The financial award will be used to employ and manage a team of BHA field staff who will be focusedsolely on the inventory, modification and removal of fences on BLM lands in areas of identified need

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) awarded a $2,528,718 Cooperative Agreement to Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), a non-profit conservation organization, through the Wildlife Resource Management program (CFDA 15.247). Over a 5-year period from September 2023 to September 2028, the funding will support a dedicated team of 3 full-time BHA staff to inventory, modify, and remove fencing on BLM lands across the western U.S. Key deliverables include:

• Inventory and map the status of 1,000 miles of fencing (200 miles annually)
• Remove at least 250 miles of fence (50 miles annually)
• Modify up to 50 miles of fence to be more wildlife-friendly (10 miles annually)
• Directly engage 1,500 volunteers (300 annually) in fence inventory, removal, and modification projects to cultivate public land stewards

This work will benefit big game populations like pronghorn, mule deer, elk, and bighorn sheep, as well as greater sage-grouse, by improving habitat connectivity and reducing wildlife collisions and predation on BLM lands.

The seemingly endless need for fence improvements on public lands can be significantly addressedthrough a dedicated team that will spearhead fence work through a combination of direct employee effortsand organized volunteer stewardship workdays, through which BHA will leverage of members, supporters and corporate partners to assist with fence work. This work will follow the successful modelbuilt in colorado with financial support provided through the national fish and wildlife foundation srestore program, through which BHA has employed a full time person who has helped to effectivelydeliver on fence inventory, removal and modification targets in colorado. Following a similar model, wewill hire a team of three full time employees for a period of five years who will be responsible for thecoordination and implementation of fence inventory, modification and removal work in key areas onblm lands throughout the west. Collectively, this BHA team will tackle the following public landinfrastructure and habitat connectivity work: inventory, map and share status of 1,000 miles offence (200 miles annually) remove at least 250 miles of fence (50 miles annually) modify up to 50 miles fence with barbwire replacement (10 miles annually). Additional miles offence will be modified to be more wildlife friendly through installation of flagging, removal raising of wires, etc. Directly engage 1,500 volunteers in fence inventory, removal or modification work projects, withaim of cultivating invested public land stewards (300 volunteers annually).this work will directly benefit big game populations of pronghorn, mule deer, ELK and bighorn sheep byeliminating current barriers to wildlife movement and by improving habitat connectivity on and aroundblm lands. Fence work will also be targeted in mapped greater sage-grouse range, thus benefiting grousehabitat and population health by limiting collisions with fences and removing predation perches for bothcorvids and raptors. All who participate in wildlife-related recreation will benefit from this work through healthy habitat andmore robust wildlife populations. Additionally, a major component of this work will be focused on thedirect engagement of BHA s robust base of members, supporters and partners. We will directly engage aminimum of 1,500 unique volunteers throughout the course of this project (300 per year) in organized andwidely publicized - fence work projects. IT is our goal to help cultivate new and invested public landstewards through this approach.