BHA-NY is as busy as ever this winter, cranking out events and pint nights, thanks to our hard-working board and membership.

First up, let’s all welcome Carla Denn and Virginia Glazier who were recently selected to join the BHA-NY Board. These ladies bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to bear and have wasted no time in getting right to work. We’re already a better chapter with them on the team. Welcome!

We closed out 2018 with a pint night at Newburgh Brewing Company in Newburgh on December 5 which was a big hit. January was a busy month for us, and we came into the New Year at a full charge. We held an awesome pint night on the  9th, at the Eli Fish Brewing Company in Batavia, which helped us connect with folks in Western NY. On January 16, we held a pint night at American Whiskey in New York City where we had an awesome turnout and were thrilled to raise glasses with so many public landowners from the City. We plan to hold at least one pint night or other events in NYC every year.  A special thanks to board member Tom Hammond for organizing the NYC pint night, and to all those who came out.

New York BHA Vice-Chair Garrett Burback leads a discussion at the New York Sportsman's Expo.

The weekend of Jan 25-27, we held a table at the New York Sportsman’s Expo in Syracuse. We manned a table each day and signed up many new folks to BHA. Board Chair Todd Waldron and Co-Chair Garrett Burback gave a series of presentations on hunting western public land from an easterner’s perspective, and spread the good word about BHA and the work we do across the country. Big thanks to board member Glen Stratton for organizing and tabling the event, and for all those who came to help and say hi.

Thanks again to Tom Hammond and Dan Denn, who tabled the Suffern World Fishing and Outdoor Expo from Feb 28 to March 3. It's been a priority of our chapter to hold and attend events in as many new places as possible, and because of our hardworking volunteers, BHA-NY is crushing it.  

Campfire Storytelling made its way to the Filson Flagship Store in NYC on Feb 28. Ticket holders received a one-year BHA membership, renewal or gift, great drinks, BBQ, and music. We were treated to the amazing storytelling of Ryan Callaghan, Director of Conservation for Meateater Inc., Chef Eduardo Garcia, the adventure photographer Becca Skinner, and Anthony Licata, Editorial Director for Field & Stream and Outdoor Life.

We also tabled the Western New York Sport & Travel Expo from March 7-10, another first, and we hope to bring more events to WNY throughout the year.

Board Member and Policy Team leader Michael Poulopoulos is working to keep us abreast of the political happenings in Albany. We are making it a priority to increase our policy related advocacy and information dissemination this year, so stay tuned, stay informed, and get involved.  

We’ve got more events coming down the pipeline, including pint nights in Ithaca NY and other cities, multiple cleanups, and planning for our much-anticipated state chapter rendezvous. Connect with us via Facebook, Instagram, and through our email blasts. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to get involved @ [email protected]

By Cosmo Genova and Michael Poulopoulos