Hunters and Anglers’ Voices Drive Removal of Public Land Sale Provision 🙌

I’m currently at the “it’s Thursday already?” phase of the workweek and am unsure as to whether or not that is a good thing as of yet.

With that in mind, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get this Thursday morning dispatch out the door.

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• We’re winning - Hunters and anglers against public land grab 🙌

• Ornery reptiles - USFS closes popular Florida waterway after 14-foot gator harasses kayakers 🐊

• Pay up - Ontario bear outfitter ordered to pay big fines for illegal trips 🤑

• Da bears - Florida’s potential bear hunt continues to move forward 🐻

• Don’t mess with the swans - Watch this dude get taken down by a beautiful swan 🦢 

A BIG WIN
HUNTERS AND ANGLERS DRIVE REMOVAL OF PUBLIC LAND SALE PROVISION FROM HOUSE BUDGET BILL

In a significant win for conservationists, hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts, a controversial provision that would have authorized the sale of what turned out to be nearly 1.5 million acres of public land in Utah and Nevada was removed from a U.S. House budget reconciliation bill yesterday. 

The provision, added as a last-minute (and late night) amendment by the House Natural Resources Committee earlier this month, during a late-night session, initially appeared to involve the sale of about 11,000 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service. However, further analysis by the good folks over at onX revealed that the amendment, introduced by Representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT), could have facilitated the sale of up to 1,466,352 acres. The sneaky amendment aimed to fund tax cuts and other budgetary priorities by bypassing established public input processes, such as those required under the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA).

It didn’t take long for the amendment’s inclusion to prompt a swift and robust response from advocacy groups, including Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the National Wildlife Federation, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, Trout Unlimited, and the Outdoor Alliance. These organizations criticized the lack of transparency and the potential precedent the provision could set for future public land sales. Thousands of concerned citizens flooded congressional offices with calls, urging lawmakers to protect these shared resources…

🐊 A gator that has been targeting kayakers has prompted the closing of a Florida waterway. A massive gator, believed to be somewhere in the neighborhood of between 13 and 14 feet in length, has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to temporarily close parts of the Juniper Springs Waterway in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. The decision was made after the ornery reptile displayed aggressive behavior toward paddlers during alligator mating season which is taking place right about now. The closure affects the popular Juniper Run, a narrow, scenic waterway used for kayaking and canoeing, as well as the put-in and take-out points near Florida State Road 19 and the Juniper Springs Nature Trail. The alligator, identified as a "nuisance" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) due to its size and behavior, has been physically contacting canoes and kayaks, raising safety concerns. No injuries have been reported, but the closure was enacted to protect both visitors and the animal while officials monitor the situation.

This incident follows a tragic alligator attack on May 6, 2025, at Lake Kissimmee, where 61-year-old Cynthia Diekema was killed after her canoe bumped into an alligator, causing her to fall into the water. The FWC notes that alligator attacks are rare, with over 450 documented since 1941, only 30 of those were fatal and are more often than not linked to risky human behavior. Visitors are urged to respect the closure and exercise caution around Florida’s waterways, particularly when it comes to big ol’ territorial gators in order to avoid similar incidents.

💵 Ontario Outfitter Fined $10K for Illegal Bear-Hunting Services. A northern Ontario outfitter was fined $10,000 and received a two-year suspension of his Bear Management Area (BMA) license for illegally providing black bear hunting services outside his designated area. The violation was uncovered during a 2023 inspection by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, prompted by public complaints about the outfitter’s operations. The outfitter pleaded guilty to the charges, underscoring the critical role of public reporting in enforcing conservation laws, as the ministry’s investigation was initiated due to tips from concerned citizens.

Authorities continue to encourage the public to report suspected violations to protect Ontario’s wildlife and maintain equitable access to hunting opportunities.

