In The Arena: Erin Block

July 11, 2024

TRCP’s “In the Arena” series highlights the individual voices of hunters and anglers who, as Theodore Roosevelt so famously said, strive valiantly in the worthy cause of conservation

Erin Block

Hometown: Golden, CO
Occupation: Librarian
Conservation credentials: Erin Block is an established outdoor writer and has published her work in publications such as Gray’s Sporting Journal, Midcurrent, and Field & Stream, alongside her books The View from Coal Creek and By a Thread: A Retrospective on Women and Fly Tying. She also serves as editor-at-large for TROUT magazine, and her first collection of poetry How You Walk Alone in the Dark recently won a Colorado Book Award.

As a Nebraska farm kid showing 4-H steers and dairy goats, Erin Block was raised to understand where food comes from, but it wasn’t until she moved to Colorado that she started hunting grouse, hares, and turkeys on the public lands around her home. A celebrated writer who grapples with the complexities of hunting and surrounding culture, Block offers a unique perspective with talent that grips her readers.

Here is her story.

Block with a high-country Merriam’s in an early season snowstorm.

I grew up in the Midwest, in Nebraska and Iowa, and spent time fishing with my dad. But no one in my immediate family hunted. We lived on a small farm, and I spent my childhood riding horses, raising 4-H steers and dairy goats. After college, I moved to Denver, Colorado, and that’s when I started hiking and backpacking. As a kid, I took it for granted that I knew where some of my food was coming from. As an adult, I started to realize that I wanted to get back to that in some way, but a farm was out of my financial means. So I started foraging mushrooms and then hunting. I started small, working my way up in animal and weapon size each season: first for grouse, then snowshoe hare, jackrabbit, turkey, and mule deer.

This past October, my husband, Jay Zimmerman, and I took our recurve bows out to hunt snowshoe hare. There was new snow that had fallen overnight and there was no wind. The hare tracks were fresh and it was magical to move through the woods so quietly as a predator. It felt like a lucid dream.

I am very much a homebody and don’t like traveling. I’m attached to my home waters and hunting grounds and would always choose them over anywhere else: the Front Range and eastern plains of Colorado.

Conservation is essential for being able to continue to hunt and fish. Good habitat creates better opportunities for hunters and anglers, but also improves the health of the ecosystem and animal populations. Every hunter knows the stomach-sinking-feeling of returning to an area you have had past success in and finding corners of a field mowed, timber cut, water drained, thickets torn up.

I’m lucky to live in an area with many public lands, but each year, more empty plots are developed, and the weather has become predictably unpredictable. I’ve witnessed severe drought, 1,000-year floods, and wildfires in my area all within a short span of time. Without a doubt the climate is changing and if we can create and maintain good habitat through conservation practices, that will help all animals through the coming years. There are also just a lot more people on the landscape. This isn’t a bad thing, but I think we all need to be mindful that even if we don’t view an activity as consumptive—hiking, for example—we are still impacting the land and its inhabitants, possibly detrimentally so.

Block chases dusky grouse in the Front Range of Colorado.

It’s important to me to try to have a positive impact on the resources I use and enjoy and also the small area of land where I live. I plant fruit trees, leave brush piles for rabbits, encourage the growth of native plants such as wild raspberries for pollinators, and so on. In less than a decade of hunting turkey, I have noticed a decrease in songbird activity at sunrise. Hunting takes you to places where you notice small changes like that, and makes you want to do something about it. In an interview with Orion Magazine, the poet Ross Gay was asked what he’d most like to be remembered for and his answer always sticks with me: “I am glad to have planted trees.”

Conservation should matter to us and to the next generation because even if you don’t fish or hunt, the health of our ecosystems directly affects our own well-being, both physically and mentally. And even for non-game species, we should care about their right to exist and their contribution to ecosystems. To quote Aldo Leopold, “keep all the pieces.”

Photos Courtesy of Erin Block.

The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

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by: Noah Davis

posted in: In the Arena

June 24, 2024

In the Arena: Joshua Torrez

TRCP’s “In the Arena” series highlights the individual voices of hunters and anglers who, as Theodore Roosevelt so famously said, strive valiantly in the worthy cause of conservation

Joshua Torrez

Hometown: Denver, CO
Occupation: Founder of Afuera Outdoors
Conservation credentials: Torrez, founder of Afuera Outdoors, an organization dedicated to introducing and enhancing the outdoor experience to Spanish-speaking communities, also sits on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Wildlife Federation.

