Media Chapter News State Issues State Policy Spotter 7/1/2025 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... Tags: Montana Chapter, idaho news, Idaho Chapter, Florida Chapter, Florida Issues, Florida news, New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, Illinois Chapter, Illinois issues, Illinois news, Montana issues, Utah Chapter, Utah Issues, Utah News, Idaho Issues, policy blog, the campfire Download
Media Chapter News State Issues New England Chapter Opposes Watered-Down CRMC Reform Bills in Rhode Island 6/18/2025 For the last several years the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has advocated to reform Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). After first weighing in in... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues CT BHA Comments on Sunday Hunting and Bear Hunting 3/24/2025 BHA submitted online testimony in reference to two bills up for public hearing in the Connecticut General Assembly Environment Committee today (3/24/25). Connecticut is one of the few states... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Why New Hampshire House Bill 202 is Bad for Wildlife Conservation 2/13/2025 UPDATE - 2/13/25 Good news! House Bill 202: House Committee Vote 14-1, Inexpedient to Legislate. Fortunately, the bill’s forward progress is all but over. Today, the House Fish and Game and Marine... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Rhode Island BHA 2024 Policy Roundup 1/30/2025 Rhode Island BHA 2024 Policy Roundup Following a successful year in 2023, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ team in Rhode Island advocated more effectively than ever in 2024 to support the Ocean... Tags: New England news, New England issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Rhode Island BHA Submits Comments to NOAA Coastal Program Evaluation 10/15/2024 On October 15, 2024, BHA’s Rhode Island Team submitted written testimony to NOAA, related to their periodic coastal management program review focused on Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Management... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues RI BHA Submits Comments to CRMC on Quidnessett Country Club’s Illegal Seawall 6/28/2024 Some time between late 2022 and early 2023 the Quidnessett Country Club (QCC), located near the northern end of North Kingstown RI, built a sea wall near one of the holes of their golf course. Had... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues RI Assembly sends Three BHA-Backed Wildlife Bills to Governor 6/12/2024 Just days before the end of the 2024 legislative session the RI General Assembly approved three wildlife bills in concurrence, each of which was supported by the New England Chapter of Backcountry... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues VT: GMNF TELEPHONE GAP INTEGRATED RESOURCE PROJECT, 2024 4/11/2024 On April 8th, 2024, the Vermont team submitted a comment to the US Forest Service on the Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project (Telephone Gap IRP). The Green Mountain National Forest is part... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues VT: GMNF Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project Comment Period 4/5/2024 4/5/24 The US Forest Service is seeking public comment on a project called the Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project (Telephone Gap IRP). The scope of the project is broad and it includes a... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Update: Vermont BHA Opposes Legislative Bill to Restructure Fish & Wildlife Board 4/3/2024 Thanks to pressure from the hunting and angling community, which was generated from New England BHA and other key Vermont Sporting groups, lawmakers made significant amendments to S.258 before... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Vermont BHA Opposes Legislative Bill to Eliminate the Fish and Wildlife Board 2/20/2024 2/17/2024 The Vermont Legislative session is in full swing and bills that will have a major impact on our ability to hunt, fish, and trap are up for discussion. The Senate Committee on Natural... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues VT Chapter Wants Hunters, Anglers and Trappers to Weigh-in on Survey 2/15/2024 The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) and the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) are leading Move Forward Together Vermont a large-scale planning... Tags: New England news, New England issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues RI House Committee to Hold Hearings on Two Wildlife Bills 2/4/2024 On Tuesday February 6th RI’s House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will meet at the Rise of the House to hold public hearings on several bills, including two wildlife bills that... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Rhode Island BHA Opposes Kelp Proposal that Impacts Wildlife Habitat, Hunting Access 1/31/2024 Last April BHA’s Rhode Island team participated in a preliminary determination hearing before the Jamestown Harbor Commission related to two CRMC aquaculture applications, 2023-02-080 and... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues RI Fishing Access at Risk in RIDOT Bridge Proposal 10/23/2023 This Tuesday, October 24th, RI’s Coastal Resources Management Council will meet to consider Application 2023-04-094, in which RI’s Department of Transportation outlines plans to rebuild the bike... Tags: New England news, New England issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues MA BHA Opposes ‘Act Modernizing Firearms Laws’ 10/11/2023 Earlier this year Massachusetts Representative Michael Day (D-Middlesex) introduced HD4420 – An Act to Modernize Firearm Laws. This piece of legislation, which was both complicated and extensive,... Tags: New England news, New England issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues New England BHA Supports Moose Research 9/28/2023 In collaboration with the University of New Hampshire's Wildlife Management and Modeling Lab (WMML) and New Hampshire Fish and Game, the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA)... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Massachusetts Archery Deer Hunting Season Extension 8/22/2023 The Archery Deer Hunting Season Extension: Massachusetts BHA's Call for Change In the heart of Massachusetts, an important discussion has emerged surrounding the proposed extension of the archery... Tags: New England news, New England issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Maine's High Peaks Refuge Proposal 8/22/2023 For nearly twenty years, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has sought to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting. A vision for backcountry conservation and... Tags: New England news, New England issues, featured Download
