As part of the federal budget reconciliation process, members of the U.S. Senate were considering the sale of up to 3 million acres of public land—much of it in the same backcountry places that help veterans heal, reconnect, and reintegrate. For those involved in Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Armed Forces Initiative (AFI), these aren’t just parcels on a map. They’re hallowed ground. Thankfully, over this past weekend, Senate negotiators dropped provisions to sell public lands—after ...

  By Hunter Owen I’ve spent most of my adult life in uniform. As a dad I’ve done my best to balance fatherhood and life in uniform. But the truth is, I’ve been in and out of my kids’ lives more than I care to admit. Deployments, duty stations, missed birthdays, and video calls from a continent away became the rhythm of being a dad. And now, as I try to rebuild those bonds—while managing PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. The one thing that helps me reconnect with my three boys is getting ...

For nearly 150 years, the 1872 Mining Act has shaped hardrock mining on our public lands. Enacted in an era of rapid expansion and resource extraction, the act was originally designed to fuel growth in a burgeoning nation. However, what was once a forward-thinking policy now stands as an outdated framework that fails to address modern environmental challenges and scientific understandings. A Look Back: The History of the 1872 Mining Act Passed in 1872 during a period when economic expansion ...

As a veteran who served in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), I understand that success often hinges on the small victories. During the GWOT, capturing high-value targets did not just weaken enemy forces; it disrupted their ability to plan, organize, and execute attacks. Each win chipped away at a larger, decentralized network, leaving the enemy with fewer resources and less ability to cause harm. This same principle—winning small victories one at a time—is exactly how we approach the fight ...

As I sit here writing in the middle of October, many of you have had the opportunity to chase wild game across the public lands of this great nation. This unique privilege, afforded to us in the United States, is not lost on me or my fellow #conservationwarriors with the Armed Forces Initiative. Currently, I find myself in a hotel room on a Japanese island, longing for the days spent in Virginia’s public lands, pursuing whitetail deer. But today, my thoughts are directed elsewhere. We are ...