Since his first memories of fishing the streams outside of Leadville, Colorado, Torrez has been spending time outdoors and sharing his passion with others. Torrez founded Afuera Outdoors after recognizing a knowledge gap, particularly among the next generation of diverse hunters and anglers due to limited access, and has been driven to empower others with the understanding that we can actively conserve our natural spaces by voicing our concerns and uniting our efforts.

Here is his story.

Torrez (right) poses with a successful young angler at a recent Afuera Outdoors event with the Couer d’Alene Tribe in Idaho.

I was introduced to fishing by my father on the streams of Leadville, Colorado, where we bonded over the joys of catching and eating brook trout. To this day, my dad remains my best fishing partner. One of my most memorable outdoor adventures was rafting through Browns Canyon in Salida, Colorado. I was a newer fly fisherman at the time. During the trip, I had the exhilarating experience of catching the largest brown trout of my life using my fly rod. The moment of the catch was particularly thrilling as it happened while navigating through a set of challenging rapids. After some tense moments stabilizing the boat, I successfully reeled in the fish. This experience left a lasting impression on me and even inspired me to speak up during the public comment session for the Arkansas River National Monument.

If I could fish anywhere, I would choose a trip to Chile and Argentina, specifically Patagonia, to fly fish the Limay River, Malleo River, Simpson River, and the Palena River. Not only would I have the opportunity to pursue my passion for fly fishing in some of the world’s most renowned waters, but I would also immerse myself in the rich culture of the region. Additionally, the trip would provide an excellent opportunity to continue my life-long Spanish practice. I have a deep admiration for South America, and I aspire to experience it fully as an angler.

Torrez (left) poses with wardens and fisheries biologists at a recent Afuera Outdoors event with the Couer d’Alene Tribe in Idaho.

Conservation enhances my outdoor life by ensuring that the natural environments where I fish and hunt remain healthy and accessible. It ensures that future generations, including my own, will have the opportunity to experience the same joys of outdoor activities that I have enjoyed. Conservation efforts also help safeguard and restore habitats, ensuring diverse ecosystems, and thriving populations of fish and game, which ultimately enriches my outdoor experiences.

I initially identified as just an angler who cherished the outdoors. However, my perspective changed when I was approached to join the Board of Directors for the Colorado Wildlife Federation following a speech I delivered at the Arkansas River National Monument meeting. Through this experience, I’ve come to appreciate the influential role that both hunters and anglers play in conservation efforts. Attending National Wildlife Federation meetings further solidified my commitment to conservation, leading me to establish Afuera Outdoors. Recognizing a knowledge gap, particularly among the next generation of diverse hunters due to limited access, I am driven to empower others with the understanding that we can actively conserve our natural spaces by voicing our concerns and uniting our efforts. It has become my mission to advocate for responsible conservation practices.

Conservation should matter to the next generation of hunters and anglers because it ensures the natural environment they rely on for their activities. By educating children in both Spanish and English about the value and joys of fishing, we instill in them a love for the outdoors and a desire to conserve it. Just as I was shown, they need to understand that they can make a difference.

Learn more about Afuera Outdoors and participate in an upcoming event HERE.

Photos Courtesy of Joshua Torrez.

The TRCP is your no-B.S. resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: Ryan Lockwood

posted in: In the Arena

June 18, 2024

In the Arena: Jamie Dahl

TRCP’s “In the Arena” series highlights the individual voices of hunters, anglers, and conservationists who, as Theodore Roosevelt so famously said, strive valiantly in the worthy cause of conservation.

Jamie Dahl

Hometown: Fort Collins, CO
Occupation: Assistant Professor, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University
Conservation credentials: Natural resources educator and forester who uses fieldwork experiences to instill a conservation ethic – and an appreciation for hunting and angling’s role in conservation efforts – in the next generation.

Jamie Dahl is a dyed-in-the-wool outdoorswoman of Pennsylvania roots. She’s been everything from a certified wildland firefighter and chainsaw course instructor to a professional forester and volunteer coordinator. In her personal life, she’s a hiker, hunter, angler, and mother mentoring two sons on sporting ethics and natural resources stewardship. Her career currently centers on teaching college students how our natural environment and social justice issues connect to everything and everyone.

Here is her story.

Photo Credit: Bill Cotton/Colorado State University

One of my most memorable hunts came while turkey hunting with my husband in Colorado. Being from Pennsylvania, we were still figuring out turkey hunting in the West (really, we still are). We were sitting in some ponderosa pines on public land in the Estes Park area, where we often heard gobblers, but most commonly far off or on the next slope. That morning when we heard the gobbler my husband and I got set. He made a good mouth call and started to call the gobbler in. The bird was responding, getting closer.

