Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring

The Real Cost of Public Land Transfer

Inside a new economic assessment of federal public lands For a lot of us, public lands are deeply personal. They're where we learned to hunt, where we camp with our families, where we go to breathe a little easier and remember what matters. But increasingly, the future of those lands is being debated in terms of economics, efficiency and ownership — and those conversations are getting louder across the West. On this episode of the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers podcast, we sit down with BHA's Regional Stewardship and Habitat Connectivity Manager, Dre Arman, to unpack a new economic assessment put out by BHA's Idaho chapter and partners examining what a large-scale transfer of federal public lands to the state could actually cost. We break down the numbers behind land transfer proposals, the jobs and communities tied to public lands, and why these conversations matter not just for Idaho, but for every public land owner in America. It's a thoughtful discussion about stewardship, economics and the long-term future of the places we all care about. READ the 2026 Economic Assessment on Proposals to Transfer Ownership of Federal Lands to the State of Idaho [https://www.backcountryhunters.org/news/details/2026-economic-assessment-on-proposals-to-transfer-ownership-of-federal-lands-to-the-state-of-idaho] Podcast reminder: BHA is still planning next steps for our podcast. Thanks for listening to this new and important conversation, and we'll be sure to update everyone as soon more information is available on what's to come. Thanks for bearing with us.

Conservation Cooperative, Ep. 2: Striped Bass

Today, the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers podcast is sharing the second episode of the Conservation Collective, where they're talking striped bass, the most sought after fish on the eastern seaboard. Often described as "everyman's fish" it's pursued by an extraordinarily wide range of anglers. Those anglers could be shorebound, or they could be on a million dollar center console. A lot of people also fish for stripers, NOAA estimates over 20 million trips a season, and so, the fishery has a significant cultural and economic impact up and down the coast. Once hailed as a conservation success story, now, the future of the stock is in question. In this episode we'll dive into the latest science that will inform future management decisions and look at the different factors that fishery managers are considering. In addition, we'll discuss how New England and New York BHA are working to restore future abundance of this fish we love. Huge thank you to our guests: Charles Witek. Conservationist and Fisheries Policy Expert. NY BHA Policy Team Member. Mike Woods. New England BHA Chapter Chair. Ben Gahagan, PhD. Recreational Fisheries Program Leader. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Kimberly Fine. Fisheries Biologist. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Will Poston. Policy Associate. American Saltwater Guides Association Nichola Meserve. Fishery Policy Analyst, Interstate Management. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Citizen Science Data Portal [https://www.mass.gov/info-details/striped-bass-citizen-scientist-project?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Striped Bass Citizen Scientist Project [https://Open%20Striped%20Bass%20Citizen%20Scientist%20Project%20page] Sportfish Angler Data Collection Team - MA Division of Marine Fisheries [https://www.mass.gov/info-details/sportfish-angler-data-collection-team?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Charles Witek's Blog - One Angler's Voyage [https://oneanglersvoyage.blogspot.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Conservation Cooperative, Ep. 1: Trails

While BHA's Podcast & Blast takes a moment to plan its next steps, we're sharing the first episode of our Conservation Cooperative podcast (recorded previously), which looks at a scenario playing out across North America -- one that the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) has been grappling with for a few years: the rapid development of recreation trails and their encroachment on wild places. We'll explore some of the factors that are driving trail development in the state of Vermont and how it impacts the conservation of our wildlands and wildlife. While we explore the issue in the Northeast, it's a discussion sure to resonate with public-lands advocates across the continent. Big thank you to everyone who came to the table to discuss this topic. Ethan Dreisigacker. New England BHA Board Member Meredith Naughton. Wildlife Biologist Allison Adams. Director. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC) Dave Furman. New England BHA Member Andrea Shortsleeve. Private Lands Habitat Biologist. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Nick Bennette. Executive Director. Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) RJ Thompson. Executive Director. Vermont Huts Association

Conservation Collective, Episode 1: Trails

While BHA's Podcast & Blast takes a moment to plan its next steps, we're sharing the first episode of our Conservation Cooperative podcast (recorded previously), which looks at a scenario playing out across North America -- one that the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) has been grappling with for a few years: the rapid development of recreation trails and their encroachment on wild places. We'll explore some of the factors that are driving trail development in the state of Vermont and how it impacts the conservation of our wildlands and wildlife. While we explore the issue in the Northeast, it's a discussion sure to resonate with public-lands advocates across the continent. Big thank you to everyone who came to the table to discuss this topic. Ethan Dreisigacker. New England BHA Board Member Meredith Naughton. Wildlife Biologist Allison Adams. Director. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC) Dave Furman. New England BHA Member Andrea Shortsleeve. Private Lands Habitat Biologist. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Nick Bennette. Executive Director. Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) RJ Thompson. Executive Director. Vermont Huts Association

Wearing Out a Pair of Boots

After nearly a decade behind the mic and more than 225 episodes digging into the people, places and fights that define our public lands and waters, Hal Herring is stepping away from BHA's Podcast & Blast and onto his next adventure. For this final episode, we turn the microphone around. Hal joins former BHA Vice President of Communications and longtime Podcast & Blast producer Katie McKalip, along with BHA Brand and Editorial Manager Zack Williams, for a conversation about how the show came together, what made it matter and a few of the moments they'll carry forward. What emerges is more than a look back at a podcast. It's a reflection on the kind of storytelling that has always powered BHA: grounded, firsthand and rooted in real places and real people. Over the years, Hal sought out voices with deep experience on the land — people who knew a watershed, a forest, a migration route or a community intimately, and who could explain what was at stake in plain, honest terms. Episode after episode, the show reminded us that conservation is not an abstraction. It lives in boots, horses, boats, gravel roads, campfires and long miles — and in the people willing to show up for the future of public lands and waters. We're sad to see Hal go, but grateful for everything he helped build and excited to see what happens as he wears out his next pair of boots. Listen to his final episode wherever you get your podcasts, and stay tuned as we chart what's next for BHA's podcast. The views and opinions expressed in the Podcast & Blast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. The Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring is brought you by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and presented by Silencer Central, with additional support from Decked, Dometic, and Filson. Join Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the voice for your wild public lands, waters, and wildlife to be part of a passionate community of hunter-angler-conservationists. BHA. THE VOICE FOR OUR WILD PUBLIC LANDS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE. Follow us: Web: https://www.backcountryhunters.org [https://www.backcountryhunters.org/] Instagram: @backcountryhunters Facebook: @backcountryhunters