September is Public Lands Month. If you weren’t aware of this fact, that’s okay, but now you do know. This started two years ago as Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) decided to make September a month long celebration of public lands that culminates with Public Lands Day on September 30.
Now, I am a big proponent of public lands. Oftentimes when hunters and anglers think of public lands they are thinking of the vast expanses out in the midwest. Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, these places where endless square miles of wilderness exist for deer, elk, bear, trout, and lots of other wildlife to thrive. But public lands exist in every state, and they need protecting everywhere. I fish (almost) exclusively on public waters and hunt exclusively on public lands here in Virginia. Nestled between the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forests and the Shenandoah National Park, I am surrounded by public lands that are abundant with wildlife.
For this reason, when I saw an email crop up in my inbox from BHA about joining to celebrate the month, I jumped at the opportunity. You sign up for the individual membership and you get a special “Public Land Owner” t-shirt. Now, they don’t go up to a size that fits me (yet; I’m working on it) but I would proudly wear this shirt to show that I am a public land owner and I support them.
You might be wondering what BHA does or is, though, and I’m here for that as well. The best way to do that, though, is to let them explain their mission:
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands and waters.
So they are proponents of hunting, fishing, and public lands and waters. Seems simple enough, right? There is a lot to it, though. I could go on and on, but the best way to learn more is to check out their website (which there are three links to in this post, already) and click around. Check out their issues, their values, what they do and who they are. Then join. Become a member as we bring September to a close and support public lands.
Let’s grow this organization and help support the wild lands and waters that we all share ownership in. These are our resources, and the need for protecting them grows all the time. Threats exist to them from climate change, private sales of public lands, and loosening of environmental regulations among many other things. So check out BHA, get involved with a chapter, and support public lands and water.
Shenandoah Angling 