On the Hunt: Find your backcountry

By Cosmo Genova
Tompkins Weekly

 

I’ll start by shattering any semblance of feigned impartiality or journalistic pretense and just say it. I am rabidly passionate about and deeply involved in the topic of this month’s article: Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the public lands conservation movement.

In 2004, a group of friends sat around a campfire in Oregon talking about their shared love for the outdoors and the need to protect wild open spaces for future generations. They concluded that while there were plenty of organizations doing good, honest work, nobody was focused specifically on public lands and public waters conservation and access.

Spearheaded by career conservationist Land Tawney, this fireside revelation birthed a powerful grassroots movement that today has chapters in 33 states and several Canadian provinces. With a base of over 10,000 members and numerous political victories under its belt, BHA is growing exponentially and isn’t slowing down. From direct political action to public land cleanups, social pint nights, and state and national rendezvous, BHA has been effective because of its ability to rally a youthful, engaged membership around a lively culture and unifying message.

Don’t let the name fool you, this isn’t just another good ol’ boy hunting organization or special interest group wallowing in obscurity. BHA is a young, vibrant, progressive, and effective group that advocates beyond party lines and political dogmas to bring together the traditional ‘hook & bullet’ sportsman and the wider outdoor community in solidarity around a shared love of our natural and public resources. We hunt, you hike, it’s all good.

With very real, very powerful threats to public lands and the environment, people are flocking to BHA’s message from across the political and recreational spectrum. Whatever your outdoor pleasure, we all believe in protecting vital habitat for wildlife and advocating for science-based conservation. In this way, BHA’s reach goes far beyond its membership. Clean air, clean water, and the egalitarian ideal of American public land is important to everyone.

From big-ticket issues like drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, to trash dumped in the local trout stream, BHA is taking a stand. With politics more closely aligned to Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose party than either of the now-laughable major parties, BHA is a home for many of us that do not fit into simplistic political categories. As such, BHA has become a platform for galvanizing hunter-conservationists into a political entity that can influence policy and change public perception.

Rooted in the West, the message of the public lands movement resonates across the country; whether you live in New York or New Mexico, all of America’s public lands and waters are yours to enjoy, and should be protected. While Western public land issues occupy most of the headlines on the topic, Eastern outdoorsmen and women are also joining the cause. Not only do these folks advocate on behalf of access and conservation in their own backyards, but many also travel to enjoy public lands and wild places across the country.

Closer to home, the New York State Chapter of BHA has been extremely active, with pint nights, cleanups, tabled events, and more scheduled across the state throughout the year. The hiring of Chris Hennessey as BHA’s New York & Pennsylvania Public Lands Coordinator, and a passionate cast of state officers and board members spells big things for 2018 and beyond. BHA’s New York Chairperson, Ron Rohrbaugh, and several board members (myself included) live right in the Ithaca area.

It’s one thing to have an incorporeal concern for public land conservation, and another to be an active participant and stakeholder. I invite you, the reader, to make your own adventure on your public lands and waters; whether it’s a pleasant stroll through a state forest, a canoe trip down a public river, a hunting trip with friends, climbing the high peaks, or drifting a dry fly to a hungry trout, your backcountry is waiting. If you love the outdoors, get out there and enjoy it. I hope the experience inspires you to protect these amazing resources for their inherent value, and for future generations.

If you’d like to learn more, BHA’s Campus Outreach Coordinator, Sawyer Connelly, and several state board members will be presenting and hosting a pint night on March 20 in Ithaca at Liquid State Brewing Company starting at 5 p.m. The New York State BHA Rendezvous is also scheduled for April 28 at the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum in Livingston Manor, NY. There are several public land cleanups and other events being planned around the state as well. If you want to get involved, please consider joining Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and attending one of their events. Begin your journey at backcountryhunters.org