The Colorado BHA chapter recently appointed several new Chapter Leadership Team members, including: Mesa County-Grand Valley Assistant Regional Director Becca Fowler; Southeast Colorado Events Director/Coordinator Brad Athmer; Denver Metro Area Assistant Regional Director Kassi Smith; and Northern Colorado Assistant Regional Director Lauren Jaebker.

We currently have 33 CLT members and six groups (i.e., sub-chapters) including: Northern Colorado, the Denver Metro Area, Southeast Colorado (the greater Pueblo/Colorado Springs/Peyton/Monument/Woodland Park/Divide/Florissant area), Central Rockies (Eagle/Vail/Frisco/Dillon/Steamboat area), Southwest Colorado (Cortez, Durango, Bayfield area) and West Slope. We also have a new Habitat Watch Volunteer, Jonny Cordes, for the San Juan National Forest. We now have 40 boots-on-the-ground HWVs serving as our “eyes and ears” in all eleven Colorado national forests.

In addition, we have three CLT members, along with two additional Colorado BHA members, serving as Statewide Delegates on the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Sportsmen’s Roundtable. Colorado BHA CLT members Adam Gall and Ryan McSparran were selected to serve as Roundtable Statewide Delegates during 2018. More recently, during July 2019, CLT member Cody Doig was appointed as a Statewide Delegate. In addition, Colorado BHA members Liz Rose and Mark Scofield are Statewide Delegates.

The Colorado chapter was also named BHA’s Chapter of the Month for July 2019. For years, Colorado BHA has been a leading voice advocating for improved access on state trust lands in Colorado. Thanks in part to the chapter’s sustained efforts, the quality work of CU graduate student Liz Rose, and our dedicated members and partners, Colorado hunters will have access to an additional 500,000 acres in the coming years, with 100,000 acres accessible to hunters this past fall.

Colorado BHA Southeast Regional Director, Ty Woodward, was recognized as BHA’s Member of the Month for August 2019. “Ty started Colorado BHA’s Southeast Group, along with Ben Montgomery, during July 2017. From the get-go, they have led by example and personified the ass-kickery that BHA is known for nationwide and continent-wide,” said Colorado BHA Co-Chair, David Lien (a former U.S. Air Force officer). “They’ve also groomed and recruited additional group leaders, including John Barkowski, Brad Athmer, Kyle Vistuba and Drew Trujillo. We need many more like them!”

The Southeast Group organized a “Campfire Stores: A Public Lands & Military Event” in Colorado Springs on Thursday, August 1, featuring the stories of six individuals and their experiences in the backcountry. The event also highlighted the sacrifices of our military members and the organizations that seek to provide them with hunting, fishing and other opportunities, including American Heroes In Action, the Wounded Warrior Project, Freedom Hunters and Switching Camo.

“Once again the volunteers of the Southeast Colorado Group knocked it out of the park with Filson’s Campfire Stories,” said Southeast Group Regional Director, Ty Woodward. “A huge thanks to our superb speakers and wonderful sponsors … for providing the support we needed to make the event the most successful ever for Colorado BHA!!”