The following letter was recently printed in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel here.It’s an interesting contrast that during the same week, when both of the Western Slope’s largest newspapers (in Durango and Grand Junction) editorialized against efforts by corporate front groups and others to turn public lands over to the states, that someone from the American Lands Council would come to Grand Junction to propose doing just that.In case you’re not familiar with this anti-public lands group, ...

By BHA Development Associate, Grant Alban   I was twelve, almost thirteen years old and it was Christmas time.  Having learned long ago that Santa wasn’t real, I passed the stage of wanting a million presents under the tree on Christmas morning.  Now I only wanted one really cool gift, and in my case, that was a gun.  As I grew up, my parents always seemed a little miffed at how their only son,   who lived in the suburbs of Southern California, could be so into guns and hunting.  Sure, my ...

SALIDA, CO – After more than 15 years of bi-partisan efforts to protect Browns Canyon, sportsmen are pleased by the prospect that more than 20,000 acres in Browns Canyon could finally be conserved as a National Monument under the Antiquities Act. On December 6th Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet join key officials from the Obama Administration for a public meeting aimed at gauging public support for a National Monument Designation for Browns.  The meeting will take place at ...

National Policy/Legislation/Initiatives:Provided input/comments/support of/for full Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funding and Clean Water Act protections:-A MN BHA letter-to-the-editor (“Sportsmen support Interior’s conservation efforts,” 11/20/13): http://www.grandrapidsmn.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_294b4a88-51f0-11e3-987c-001a4bcf887a.html-A MN BHA letter (“Give thanks for public land protection in U.S.,” 11/7/13) in the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times: 11/7/13. ...

By BHA Conservation Director, Holly Endersby. Scientists recently gave the nod to sea otters as unlikely protectors of estuary health. It seems the otters eat crabs which feed on small invertebrates that slurp up algae which bloom when water has increased nutrients in it. The algae grow on the leaves of sea grass-the canary in the coal mine of estuary health-causing less sunlight to reach the sea grass resulting in a die back of the plant. Nutrients increase in estuaries most commonly from ...