Colorado BHA Chapter Rallies Conservationists From Across the State (& Nation) for Flood the Lines Day

Colorado BHA Chapter Rallies Conservationists From Across the State (& Nation) for Flood the Lines Day

“This is why BHA was built. For this opportunity. For this fight!”[1]

Months before the June 2025 culmination and defeat of Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s relentless attempts to sell off millions of acres of our great public lands estate the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) was sounding the alarm and preparing for battle. During the first week of April BHA members from Colorado, California, Arizona, and other parts of the country converged with other hunter-angler conservation groups in Washington, D.C. to visit congressional offices and advocate for keeping our public lands in public hands.[2]

While there (April 1-4) I had the privilege of visiting the offices of both Colorado U.S. Senators and four of our Representatives to talk about the importance of public lands.[3] “Members from our Arizona and Colorado chapters, joined by California-based staff, voiced strong support for national monument designations and stood firmly against efforts to sell off public lands,” our Government Relations Director Kaden McArthur wrote in the May 2025 BHA Federal Policy Roundup.[4]

The week after returning home from Washington, D.C. we hit the ground running with a Colorado BHA booth (spearheaded by chapter co-chair Don Holmstrom) at the Mile High Hunt & Fish Expo in Denver (April 11-13), where we spread the word about the threat to public lands, signed up new members, and talked turkey hunting (it was opening weekend in Colorado).[5]

The Expo was followed by our 3^rd Annual “Beers, Bands & Barbed Wire Strands” Colorado Public Lands Day event (May 16-18) at the I Bar Ranch in Gunnison. The weekend started Friday evening with a wild game potluck dinner featuring smoked duck, moose sausages, deer tacos, and other dishes. Saturday morning more than 90 volunteers dispersed to 5 BLM public lands project sites and removed 6.7 miles of fence before returning to the I Bar for dinner, live music, and a silent auction.

The event brought over 300 public landowners together to remove barrier fencing, restore wet meadow habitat, take action against proposed public land sales in Congress, and rally support for the newly formed Stream Access Coalition.[6] These efforts helped turbocharge BHA’s “Flood the Lines Day” push (on June 25), when over 2,200 Colorado-based actions were taken through the BHA action center, the second highest (Utah was first and Idaho third) of any state chapter in the nation![7] But before Flood The Lines Day kicked-off, we rallied at the BHA North American Rendezvous.[8]

North American Rendezvous

The Colorado chapter was well represented at the North American Rendezvous (June 13-15), held at the University of Montana in Missoula, where we joined the spirited Rally For Public Lands among numerous other events. From expert seminars to hands-on demos, this year’s Rendezvous was packed with opportunities to learn, connect, and get inspired.

While there we were reminded that conservation and democracy are among America’s most enduring principles. In fact, no other nation enjoys the vast array of national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, rangelands, forests, rivers, and wilderness as the United States. The deed on a big part of this public lands inheritance dates back to a veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, Theodore Roosevelt.[9]

Roosevelt would be proud that today his legacy is being upheld by fellow veterans like BHA’s Armed Forces Initiative (AFI) members, who proclaim loudly and proudly our “mission is conservation.” In a June 2025 Greeley Tribune letter to the editor (“Hunters are the next endangered species”) I quoted U.S. Marine Corps veteran and AFI board member Garrett Robinson.[10]

“As a Marine, I dedicated my career to defending the United States against foreign threats. But it’s unsettling to see domestic threats to the same public lands I fought to protect,” Garrett wrote in the Spring 2025 Backcountry Journal. “It’s an affront to everything I believe … These lands belong to all Americans, held in trust for current and future generations. Seeing them threatened by short-sighted interests is deeply troubling.”[11]

Garrett also spoke at the North American Rendezvous Rally For Public Lands (on June 15) and shared a story of military service, love of the outdoors, redemption, and hope. He drew a line in the sand on public land sales and urged us to be “giants of conservation” like Roosevelt and many others less known but no less important. We didn’t let him (or them) down.[12]

Flood The Lines Day

“Imagine heading out for an annual hunting trip only to find familiar places blocked by ‘No Trespassing’ signs and fences. Or the trails you use after work to ride your bike suddenly cut off due to privatization,” Jessica Wahl Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, wrote in a July 8 Duluth News Tribune opinion piece. “These aren’t hypothetical scenarios. They’re the inevitable outcome of selling off public lands and waters.”[13]

Thanks to a multitude of initiatives—like BHA’s Flood The Lines Day—spearheaded by a smorgasbord of hunting, angling, and other groups, America’s public lands are safe, relatively speaking, for now. A provision proposed by Utah Senator Mike Lee in the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill that would have required the Bureau of Land Management to sell millions of acres of public lands is dead.[14] It died when Mr. Lee raised the white flag in defeat.[15]

“It died because, in addition to Democrats, four Republican senators from Montana and Idaho refused to vote for it. It died because five Republican House representatives from Western states said it was a ‘poison pill,’” Terry Tempest Williams wrote in a June 6 New York Times opinion piece. “And it died because over 100 conservation groups and public lands advocates, as well as hunters, anglers, ranchers, recreationists and right-wing influencers said no.”[16]

