This is your July edition of BHA's State Policy Spotter - a high-level scan of state policy and legislation impacting our wild public lands, waters and wildlife across North America. Note - this is not a comprehensive list of legislation or issues that chapters are working on, but rather a spotlight in the moment of what is moving. There are many more bills and issues BHA's chapters are grappling with so be sure to check out individual chapter pages for more news and ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2025   Contact:  media@backcountryhunters.org   Public Lands Victory: BHA Applauds Removal of Public Land Sale Amendment from House Budget Reconciliation Bill  Grassroots pressure from hunters and anglers leads to withdrawal of controversial proposal from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which still includes provisions threatening iconic public lands and waters.    MISSOULA, Mont. — Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), North America’s leading public lands ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   March 18, 2025      CONTACT:   Devin O’Dea, Western Policy & Conservation Manager, odea@backcountryhunters.org     Denver, CO – In a huge victory for public land owners, today Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) applauded the ruling by United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirming the right to “corner-cross" to access public lands. The ruling marks a pivotal decision that cements the legality of public access to millions of acres of public lands in ...

For the last handful of years, Utah BHA’s Board has been involved with the Utah Sportsmen’s Caucus at the Capitol during the Legislative Session. In the past, the Caucus served as an opportunity for Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) with an interest in wildlife issues to come together multiple times during the Legislative Session to shake hands with legislators and hear directly from legislators running bills related to wildlife. While it was beneficial to have a forum to converse with ...

Welcome to your first glimpse of BHA's Western Policy Spotter - a high-level scan of state policy and legislation impacting wild public lands, waters and wildlife across the West. Much like wading through the marsh wearing heavy waders and a bag overloaded with decoys, BHA’s chapter leaders are trudging through a few bills this legislative session that will require careful footwork and dogged persistence. While there are many mission critical bills currently in front of BHA's chapters, one ...