
Conservation Cooperative, Ep. 1: Trails
From Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
April 24, 2026 · 25 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the impact of recreation trail development on conservation efforts in Vermont and beyond.
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
People in this episode
Guests: Ethan Dreisigacker, Meredith Naughton, Allison Adams, Dave Furman, Andrea Shortsleeve, Nick Bennette, RJ Thompson
Topics covered
- conservation
- recreation trails
- wildlife
- public lands
- Vermont
- BHA
Keywords
- conservation
- recreation trails
- wildlife
- BHA
- Vermont
- public lands
- Northeast
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
Places: Vermont, Northeast
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