2014 Accomplishments for Colorado BHA

Policy:

• Spearheaded drone ban for hunting and scouting in Colorado


• Provided comments on CO Parks & Wildlife’s Mule Deer Strategy


• Advocated for a “Backcountry Conservation Area” designation on BLM lands


• Developed state legislation that would have required registration and visible identification on OHV’s in Colorado


• Championed efforts to rein-in game-cash subsidies to ranchers for livestock lost while grazing on public lands


• BHA successfully advocated to direct some state Land & Water Conservation Funding away from developed recreation and towards habitat conservation through the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan


• Commented on CO Parks & Wildlife’s OHV Grant Applications and were successful in helping to direct funding towards OHV management, rather than new OHV development


• Successfully spearheaded mandatory, publicly-available wildlife review on all OHV grants that involve new development.

National Legislation:

• 22,000 acres along the Arkansas River through the Brown’s Canyon National Monument & Wilderness Area
• 61,000 acres in Southwest Colorado through the San Juan Wilderness Act
• More than 100,000 through the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act
• CO BHA continues working to help develop draft legislation in Gunnison County that would protect upwards of 200,000 acres through a combination of Special Management and Wilderness Areas
• Comments provided on the following Resource, Travel and Grazing Plans – Provided comments on
• Resource Management Plan for the Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area
• Resource Management Plan for the Grand Junction Field Office
• White River Field Office – advocated for Backcountry Conservation Areas
• Grazing comments on the San Juan National Forest
• Grazing comments in the Gunnison Gorge

Education:

• Hosted our 2^nd Annual Taste of Backcountry Angling Workshop
• Provided honorary scholarships to participants of Colorado Youth Outdoors in memory of Caroline Petersen

Public Access:

• Defended public hunting access from planned commercial development on Macarthur Gulch State Trust Land
• Attended Senate Democratic Sportsmen Steering Committee meeting in Washington DC to advocate for Land & Water Conservation Funding.
• Defended public hunting access at Brainerd Lakes Recreation Area

Representation:

• 6 BHA members represented on CO Parks & Wildlife’s Sportsmen Roundtable
• BHA Member Bob Shettle joined CO Parks & Wildlife’s Wildlife Council
• 2 BHA members were represented on CO Parks & Wildlife’s Advisory Council for the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
• 3 Colorado BHA Members were represented at meetings in Washington DC focused on advocating for Land & Water Conservation Funding and for Wilderness protection of Hermosa Creek and Browns Canyon.

Events:

• Held both the national and state BHA rendezvous
• Hosted “Hunter Happy Hours” focused on habitat protection
• Built awareness to BHA’s Sportsman Pledge and Public Land Defense campaign through Hunting Film Tour showings in Montrose and Gunnison