“Mr. Lee claimed in each of his many revisions of the proposal that disposing of our public lands was a way to address the housing crisis,” Williams added. “But that was a ruse; housing experts have said it wouldn’t have made a dent in the problem. What the senator wanted was to establish a precedent—to normalize selling off our public lands to generate cash to pay for tax cuts. Open that door, and the open space of democracy closes.”[17]

BHA’s Flood The Lines Day was instrumental in mobilizing tens of thousands of hunters and anglers, along with an army of other outdoorsmen and women, to stop the proposed selloff in its tracks. The Top 5 states utilizing BHA’s Take Action center on June 25 included: Utah (4,215 actions taken); Colorado (2,201 actions); Idaho (1,929); Montana (1,628); and Pennsylvania (1,563). All but two states—Delaware and Rhode Island—had at least one action logged.[18]

“By the time we punched ‘stop’ on the race clock on June 25, 2025, BHA members and supporters had flooded the lines of Congress with nearly 133,000 calls and emails – an incredible 33,289 of which were made in just 24 hours! You showed up,” BHA emphasized in our July 1 Backcountry Bulletin. “From Alaska to Maine, you made it clear: Our public lands are not for sale.”[19]

“Flood the Lines Day was more than a digital action—it was a movement made real in just 24 hours. It proved that when BHA activates our army, people don’t just respond—they show up in force,” BHA stated in our “Flood the Lines Day-Campaign Report.” “This success belongs to everyone who posted, shared, called, emailed, and stood with us—from BHA’s chapter leaders to volunteers, board members, partners, and staff. And this fight isn’t finished—not yet. But our army is mobilized. Now, we’ve just got to hold the line we’ve worked so hard to draw.”[20]

“This is a massive win—not just for BHA, but for every hunter, angler, hiker, paddler, and public land owner in this country,” BHA added in the Backcountry Bulletin. “It proves what we already knew: When we stand together, we’re a force that can’t be ignored. Let this victory remind us what’s possible. Not because of political favors or backroom deals—but because regular Americans, like you, refused to back down. Thank you for standing with BHA when it mattered most.”[21]

“This win belongs to the hunters, anglers, and public landowners who stood up and said loud and clear: Our lands are not for sale,” added Patrick Berry, BHA President and CEO. “BHA members flooded the phone lines, sent emails, rallied their communities, and kept the pressure on until this provision was pulled. We didn’t just show up—we led the charge.”[22]

“We are facing a seminal moment in the defense of public lands, and BHA is unmoved, undeterred, and unwavering in our commitment to stand up for what’s right,” Berry emphasized. “For those willing to put politics, peer pressure, and misinformation aside, buckle up. We’re in for the fight of our lives. Thanks for joining us on the front lines.”[23]

“Not. One. Acre!” That’s our response to Senator Lee and his billionaire buzzards. “Our public lands are not commodities to be auctioned off, sold, or gifted to … billionaires,” I wrote in a June 29 Duluth News Tribune commentary.[24] This is why BHA was built. For this opportunity. For this fight![25] Our wealth as a nation is held in these wild lands. They are worthy of our protection and patriotism, but we know the billionaires will be back, and we’ll be here waiting.[26]  Join us!

David Lien is co-chair of Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, a former Air Force missile launch officer, and author.[27] In 2014 he was recognized by Field & Stream as a “Hero of Conservation.”[28] During 2019 he was the recipient of BHA’s Mike Beagle-Chairman’s Award “for outstanding effort on behalf of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.”[29]

Additional/Related Information

-“Public lands are not to be gifted to foreign mining billionaires.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/7/25.

-Bryan Jones. “These Lands We'll Protect: AFI Veterans Speak Out Against Public Land Selloffs.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/1/25.

-Idaho BHA. “Idaho Chapter Mobilized Wave of Grassroots Opposition to Public Land Sales for Flood the Lines Day.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 7/1/25.

-“A Brief BHA History III: Taking The Initiative and Raisin’ Hell.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/29/25.

-Nadia Marji. “Public Land Sell-Off in Senate Defeated After National Uprising by Hunters and Anglers.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/28/25.

-Nadia Marji. “Utah Sportsmen’s Organizations and Businesses Unite in Opposing Public Land Sales.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/23/25.

-“Giants of Conservation Rally For Public Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/18/25.

-“Privatization of public lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/9/25.

-“Hunters are the next endangered species.” Greeley Tribune: 6/7/25.

-“Sulfide-Ore Mining a Lose-Lose for Minnesota.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/4/25.

-Kaden McArthur. “May 2025 Federal Policy Roundup: BHA Members on Capitol Hill.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 5/5/25.

-“Public Lands Mountain Merriam’s Hunt: Access And Opportunity Are On The Chopping Block.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/25/25.

-“Selling Off Public Lands Is Not An Affordable Housing Fix.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/8/25.

-“National Monuments At Risk (Veterans Defend Camp Hale).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/8/25.

-“Freedom & Fire: A Brief BHA History II.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 2/24/25.

