I am here today because I think it's important that you know that people like me exist in the Portland metro area and people like me value roadless and wilderness areas. As you can plainly see, I am a woman - but the obvious stops there. I am also a Republican who has voted in every single election I was eligible to vote in since I was 18 yrs old. I also hunt and fish - I own two birddogs, three shotguns and six fly rods, know how to use them, and use them on a regular basis. I can put food on my family's table without going near a grocery store. And I know that the best hunting and fishing opportunities are located in roadless and wilderness areas.
-- Michelle Halle, from her testimony before Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Greg Walden (R-OR) at "Mt. Hood Summit III: A Legacy for Mt. Hood," Dec. 3, 2005
Don't tell Michelle Halle that girls can't hunt. Or conservationists don't vote Republican. Or that city folk don't know how to take care of themselves in the outdoors. With humor and without hesitation, she will set you straight.
Michelle Halle is one of those individuals who defy stereotypes and inspire others to do the same. At the 2004 South Dakota Wilderness Symposium in Rapid City, SD, Michelle spoke about a new organization called Backcountry Hunters and Anglers[LINK to www.backcountryhunter.org], and the need for a "strong coalition of the camouflaged and green" to fight for protection of wild public lands. "Those political leaders who have sought to pit sportsmen against environmentalists over the past decade have not done so because they care about those of us who hunt and fish, they have done so to make other people - not you - rich. I don't care what your political ideology is, greed and unchecked exploitation of lands that belong to every one of us hurts ALL of us," she said.
"Michelle's passion and commitment to the wild are unmatched," says Mike Beagle, President of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. "She's a great sportswoman, is funny, personable, isn't afraid of being politically incorrect, and offers an important perspective on the sporting life - an area that's been dominated by males. She's a real role model."
Michelle grew up in Phoenixville, PA, the youngest and only girl of four children. Her father had always been a hunter, and her brothers soon learned the sport, but Michelle was never included in family hunting trips.
She went to college at Syracuse University and earned a degree in public administration and international political economy. After college, she worked for U.S. Representative George Wortley (R-NY) in his district office in Syracuse, NY, before moving to Washington, DC to earn her masters degree in public administration from George Washington University. She went on to work for the World Bank, and spent nearly six years working on infrastructure projects all over the globe.
Michelle recalls the time she visited Shenandoah National Park. Although the park was beautiful, the proliferation of concession stands and other development took away from the natural experience she sought. "It was ridiculous," she said. "I don't want to get to the end of a trail and have someone trying to sell me something."
Eventually, Michelle felt the pull of the West. She visited Colorado and Oregon, and one summer she hiked Washington's Mt. St. Helens... alone. As she struggled towards the summit, fighting cinder and sand, she ran out of water. She still made it to the top, and was awed and humbled by the beauty and vastness of the landscape. "This is nature that can kill you," she thought. "There are things out there bigger than just me."
Ten years ago, Michelle moved to Portland, OR, where she found a job as a paralegal for a law firm specializing in the energy industry. The Pacific Northwest provided an ideal setting for fly fishing - something her brothers had always done but which she had never tried. Friends in Portland gave her casting lessons, and later she signed up to go out with a guide. Now, she gets requests from many of her friends to take them out and teach them the sport.
Michelle first got involved with conservation when a friend with Oregon Trout invited her to join them on a volunteer project to help keep cattle from disturbing streams. She was amazed that ranchers would be willing to have twenty volunteers out on their property, and that so many volunteers would be willing to drive all that way to spend their day building fences. She saw the power of partnerships, and wanted to do more.
Through her work with Oregon Trout, Michelle volunteered to go along as a cook on a bird hunting trip that was auctioned at the group's annual fundraising dinner. The first couple of times she just helped out, hiked, and enjoyed the scenery. But she became friends with the people that always won the trip, and they started going on hunting trips of their own.
Over the years, Michelle joined a number of conservation groups, but wanted a more focused and aggressive approach to saving the places she loved in Oregon and the West. This made her a perfect candidate to help launch Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
"Mike called up four days before their planning ‘retreat' to talk about forming a group. He said he was looking for folks to listen and learn and consider being on the board. I took the dogs and skis, and figured if nothing else at least I'll do some backcountry skiing in the Southern Cascades," said Michelle. "But we spent the whole day talking about fair chase and wild places and putting together our mission statement, and I got excited. I really admired them, they were all so knowledgeable, and I got swept up in the enthusiasm. They asked who would be treasurer and all eyes turned towards me. The next thing I knew I was opening a bank account and ordering checks."
Michelle was the only woman at this formative meeting and the only woman on the board for a year after the group's inception. Her unique perspective as an outdoors woman helped shape the group from the very beginning, and she continues to be an active and driving force in the organization. Now, Michelle is focused on recruiting new members and countering misconceptions that many hunters have about roadless areas. "Don't let folks tell you that roadless areas limit access," she says. "The proof is out there: roads make animals disperse, which makes it harder to hunt."
For other individuals interested in getting more involved in wilderness protection, especially hunters and anglers, Michelle has a few words of advice. "The internet is an amazing thing. Discussion boards like ifish.net are great sources of information and opportunities to get involved. You can also talk to your local fish and game department. Most of these agencies really try and reach out to women. Ask if they have an "Outdoors Woman" program, and if they don't, tell them to form one."
The key, according to Michelle, is to "Just get out there. Find solitude in beautiful places, even if you don't catch anything."
For more information or to join Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, please visit http://www.backcountryhunters.org/.
