The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) appointed Ben Monarch to serve as Regional Director for the Arkansas River Valley Group. Ben was born and raised in Kentucky. He started hunting squirrels with an air rifle when he was 6, bird hunting by 8, and whitetail hunting by 9. “My older brother and father taught me to hunt,” he said. “Now I hunt in Colorado (big and small game), Alaska (big game), and Kentucky (whitetail on my family’s farm). I also fish in these locations ...

The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) appointed Jacob Kinnard to serve as an Assistant Regional Director for the Northern Front Range Group/region.  Jacob has been fishing since he was a child, living across the street from the Yellow Breeches Creek in Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania. “Since moving to Colorado 22 years ago, I have been an obsessive fly-fisher and tyer,” Jacob said. “I fish mostly on the South Platte, Eleven Mile and Cheesman Canyons, but I have ...

The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) appointed John Young to serve as an Assistant Regional Director for the Central West Slope region. John grew up fishing across New England, mostly flat water and fly fishing bigger rivers. He’s  an Operations Director for the Telluride Ski Resort, has served on the Telluride Ecology Commission, and studied forestry and ag science at the University of Vermont. “Growing up in New England, vast public land and water access was always ...

Michigan Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Raises Concerns About Sea Lamprey Control Staff Cuts The recent firing of 12 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) employees responsible for sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes is a serious concern for Michigan’s fisheries. These staff members played a critical role in managing invasive sea lampreys, and their absence puts Michigan’s aquatic ecosystems at risk. Michigan’s Fisheries at Risk Michigan’s lakes and rivers are vital to both the ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 12, 2025  Contact:  Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy & Government Relations, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org    New Legislation Would Safeguard 58,000 Acres, 74 Miles of Public Lands and Waters in Oregon   Landscapes included in newly-reintroduced Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act provide habitat for salmon, trout, deer, elk, and bear, among other wildlife    Washington, D.C. – A vast expanse of national forest lands, free-flowing rivers, ...