Response I expected. BHA is an echo-chamber or house of mirrors organization. Everyone has the same views and reconfirms they are right and elite.
Sage Grouse are something we should all be able to focus attention on. I'd respect if I saw BHA encourages members to invite a grazer, driller, or OHV user to join at Pint Night and talk about birds and our common interest to protect and preserve. Amazing what ya have in common over a beer.
Schaaf, Using LWCF government money isn't that amazing. Any stats on BHA acres purchase, easements secured, hours volunteered on habitat or wildlife projects? Oh yeah BHA isn't a tradition conservation organization. I keep forgetting.
I cant speak to the MT chapter other than to say that I know they do a lot of volunteer work up there, as has been pointed out. Which, IMO, is pretty important work as many agencies are lacking the funds to accomplish things like fence removals, etc.
As the Chapter Chair in Wyoming, I can speak to what we've done here, and the footprint is pretty large for a group that has only been on the ground and running for about 3 years.
We have done several on-the-ground projects donating both time and money to install and pay for signage on FS/Game and Fish identified crucial winter range areas in Albany and Carbon Counties. We volunteered a lot of man hours on buck and rail fencing projects on pole mountain. We partnered with a local cycling club to do a much needed cleanup on a popular shooting area that was a complete mess. Well over 80 man hours invested there cleaning up everything from glass to television sets to furniture...11 pick up loads of trash. It was pretty amazing to see a dozen people out there, on their own time, literally raking up glass on OUR public lands. We are scheduled to do 2 more of these one in Natrona county and one in Albany.
BHA members were also all hands on deck for 2 mule deer captures in Natrona and Albany county last year as well.
Just recently there were some headlines about a private cabin that was vandalized on muddy mtn. in Natrona county. The cabin is owned by a cooperator in our AccessYes program and there was a fear that this vandalism would result in a loss of access to some incredible elk and mule deer hunting. A well respected BHA co-chair was one of the first to personally donate money to cover the expenses of the vandalism. It was also brought to the BHA board and we also made a nice donation to help cover the costs of the vandalism. A reward is being offered to anyone that provides information that leads to a conviction of those responsible, we again donated money to the reward program.
Since the WY Chapter was formed, we've also made donations to the Wyoming AccessYes program every year via proceeds we have from an annual event in Cheyenne.
I'm sure you read up on the Bonander state land exchange that was crushed via BHA taking the lead on that issue. JM77 and I both spent a lot of hours on the phone, attending meetings, etc. to ensure that public access was retained on a very critical piece of BLM/FS that would have been lost if the land exchange happened. The land board rejected that exchange in a 5-0 vote. More importantly, the OSLI office is now taking recreational values into consideration on these exchanges. From personal communication with WGF, they feel for the first time, that they are being taken seriously by the OSLI when they have concerns about recreation, wildlife, etc. with regard to land exchanges.
In the last 3 years BHA has also been very active in the State Legislative sessions, making sure that bills, both good and bad, are dealt with. Most recently, a bill that BHA worked tirelessly on to kill is the 2 consecutive 60/40 bills that WYOGA has ran the last 2 sessions. That bill would have had a huge negative impact on NR youth and those NR hunters that cant afford special fees for deer, elk, and pronghorn. Also, BHA has worked tirelessly to help kill every single PLT bill that has been introduced by the Wyoming Legislature. To the point that Republican leadership here, in both the house and senate, have tossed in the towel on the whole idea. They also addressed our annual legislative reception last year regarding PLT and that they are no longer going to be actively pursuing any further legislation on that tired, worn-out, and worthless idea.
WYBHA is also very involved at all levels of GF issues, from attending commission meetings, being invited to round table discussions, continual meetings with upper management of the WYGF, local biologists, etc. etc. There isn't a single week that goes by, that BHA is NOT in contact with someone at the GF office. I also represent BHA at the annual Wyoming Governors Big-game License coalition where we fund about $900,000 worth of various conservation efforts. Everything from conservation easements to wildlife studies, to fencing and habitat projects.
I could go on all day about everything BHA has their hands on here in Wyoming...RMP's, travel plans, migration initiatives, access issues, the list goes on and on and on.
Just for the record, even though WYBHA is a humble group of sportsmen that don't expect any thanks for our efforts, it was pretty amazing to win the chapter of the year award last year. I may not be deserving of that award, but the other board members, our Wyoming membership, and volunteers across the state sure as hell did.
The reason BHA makes the news, is because we're not one bit afraid of tackling issues and we get results...that simple. Not bad for a bunch of volunteers.
If you can pack the same amount of water...move to Wyoming and I'll give you my position with the State Chapter. Got to warn you though, the hours are long, and pay is low (as in, cost me money to do this as a volunteer), and thanks are in short supply.
Carry on with your whining...
. I think Greenhorn even caught me in my Elitist Dodge Caravan one day. Heck he barely talks to me now.