Eventually, he came into view. It was my first time seeing the full-on strut, colors, and performance so close. The gobbler’s colors were so striking.

“There’s nothing quite like the quick adrenaline rush when you hear that gobble on a crisp spring morning.”

I never had a clean shot because several hens protected that gobbler. It seemed like they knew it was a trick. They blocked and surrounded that gobbler the entire time, who just strutted and seemed to be clueless. There’s nothing quite like the quick adrenaline rush when you hear that gobble on a crisp spring morning.

I actually started hunting later in life. My uncle hunted throughout my childhood, and though I was not interested back then, I would often eat the meat he harvested. When I went to Penn State University to study forestry, my boyfriend at the time hunted, as did his family. I would sometimes join them in late-muzzleloader season in Pennsylvania to just observe.

I later met my husband, Chris, at PSU, who also grew up hunting. He and his family were also supportive of my interest. Eventually, a Penn State colleague invited me to participate in a special hunter education program for students and faculty called “Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow.” That program gave me the knowledge and skills to feel more confident and truly start hunting in my early 20s.

My favorite time to hunt is still late-muzzleloader deer season in Pennsylvania, with family. The family part is the key. My husband’s family and friends have an awesome tradition of gathering during that season, particularly the first week, which is late December and January in Pennsylvania, so it can be very cold. If we’re lucky, there’s snow. I harvested my first deer there with a flintlock muzzleloader, a special experience, and friends and family were right there.

We hunt in small groups and generally stop for a hot lunch together at someone’s home. The social part is what makes it memorable. There are usually three generations participating, and since we live in Colorado now, we especially cherish times when we can join. If we are lucky enough to harvest a deer, we process it together and folks still in need will share the meat. If we aren’t lucky? Hunting and fishing licenses and equipment dollars help pay for conservation, so I joke in the many seasons I don’t harvest an animal that I still did my part to support conservation.

Besides hunting and fishing for fun, I work in environmental communications and education. So when I think of challenges to conservation my brain goes to the need for changing behavior related to the land, air, and water we’re all connected to. In Colorado, we have extreme recreation pressure, climate change, pressure on limited resources, wildland fire, and habitat and species loss. But the real challenge is getting people to understand these complexities, so they want to take day-to-day actions to help.

As I discuss with the students I teach at Colorado State University (CSU), the environment and social justice connect to everything and everyone. How can we provide solid natural resources education and messaging to get people to conserve and steward this one planet? To get everyone to care about climate change? We all have a stake in it, yet they are complex issues that we do not all agree on. We need all different types of people involved, or we will not find practical solutions that fit. Some groups have historically been left out of the decision-making, and that has to change.

Our own tactics to communicate about environmental problems are often lacking; most conservation professionals are not trained in communication and outreach. There are also barriers for some to access the outdoors; this is another key area that gets overlooked. Who is participating, and who is not? Why? Where is the decision-making power? These are some questions I like to ask. I do not have many women friends who hunt (and I look for them); when I hunt and fish, I also do not tend to see much racial and ethnic diversity, though that is very slowly changing.

“If you’ve ever harvested your own food, you can likely connect to a greater appreciation for it.”

The fact is hunting and angling participation has decreased in recent decades. There are many reasons for this, but one is that many families and youth are further removed from the outdoors. There is also research that shows folks’ value orientation is changing. I respect those who say hunting and fishing are not for them; however, if you work in natural resources and the environment, it is essential to understand these activities as conservation tools.

People are more likely to care about the environment, and to vote for and volunteer for it, if they are exposed in their youth. In our household, both parents hunt, so our children (ages 10 and 4) are exposed to the harvest of game. Our oldest son has been interested in hunting and fishing since he was a toddler, and being outside keeps us off our electronic devices.

He especially loves fishing. It is an activity the whole family can easily access and presents a challenge. We learn things together when we do it: what bait or lure do we need, where are the fish today, how do we take care of a fish if we catch one requiring release, and, if we keep one, how will we clean and cook it? Youth gain many important benefits from this experience.

If you’ve ever harvested your own food, you can likely connect to a greater appreciation for it. We know food does not just appear in plastic wrap at the grocery store. We scout, hike, and practice our aim or cast to potentially harvest some of our dinner for the day or the year. And we appreciate the sacrifice of the animal to help sustain us.

I’ll take a day in the woods over a device any time.

Banner photo courtesy of Jamie Dahl

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by: James Wicks

posted in: In the Arena

June 5, 2024

In the Arena: Greg Breitmaier

TRCP’s “In the Arena” series highlights the individual voices of hunters and anglers who, as Theodore Roosevelt so famously said, strive valiantly in the worthy cause of conservation.