-“Public Lands On The Chopping Block: It’s Now Or Never.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 1/24/25.

Washington, D.C. (April 1-4, 2025)

-Washington, D.C. Jefferson Memorial video (4/1/25).

-“In Washington, D.C. at the Russell Senate office building preparing to meet at the offices of Colorado’s Senators to advocate for public lands” video (4/3/25).

-“Just wrapped up some good meetings with the staff of Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper & Representatives Jason Crow and Gabe Evans about the importance of public lands to hunters, anglers, and all Americans” video (4/3/25).

-Washington, D.C. Reagan National Airport video (4/4/25): “Heading for home after visiting two Colorado U.S. Senator offices and four Representatives offices to talk about the importance of keeping public lands in public hands for hunters, anglers, and all Americans.”

-Washington, D.C. Congressional Office Visits (Photos) advocating for Keeping Public Lands In Public Hands.

Denver Mile High Hunt & Fish Expo (April 11-13)

-Colorado BHA was set up (video) at the Mile High Hunt & Fish Expo (at the Gaylord Rockies near Denver International Airport).

Colorado Turkey Hunting (April 16)

-Hunting mountain Merriam’s turkeys on public land in southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains … “keep public land in public hands” (video)!

Colorado BHA Public Lands Day Bash (May 16-18)

-Colorado BHA Public Lands Day (CPLD) Bash (“Beers, Bands, and Barbwire Strands”) at the I Bar Ranch in Gunnison (Photos).

-Fireside entertainment (video) during CPLD weekend at the I Bar Ranch (5/16/25).

-Some more entertainment (video) during CPLD weekend at the I Bar Ranch (5/17/25).

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers North American Rendezvous in Missoula (June 13-15)

-BHA North American Rendezvous in Missoula Photos.

-BHA North American Rendezvous (6/14/25) vendors (indoor) area (video).

-BHA North American Rendezvous (6/15/25) llamas (video).

[1] David A. Lien. “A Brief BHA History III: Taking The Initiative and Raisin’ Hell.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/29/25.

[2] David A. Lien. “Selling Off Public Lands Is Not An Affordable Housing Fix.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/8/25.

[3] David A. Lien. “National Monuments At Risk (Veterans Defend Camp Hale).” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/8/25.

[4] Kaden McArthur. “May 2025 Federal Policy Roundup: BHA Members on Capitol Hill.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 5/5/25.

[5] David A. Lien. “Public Lands Mountain Merriam’s Hunt: Access And Opportunity Are On The Chopping Block.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 4/25/25.

[6] Devin O'Dea. “State Policy Spotter: Colorado Chapter Is Firing on all Fronts and Finding its Targets.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/3/25.

[7] “Flood the Lines Day - Campaign Report.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/25/25.

[8] https://rendezvous.backcountryhunters.org/

[9] David A. Lien. “Giants of Conservation Rally For Public Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/18/25.

[10] David A. Lien. “Giants of Conservation Rally For Public Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/18/25.

[11] David A. Lien. “Giants of Conservation Rally For Public Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/18/25.

[12] David A. Lien. “Giants of Conservation Rally For Public Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/18/25.

[13] Jessica Wahl Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “Selling off public lands is out of touch, doesn't add up.” Duluth News Tribune: 7/8/25.

[14] Terry Tempest Williams. “Americans Fought Off This Awful Idea in Trump’s Bill.” NYT: 7/6/25.

[15] Randy Newberg. “Public Land Sale Defeated.” Fresh Tracks Weekly (Ep. 105): 7/5/25.

[16] Terry Tempest Williams. “Americans Fought Off This Awful Idea in Trump’s Bill.” NYT: 7/6/25.

[17] Terry Tempest Williams. “Americans Fought Off This Awful Idea in Trump’s Bill.” NYT: 7/6/25.

[18] “Flood the Lines Day - Campaign Report.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/25/25.

[19] Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “BHA History = Made.” Backcountry Bulletin: 7/1/25.

[20] “Flood the Lines Day - Campaign Report.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/25/25.

[21] Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “BHA History = Made.” Backcountry Bulletin: 7/1/25.

[22] Nadia Marji. “Public Land Sell-Off in Senate Defeated After National Uprising by Hunters and Anglers.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/28/25.

[23] Patrick Berry, President & CEO. “The Irreplaceable American Ideal.” Backcountry Journal: Spring 2025, p. 3.

[24] David A. Lien. “Public lands are not to be gifted to foreign mining billionaires.” Duluth News Tribune: 6/29/25.

[25] David A. Lien. “A Brief BHA History III: Taking The Initiative and Raisin’ Hell.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/29/25.

[26] Terry Tempest Williams. “Americans Fought Off This Awful Idea in Trump’s Bill.” NYT: 7/6/25.

[27] David A. Lien. “A Higher Calling.” Association of Air Force Missileers (AAFM) Newsletter: March 2011, p. 4.

[28] Editors. “Heroes of Conservation: Safeguarding Winter Elk Range.” Field & Stream: July 2014, p. 29.

[29] https://www.backcountryhunters.org/co_bha_award_winners