BCJ_SUMMER18 Digital Edition

CHAPTER NEWS
FROM CLEAN-UPS TO CAPITOLS
BHA Chapters Are Making an Impact
ALASKA
The Alaska BHA Board and
members have been busy shaping policy,
building support for public lands and
sharing our story. This spring, we hosted
Pint Nights in Fairbanks and Anchorage
where Alaska Fish and Game Manager
Bruce Dale discussed the recent discovery
of the dangerous Movi bacterium in Alaska’s
sheep and goat populations. We look
forward to working with ADFG in future
data collection efforts.
University of Alaska, Fairbanks students
stepped up and formed a BHA collegiate
club on campus. In May, state chapter
member Steve Firth traveled to Washington
D.C. to voice support of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund.
On the policy front, we submitted comment
to the Federal Subsistence Board on
WP 18-57 in support of using scientific
data rather than hearsay before limiting
hunting opportunities in Unit 26. The
latest Pebble Mine comment period ends
June 30, and we applaud all those who
made their voices heard in support of Alaska’s
salmon and wild rivers.
Upcoming events include Hike to Hunt
events, Pint Nights and a 10-day wilderness
float on Birch Creek, one of Alaska’s
premier rivers, to celebrate the 50th anniversary
of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
-Steve Shannon and Brian Ohlen
ALBERTA
Though winter was reluctant to give us
some reprieve from snowstorms and icy
temperatures, summer has finally arrived.
We have been successful in our efforts to
avert angling closures in several popular
watersheds. As a result, we have been busy
working with government and industry
partners to see what can be done to improve
the health of the watersheds across
the province. This has led to a citizen science
initiative, spearheaded by Alberta
BHA, in which our members will be conducting
road crossing inspections in the
backcountry. The results will be used to direct
efforts to remediate these crossings at
a later date. Additionally, we have received
notice that the chapter has been successful
in our recent advocacy for increasing
enforcement measures on Alberta public
lands. We also provided positive feedback
on the Livingstone-Porcupine Management
Plans.
Recruitment at our Pint Nights has
been very successful with the introduction
of guest speakers. Our latest round of Pint
Nights featured a crash course in fly fishing
for pike, how to enjoy and advocate
for the backcountry, and a presentation by
an AEP biologist. Many thanks to those
presenters who have made our Pint Nights
something to remember. -Neil Keown
ARIZONA
The Arizona chapter has been busy
hosting multiple Pint Nights, staying up
to date with state legislation and working
with partners in conservation to help
spread awareness about public lands issues.
The latest Arizona legislative session
ended in April and we are happy to say
that HB 2210 – a bill that would have directed
tax payer funds toward an attempted
transfer of federal public lands to the
state – never made it to the House floor.
Thank you to all the members who spoke
out against this dangerous and unwarranted
bill. Recently, there was a ballot initiative
put forth by the Humane Society of
the United States to place a permanent
ban on mountain lion and bobcat hunting
in the state. Thankfully, this initiative will
not reach the ballot this November as the
HSUS has decided to halt all efforts due to
lack of support and a large pushback from
the outdoors community.
A recent to decision by the Trump Administration
to broaden a list of “critical
minerals” could unravel protections provided
by the 20-year moratorium on uranium
mining around the Grand Canyon.
Arizona BHA is working with other public
lands advocates to make sure this does
not happen. This area is the crown jewel
of Arizona and we cannot risk unnecessary
harm to its local people, wildlife and the
water that sustains them.
Work continues on our OHV signage
program to protect fish and wildlife habitat
and public access by educating public
land users on the need for legal and responsible
use of ATVs and side-by-sides.
We are working closely with the Forest
Service and BLM offices on locations for
our signs.
We have also been working with Trout
Unlimited, Apache-Sitgreaves National
Forests and the Arizona Game and Fish
Department to monitor streams in native
Apache trout habitat to gather information
and find suitable habitat to reintroduce
Apache trout. Most of the streams
being monitored are in burned areas that
historically held Apache trout. The goal
is to obtain connectivity between populations
of existing Apache trout and provide
the fish options to escape future hazards
and maintain a viable metapopulation.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram
and the Arizona newsletter to stay up
to date. -Justin Nelson
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The British Columbia chapter is experiencing
the same meteoric growth as the
rest of the BHA organization. We have
doubled our membership since the last
chapter report and we have surpassed
250 members province-wide. We recently
launched our Pint Night tour on May 22
at the Heidout in Cranbrook with Land
Tawney and Ty Stubblefield in attendance.
We then drove to the Train Station Pub
in Kelowna, followed by a visit to the Filson
store in Vancouver for the first Filson
Campfire Stories event in Canada. The
capacity crowd got to listen to yours truly
tell the tale of the Iceman of the Tatshenshini.
Ty and I then flew to the BX Pub in
Prince George, and finally we rounded out
our tour in Whitehorse, Yukon to encourage
the launch of a Yukon BHA Chapter,
which will be the third in Canada.
BC BHA tabled at the Kootenay Gun
Show on April 28 and 29, where we sold
27 new memberships and five renewals
SUMMER 2018 BACKCOUNTRY JOURNAL | 27