Greg Breitmaier

Hometown: Lodi, California
Occupation: Sustainability Program Manager at MYSTERY RANCH (Bozeman, MT)
Conservation credentials: As the Sustainability Program Manager at MYSTERY RANCH, Greg is a champion for sustainable manufacturing practices. He is a public lands advocate who is committed to fostering the next generation of conservationist to protect America’s legacy of conservation, habitat, and access.

Inspired from a young age and through a life of exploring, fishing, running, and recreating in the outdoors, Greg is driven by a personal responsibility to offer guidance and education to protect America’s legacy of  conservation, habitat, and access.

This is his story.

I grew up in the countryside outside of Lodi, California, surrounded by a mix of pastures, vineyards, and orchards. From an early age, I spent countless hours unsupervised, climbing haystacks, searching for buried treasure, riding my bike between vineyard rows, and swimming in the nearby Mokelumne River. On my 10th birthday, my dad bought me my very own rod and reel combo. Little did I know that his gift would start my lifelong love of fishing.

Fishing the blue-ribbon trout rivers of Montana is where I feel the most at home. To me, there’s no match in terms of the sheer beauty, variety of water, incomprehensible hatches, fishing tactics, and solitude (provided you’re willing to hike a mile from the river access). With that said, I’m not a well-traveled angler and would absolutely love to trade in my bootfoot waders for boardshorts and sandals. Fishing for a Tarpon that might outweigh me seems like a good time. Not to mention the obligatory après-fish ceviche and cold ones at a laid-back beach bar.

In what feels like a lifetime ago, I was obsessed with trail running, exploring challenging terrains in Oregon and Washington. I not only participated in but successfully completed several supported ultra marathons. Yet, it was my inaugural unsupported ultra that remains a lasting memory – an extraordinary circumnavigation of Mount St. Helens via the 32-mile Loowit Trail. This is a feat that can only be achieved because of the incredible public lands our country offers. My buddy, whom I’ll call Dave, and I camped at the June Lake trailhead in the bed of his Tacoma, starting our adventure at sunrise. Our plan was straightforward: we stopped at each water crossing to replenish our water supplies and refuel with trails snacks and chia seeds. The weather was ideal, but around mile 18, Dave fell victim to nausea and unmistakable signs of dehydration. Fortunately, a fortuitous encounter with a kind older couple, leisurely picking huckleberries, led to their generous offer to guide Dave down the trail to their parked car, approximately two miles away. Determinedly, I completed the loop on my own, with a semi-humorous sock-losing incident at the final water crossing adding a twist to the day. As dusk descended, I finished the trail, forever cherishing the beauty of the Loowit Trail and the triumph over adversity, making it one of my most unforgettable experiences.

It’s not an original idea from me, but I know my well-being is intrinsically tied to the well-being of my environment. We can’t be healthy if our outdoors spaces are suffering. Just like it’s important for me to maintain a clean home, healthy garden, and landscape, so is it to maintain and conserve our public lands.

The fact is more people leads to more pressure on wildlife, habitat, and our natural resources. For the most part, I believe folks understand their own impacts and do what they can to minimize them, but we have an opportunity to offer guidance and education to new hunters and anglers so we can ensure that we protect what we value so highly.

“Sustainability” is meeting the needs of the present, without sacrificing the ability for future generations to meet their needs.

My partner and I are parents to three young children who deserve the same opportunities as we had when we were children. Fostering a love for the outdoors is one of the best ways we can ensure our children grow up healthy and happy.

Simply put, the next generation of hunters and anglers are relying on us to do the right thing today. The most common definition of “sustainability” is meeting the needs of the present, without sacrificing the ability for future generations to meet their needs. That is why organizations such as the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership are so critical in today’s fight to protect America’s legacy of conservation, habitat, and access. TRCP’s ability to work with such a passionate and knowledgeable team of leaders and partners is really second-to-none.

Click here to learn more about Mystery Ranch’s commitment to sustainability

All photos courtesy of Greg Breitmaier and MYSTERY RANCH

The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: Noah Davis

posted in: In the Arena

May 21, 2024

In the Arena: Sam Maher

TRCP’s “In the Arena” series highlights the individual voices of hunters, anglers, and conservationists who, as Theodore Roosevelt so famously said, strive valiantly in the worthy cause of conservation

Sam Maher

Hometown: Houston, TX
Occupation: Wildlife Biology Ph.D. Candidate
Conservation credentials: Maher is currently spearheading the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Antler Study to better understand the interest and influences shed antler hunting has on wildlife behavior in the GYE.

