BCJ_SPRING 17 Digital Edition

UTAH
In an effort to grow the BHA
Utah Chapter leadership, general elections
were held in January. To be eligible
to become a board member, nominees
were required to be active members over
the past 6-12 months and submit an application
explaining their desire to serve on
the board and how they hope to contribute
to the growth, missions and values of
the chapter and the national organization.
The chapter would like to welcome four
new Central Region board members: Rachel
Dees, Dave Terrion, Jason West and
Kait West. The chapter also voted in one
Southern Region board member, Braxton
McCoy. You can find updated bios for all
Utah Chapter Executive Committee and
board members on our chapter page.
In addition to the general elections, the
Utah Chapter also participated in several
events including: a rally at Rep. Jason
Chaffetz town hall to voice opposition
against HR 622; a booth staffed by BHA
volunteers at the Western Hunting and
Conservation Expo held in Salt Lake City;
and promoting the Hunting Film Tour
where BHA members were invited on
stage during intermission to raffle prizes,
explain BHA to unfamiliar attendees, and
sign up new members. Upcoming events
include a chapter meeting in Logan in
April and the Utah Chapter Rendezvous
which is tentative planned for late May
or early June. Email the Utah chapter for
more details. -Joshua Lenart
WASHINGTON
The Washington State board is
currently in the process of drafting and
adopting a constitution and bylaws. We
hope that it establishes a good framework
to run the chapter efficiently and that it
lubricates the communication channels
between the chapter board, members in
Washington State and BHA national. If
members want to communicate with the
board, the best way to do it is to send an
email to Secretary.bha.wa@gmail.com.
The Washington Chapter sent a statement
to earlier in the year to state representatives
in opposition to House bills 1103
(concerning the transfer of federal land to
the state) and 1008 (concerning the acquisition
of land by state natural resources
agencies). Chapter member Buck Bouck is
representing hunters and anglers interests
in Whatcom county as a member of the
Baker to Bellingham Recreation Planning
Committee by ensuring that we continue
to have access to these DNR lands to hunt
and fish.
Chapter Co-Chair Bart George was featured
on the MeatEater Podcast, Episode
57 in what may be BHA Member Steven
Rinella’s most exciting episode yet! Stay
tuned for upcoming pint nights and make
sure to look for the BHA booth at the
Northwest Mountain Challenge at Stevens
Pass in July! -Andres Orams
WYOMING
The Wyoming Chapter has been
very active and busy this winter. WYBHA
was very active and busy with the legislative
session the last two months. We
helped to defeat an amendment to the
state constitution that would have created
a “plan” for newly acquired federal lands
under a transfer of federal public lands to
the state. Several BHA members testified
against the amendment and thankfully it
was defeated. WYBHA also testified and
wrote many emails to our elected State officials
on several other bills as well during
the legislative session.
We also held a few pint nights across the
State, including one with College Chapter
Coordinator Sawyer Connelly to help get
University of Wyoming students involved.
The Wyoming Chapter also got involved
with and volunteered on two deer captures
to fit mule deer with GPS collars in the
Casper and Laramie areas. It was a great
experience and we’re hopeful that the data
collected will help identify and find solutions
to some of the challenges that mule
deer are facing. It was great working with
the dedicated biologists and wardens with
the Wyoming Game and Fish Department
on this project. -Buzz Hettick
Montana Collegiate BHA Clubs
‘Hunting for Sustainability’
BHA GOES TO COLLEGE
BHA COLLEGE CHAPTERS ARE POPPING UP all over the
country, adding more youthful energy to the dynamic group.
From its humble beginings as BHA’s first collegiate club, University
of Montana’s club has begun to flourish. Membership is
growing and the club has exciting events planned for the spring
and fall. UM’s second annual Hunting for Sustainability weekend
is promising to be a great event. This year, Hunting for Sustainability
will include students from both University of Montana
and Montana State University clubs and will take place Sept.
8-10. In partnership with the Boone and Crockett Club, the
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Phil Tawney Hunters
Conservation Endowment, the event is taking place at the
B&C’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch on Montana’s Rocky
Mountain Front. College students with little to no hunting experience
engage with curriculum regarding the land ethic, the North
American Model of Wildlife Conservation, public lands, licensing,
in-the-field preparation and strategy, habitat evaluation, field
dressing, butchering, cooking and more. Check out the Collegiate
Program on BHA’s website to learn more.
In Colorado, Western State Colorado University remains one
of BHA’s most active clubs. This past fall they took home 1st place
for their BHA float in the Western State homecoming parade.
This spring they have a handful of archery shoots and packing
classes in the works. Students at Colorado State University are
working to establish a club and grow membership.
At the University of Idaho and University of Wyoming, the
BHA clubs are hosting a few informative evening gatherings to
grow membership over the coming months.
More college chapters are in the works at College of the Atlantic
(Maine), Kansas State University, University of Missouri,
University of Arkansas Law School, University of Kentucky, University
of Nevada-Reno and Utah State.
Several BHA collegiate leaders will be attending BHA’s North
American Rendezvous. If you’re attending, be sure to look them
up and talk about their respective clubs.
To learn more about BHA’s collegiate program or to bring a
club to a campus near you, visit BHA’s website or shoot Campus
Outreach Coordinator Sawyer Connelly an email at sawyer@
backcountryhunters.org.
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