🐻 FWC Moves Forward with Controversial Florida Black Bear Hunt Proposal. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted 4-1 on Wednesday to advance a proposal for the first black bear hunt in Florida since 2015. The proposed 23-day hunt, set for December 2025, would allow hunting with dogs and at bait stations in seven Bear Management Units with populations over 200 bears, with 187 permits issued via random drawing. Supporters, including hunters and Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, argue the hunt is necessary to manage a bear population estimated at 4,050, citing increased human-bear conflicts, including a fatal attack in Collier County just a few weeks ago.

However, the proposal still faces strong opposition (surprise!), as critics, including wildlife advocates and groups like Bear Warriors United, argue the FWC relies on outdated 2015 data, lacks a current population study (which isn’t due until 2028–2029), and prioritizes “trophy hunting” over sCiEnCe. The 2015 hunt, halted after two days with 304 bears killed, including 36 lactating females, is cited as a cautionary tale and is something that ultimately shouldn’t and won’t be repeated. The upcoming vote, scheduled for August, will determine if the hunt proceeds, with public input ongoing.

🦢 These swans do not f*ck around when it comes to nesting season, which is happening right about now. Watch as this dude gets charged and subsequently dumped from his board by this attacking swan.

Seriously though, that’s a damn big swan…

💨 Gone in 7 Seconds: Dave Link lifts the binoculars from his patio table and scans the deep blue sky eastward over his Canyon neighborhood in the Panhandle. Two Eurasian collared doves alight on a nearby utility line. In the gusty wind, a red-tailed hawk soars over the backyard. Link is looking for something else, though—his racing pigeons.

“The key question is, ‘Will mine break from the group?’” Link wonders. “If they go to Amarillo, I’m screwed. They really need to break away at Shamrock.”

Link is president of the Amarillo Pigeon Racing Club and has played this waiting game many times, going back to his childhood in suburban Chicago. But the stakes are high on this Saturday in September. It’s the first race of the “young bird” season, featuring an untested group of pigeons born in the calendar year. Read the full story.

🦓 Marble Mines and Mountain Zebras: At the farthest edge of the Namib Desert is a land that seems caught in a different time. Game roams free. Water is scarce. In this forsaken place, some of the first Bushmen, Ovambo, Kavango, Wambu, and Herero peoples left their footprints in the rocky sand. Little remains save remnants of Stone Age tools and cliff paintings, yet descendants of those tribespeople today stand watch over the same terrain that now holds the riches of gold below ground and rare marble above, jutting like tumbled dice from towering hills. 

This land is hardly untouched; the evidence of human encroachment is unmistakable. Massive blocks of white, gray, and blue marble line the first few kilometers of dirt track leading into one of Namibia’s best-kept secrets. But past the antiquated mining machinery, wickedly dangerous stone cutters, and large trucks hauling stunning cubes of future countertops and towering columns destined for the United States and China, lies another world rich in adventure and challenge. Those who make a living here still find greater value in a hindquarter of game meat than in a ton of pure marble. We were able to gain access to pursue the elusive Equus zebra hartmannae in its wild home, so long as we’d provide our hosts with an animal for meat.  Read the full story.

🇺🇸 Our Hearts were Touched with Fire:  Not long ago I heard a young man ask why people still kept up Memorial Day, and it set me thinking of the answer. Not the answer that you and I should give to each other — not the expression of those feelings that, so long as you and I live, will make this day sacred to memories of love and grief and heroic youth — but an answer which should command the assent of those who do not share our memories . . . . When men have instinctively agreed to celebrate an anniversary, it will be found that there is some thought or feeling behind it which is too large to be dependent upon associations alone.

So to the indifferent inquirer who asks why Memorial Day is still kept up we may answer, it celebrates and solemnly reaffirms from year to year a national act of enthusiasm and faith. It embodies in the most impressive form our belief that to act with enthusiasm and faith is the condition of acting greatly. To fight out a war, you must believe something and want something with all your might. So must you do to carry anything else to an end worth reaching. More than that, you must be willing to commit yourself to a course, perhaps a long and hard one, without being able to foresee exactly where you will come out. All that is required of you is that you should go some whither as hard as ever you can. . . .  Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…