Since childhood, Sam Maher has spent time in wild places among wild creatures. This fascination and immersion in the wild has led her to pursue a doctorate in wildlife biology at the University of California at Berkley. From the American West to Botswana, Maher is interested in how wildlife agencies make measured decisions when it comes to managing land and wildlife.

Here is her story.

I was raised by two geologists who spent time in the backcountry doing research and mapping projects in Alaska, Svalbard, and the Sierra Nevada. I remember them taking us hiking and camping in the most amazing places as a kid, and I would just complain about having to walk uphill. Looking back, I am grateful for the time they spent with me outside because it’s made me more comfortable in the field and attentive to the land around me.

I’ve never been much of a hunter or angler because those weren’t activities that were passed down in my family, and there’s a pretty steep learning curve there. But more recently, I’ve gotten to know a lot of sportsmen and women and have grown to admire the amount of skill and knowledge involved in these pursuits. Sometimes I feel like hiking and sightseeing is a passive way of moving through a landscape, but when you hunt, fish, and track, you engage with your surroundings in a such a meaningful way. Photography for me has filled that role for me in some ways.

Participate in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Shed Study HERE!

I spent a field season in rural Botswana doing some vegetation monitoring, and at the end of the project my advisors took us to Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. I was fast asleep on our first night there when I was awoken by the commotion around my tent and a high-pitched yapping sound. I was curious about what was going on, but we had been instructed not to leave during the night, so I eventually fell back asleep. In the morning, I emerged from my tent to see blood dripping from the tree above our kitchen site. It turns out that a leopard had killed an impala outside our tent, only to be accosted by a pack of hyenas, then dragged its kill into the tree above us. It was incredible to think I had been just a few yards away from all of this, snug in my sleeping bag!

I have a running list of places that I’m just sort of fascinated by and where I’d want to spend time exploring and taking photos. Alaska is one of three states I’ve yet to visit, so that one is up there. I watched an episode of River Monsters where the Jeremy Wade fishes in Mongolia, which looks incredible. I really like the idea taking an extended pack trip out there with those hardy little Mongolian horses and hunting with golden eagles. I think what appeals to me the most is the continuity in the way communities in these extreme, isolated environments make their living and are still participating in a way of being that’s been practiced for hundreds, or even a thousand years. On the other hand, I struggle with the idea that my participation in those practices as a tourist is what would destroy that authenticity.

“Conservation doesn’t enhance my outdoor life so much as it IS my outdoor life.”

Conservation is about making decisions on how to steward land and wildlife in such a way that the public can benefit. This seems simple but it’s really this massive objective setting endeavor where we make collective decisions about who the public is, which groups of the public we should prioritize, and which uses for the land are most important. That is extremely challenging when those objectives are at odds with another. I’d probably say that on a personal level, conservation is about cultivating a relationship between myself and the land and its creatures and being a good steward. Conservation doesn’t enhance my outdoor life so much as it IS my outdoor life.

An example of the complexities of conservation: elk in my study area in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem use private and working lands as habitat for much of the winter but spend summers on public land. So, do we manage for high elk populations on working lands because they can be hunted and viewed by the public, or do we need to control populations to reduce costs for producers who deal with disease risk and competition with cattle for forage? How do you even do this if there is limited private lands hunting access? I imagine a lot of people reading this have a strong opinion on that, and being involved in decision-making is the only way we can get closer to managing wildlands so that everyone’s needs are met.

I’m doing my Ph.D. in the Bay Area, where fire, drought, and development are three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I would say the fourth is a more existential question about identity and how we relate to nature as people, as well as how we relate to other people about nature. Specifically, I’m thinking about the rural-urban divide, and how a lot of urban people are in love with an idea of nature as this gentle, pristine thing that maybe doesn’t really exist. There’s a great study led by Robert Bonnie, now the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at USDA, that shows how conservation is this one last bipartisan issue, that urban and rural people and conservatives and liberals care about the environment equally, but that they disagree on the government’s role in stewarding it. I think recognizing that conservation is a shared priority would take us a long way.

We live in this thrilling and terrifying time in history where everything around us is changing at breakneck speed and there’s so much uncertainty about what life is going to look like in just a decade. Being involved in conservation and connected to the natural world feels grounding and comforting, like no matter what craziness is going on around me with AI and social media, I still have somewhere to go that is peaceful, that exists outside of the rat race.

All photos courtesy of Sam Maher.

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