernize land acquisition practices for Pennsylvania’s state game lands by allowing the Game Commission to pay fair market value in 53 of the state’s 67 counties. This legislation addresses outdated pricing limits that have hindered land purchases in more populous areas, potentially improving hunting access for Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania’s 1.5 million acres of state game lands are vital for wildlife conservation, supporting over 480 species, and providing recreational opportunities for hunters, anglers, hikers, and families.
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Maine: North Carolina: Atlantic Striped Bass Addendum III. News
Over the past month BHA volunteers and staff up and down the Atlantic coast spoke up for striped bass at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Addendum III public hearings. To put it simply, the state of the striped bass fishery is dire following six consecutive years of failed spawning production, and BHA urged ASMFC's Striped Bass Board to include conservative options in Addendum III to protect the adult fish that we're counting on to rebuild abundance. BHA Chapters now wait for the ASMFC Striped Bass Board to make a decision.
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Michigan: Chapter Urges Action to Protect Lake Superior. News
The Michigan Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is actively opposing the proposed Copperwood Mine, which threatens Lake Superior and surrounding public lands. Located just two miles from the lake, the mine’s wastewater ponds risk contaminating the watershed with toxic chemicals, endangering wildlife, ecosystems, and outdoor recreation. The Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee considered a $50 million earmark to advance the project. The Michigan Chapter activated members and the hunting and fishing community and urged members to contact the committee and oppose the funding, emphasizing the need to protect Lake Superior, public lands, and Michigan’s outdoor heritage for future generations. Lawmakers heard the voices of hunters, anglers, and other stakeholders and the earmark was not included in the budget.
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Colorado: BHA Helps Launch Stream Access Reform & Common Waters Film. News
Colorado BHA helped form the Colorado Stream Access Coalition to defend and clarify the public’s right to wade, float, and fish the state’s rivers and streams. As part of that effort, BHA is also helping to fund and promote the new film Common Waters—a powerful look at Colorado’s stream access challenges and the hunters, anglers, and paddlers fighting to keep public waters from privatization. The film’s premiere tour this fall marks the next phase of the coalition’s push for fair, stakeholder-driven stream access reform.
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Idaho: Chapter Comments on Challis Backyard Trails Project. News
The Idaho Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers submitted comments urging the Salmon-Challis National Forest to prepare an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Challis Backyard Trails Project. The Chapter raised concerns about the use of a categorical exclusion and the trail expansion impacts on elk and mule deer migration corridors, fawning areas, and whitebark pine habitat, as well as the potential spread of invasive species like cheatgrass and knapweed. The comments also raised concerns regarding cumulative effects from nearby trail developments and recommended alternatives such as seasonal closures and habitat restoration actions to mitigate impacts to wildlife.
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Montana/Idaho: BHA Pushes Back Against Attempts to Rollback Selenium Pollution Standards. News
Montana and Idaho BHA chapters joined a coalition of conservation and angling groups in opposing a Lincoln County petition to weaken Montana’s selenium standards for Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River. The proposal—backed by Canadian mining interests—sought to nearly double allowable selenium levels from 0.8 to 1.5 µg/L, threatening aquatic life, fishing economies, and Montana’s clean-water heritage. In early September, DEQ denied the petition, affirming that Montana’s site-specific, science-based standard remains both legally and technologically achievable. BHA has long advocated for science-based selenium standards for this fishery and these latest comments, part of a multi-state effort linking advocates across the transboundary Kootenai/Kootenay watershed, highlight how continued vigilance is needed to continue to conserve the region’s cold-water fisheries.
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Texas: Fight to Save the Cutoff Escalates. News
The Texas Chapter of BHA launched an action alert last month in response to a proposal from the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) to abandon its right-of-way for a longstanding public road to access the Cutoff of the Trinity River, a beloved destination for hunting and fishing that has been used by locals for over a hundred years. Local hunters also uncovered a letter from state legislators requesting TXDOT abandon the road and sell it to the private landowner who has been actively trying to block the public from accessing this navigable body of water. Sportsmen and women took action and county commissioners recently agreed to advance a vote to take over management of the road instead of selling it to the private landowner. Three legal challenges to ensure public access to the Cutoff continue to work their way through the court system.
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Wyoming: Supreme Court to Confer on Corner Crossing Case. News
The U.S. Supreme Court will meet Oct. 17 where Justices could decide whether to take up Iron Bar Holdings v. Cape, the Wyoming corner-crossing case that could shape the future of public land access across the West’s checkerboarded landscapes. The conference follows the 10th Circuit’s 2024 ruling affirming that the “Missouri Four” hunters did not trespass under the Unlawful Inclosures Act. If the Court denies cert, that decision will stand—protecting access to more than 8 million acres of public land. The Missouri Four have filed a brief opposing review and BHA continues to bankroll and fundraise for their legal fees to uphold the legal decision that corner crossing is not a crime.
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