It is October in Ohio, the leaves are brightly colored but falling fast, and hunting seasons are in full swing. Whitetail deer and squirrels are moving and feeding, and fish are fattening themselves for the winter. It's a good time to get outdoors in Ohio, fishing or hiking, hunting or biking!
Our Ohio chapter had a simply amazing summer hang at Muster in the Marsh. Great food, great conversation, many laugh out loud moments, it will be remembered for a long time by a lot of people. We're so thankful that we have so many good people who care deeply about public lands in Ohio. We look forward to seeing many of those faces at an upcoming MeatEater trivia night in Cleveland.
On the policy front, we continue to work to protect important state park lands, including the beautiful Salt Fork State Park, from being damaged by development to support hydraulic fracturing. We do not believe that the leasing process as implemented is sufficient to protect these lands. The law that led to this situation, known as the Chicken Bill, was a rushed mess. The meager public comment period, which only exists because of the hard work of a coalition of Ohio conservation organizations, was corrupted by an out-of-state oil and gas lobbying organization. This group tricked Ohio citizens, including a 9 year old girl, into submitting false comments in support of hydraulic fracturing to the public record. We have no confidence that this process will protect these public lands from pollution or encroachment, and until substantial reforms are made, we oppose the granting of leases for the hydraulic fracturing of rock under our state parks.
We have been following this bill all through 2023 and you can access our past posts below:
Public Comment Period Needed before Oil/Gas Development
About Jameson Hibbs
I am a Chapter Coordinator for the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers covering several of our awesome state chapters. I reside in Kentucky with my wife and daughter and we are all avid users of public lands for all outdoor recreational opportunities!