September is Public Lands Month at BHA and as part of the annual celebration, Pennsylvania BHA held and participated in a slew of events, hit the halls of the Capitol and got down to work cleaning up our public lands. Thanks to all who pitched in! Read on for the highlights.

PA BHA Board Member Ross Miller and member Sarah Xenophon joined the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other conservation groups September 25 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Hunting and Fishing Day at PGC’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lebanon County. The pair hosted an information table and introduced BHA to many members of the public.

The chapter held two social events / fundraisers in September:

• Root Down Pint Night in Phoenixville, Chester County
• Our first-ever Bustin’ Clays with BHA sporting clays shoot at Carlisle Fish & Game in Carlisle, Cumberland County.

Congrats to Justin Gorg, winner of the top raffle prize at the Bustin' Clays event, a Weatherby Orion Sporting model in 20 gauge. He's ready for the next clays event now!

Thanks to everyone who joined us at those events to build community and raise funds for our work in Harrisburg!

Quite a few Pack-Outs and cleanups were executed on public lands in September, including:

• Chartiers Creek Clean Up Day in and around Canonsburg Lake in Washington County, in partnership with Washington County Watershed Alliance
• Two Pack-Outs on State Game Lands 83 and Otter Creek Nature Preserve in York County in partnership with The Lancaster Conservancy
• A Pack-Out at State Game Lands 285 in Beaver County

This is just some of the refuse pulled from SGL 285!

When you're cleaning trash out of a lake, a duck boat comes in handy, as it did at the Canonsburg Lake cleanup.

Thanks to Board Members Steve Mohr, Alex Pedder and Nick Scalo for leading these cleanup efforts in their communities and to all the members and friends who joined to get dirty and do good!

On the policy front, policy advisor John Kline and the chapter were busy working publicly and behind the scenes on various pieces of legislation, including Senate Bill 431, which would modernize antlerless licensing in Pennsylvania.

Chapter Chair Don Rank and Board Member Adam Eckley joined Kline at the state Capitol in Harrisburg September 20 for a day of events, starting with a Legislative Breakfast hosted by the Sportsmen and Women Working Group, a coalition of hunting and fishing groups in Pennsylvania. Following the breakfast, the trio met with three legislative committee chairs and the office of the Speaker of the House to discuss BHA’s public lands, hunting and fishing priorities.

Thanks to the Working Group and all of our legislators and their staffs for a great day in the halls of the Capitol!

PA BHA Chair Don Rank and Chapter Coordinator Chris Hennessey took part in the new Recreation Engagement Coalition tasked with shaping the growth of Pennsylvania's outdoor recreation sector through the Commonwealth’s Office of Outdoor Recreation. The effort kicked off September 13. Read the full story HERE.

Want to get involved? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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