Media Chapter News State Issues New England BHA Funds Striped Bass Research 8/17/2023 For the last several years BHA’s New England Chapter has played a leading role in the organization’s advocacy efforts to recover and protect Atlantic Striped Bass, which have been supported by... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, featured Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Striped Bass & ASMFC Spring Meeting 2023 4/28/2023 Back in 2022 every BHA Chapter from North Carolina to Maine – the entire footprint of the Atlantic Striped Bass range – advocated for conservation-minded priorities in Amendment 7 to the Striped... Tags: New Jersey Chapter, New England issues, New England Chapter, New York news, New York issues, New Jersey issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Striped Bass Addendum I 1/27/2023 Next week ASMFC Commissioners from up and down the east coast will convene in Arlington, VA for the Commission’s Winter Meeting. As part of this meeting, ASMFC’s Striped Bass Board is scheduled to... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New York news, New York issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Massachusetts Hunting Regulatory Amendments - Hunting Hours on WMAs & Small Game 6/14/2022 Take Action Now! For the past few months, we have been excited to share that MassWildlife will be moving forward on several of our regulatory priorities. These include ending hunting hour... Tags: New England news, New England issues, policy blog Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Take Action to Recover and Protect Atlantic Striped Bass 3/26/2022 In early May the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will convene for their spring meeting, at which time we’re expected to see their Atlantic Striped Bass Board finalize Amendment... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, the campfire Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Striped Bass Conservation: Amendment 7 Priorities 3/23/2022 UPDATE: Click here for a complete guide on how you can take action and protect the future of striped bass! In early May the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will convene for... Tags: New England issues, New England Chapter, New York news, New York issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Massachusetts S.507 & S.508 Update 3/19/2022 The Massachusetts State Leadership Team was disappointed to learn that S.507, An Act Addressing Noise Issues of Migratory GameHunters Near Coastal Dwellings, accompanied with S.508, An Act... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Support for Federal Appropriation for Adding Public Land in Vermont 2/23/2022 The VT State Team of BHA recently submitted comments to Senator Leahy, with copies to other state and federal decision makers, in support of a federal appropriation to add to United States Fish... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Take Action in Massachusetts! 2/18/2022 Thanks to the hard work of the Massachusetts State Leadership Team and BHA’s Massachusetts membership, with the help of hunters, anglers, as well as other hunting and fishing organizations, we... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, Massachusetts Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues New England BHA Renews Legislation to Protect Rhode Island’s Wild Deer 2/14/2022 The New England Chapter of BHA has introduced legislation in the RI General Assembly that if passed would protect Rhode Island’s wildlife, and in particular our wild deer. Introduced by Rep. Scott... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Rhode Island Winter News 2/11/2022 With the Rhode Island legislative session in full swing and DEM’s hunting & fishing annual regulatory process right around the corner we’ve been working hard to ensure the voices of hunters and... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, Rhode Island BHA Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Maine Backcountry - Winter 2022 2/8/2022 Welcome to the inaugural edition of a quarterly update from Maine Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Our goal is to provide highlights of current news on the policy front, preview coming events and... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Maine 2021 Policy Roundup 2/7/2022 2021 was the first year of the biennial session of the Legislature and a busy one for the Maine BHA policy team. In addition to the big $40 million Land for Maine’s Future win, volunteers worked... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, Maine Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Update on Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation from NE and NY BHA 9/5/2021 Earlier this year the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers New York and New England Chapters submitted comments on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Public Information Document for... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, New York news, New York BHA Chapter, New York issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Rhode Island BHA 2021 Policy Roundup 8/23/2021 2021 has been an interesting year, and while we did not host in-person events during the first half of the year the New England BHA team was hard at work standing up for the interests of hunters... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues New Hampshire BHA Leadership Team Comments on Bear Brook State Park Land Management Plan 7/14/2021 The New England Chapter’s New Hampshire State Leadership Team recently submitted final comments on Bear Brook State Park’s revised management plan. At nearly 10,000 acres, Bear Brook State Park... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Rhode Island BHA Oppose Aquaculture Lease that Threatens Hunting Opportunities 7/9/2021 In April of 2020, two Little Compton brothers applied for a lease to establish a commercial oyster growing operation in the tidal waters adjacent to Sapowet Marsh Wildlife Management Area in... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter, the campfire Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Rhode Island BHA works to clarify Public Trust Access to the Shore 3/15/2021 Rhode Island’s Constitution, Article 1 Section 17 states: “The People shall continue to enjoy and freely exercise all rights of fishery, and the privileges of the shore, to which they have been... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Maine BHA Policy Update March 2021 3/9/2021 In the first two months of 2021, the Maine BHA team identified over 75 bills introduced to the Legislature that could impact hunting and fishing, land conservation, and public access. As of March... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues New England BHA Continues Work to Prohibit Captive Hunting with Rhode Island Bill 2/8/2021 The New England Chapter of BHA recently introduced language in the Rhode Island General Assembly to prohibit captive hunting in Rhode Island. Introduced by Rep. Scott Slater (D – District... Tags: New England news, New England issues Download
Media Chapter News State Issues Vermont Public Land Owners gather before vote on town forest sale 2/20/2020 February 15, 2020, Brandon, VT- Vermont members of BHA, along with a few new friends, met to celebrate public lands at Red Clover Ale Co. There were tales of turkeys, tracking bucks, big brown... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download
Media Chapter News State Issues New England Chapter supports new requirements to make it harder to sell or transfer state land in Connecticut 10/16/2018 Connecticut hunters and anglers have long enjoyed the privilege of practicing their craft in the public lands and waters of their home state. The State Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, State... Tags: New England news, New England issues, New England Chapter Download