Land Tawney
Key Player
Land Tawney is a liberal activist and executive director of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA). True to form, he is certainly good at camouflaging himself.
Tawney wants the public to believe he’s an advocate for public lands and the most trusted spokesman for sportsmen and hunters. In truth, Tawney deceptively panders to outdoorsmen in order to fundraise for progressive candidates who impose policies restricting access to the environment and place strict regulations on the Second Amendment.
Far from a legitimate grassroots group of sportsmen, Tawney’s Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is largely propped up courtesy of the Western Conservation Foundation (WCF) and other environmentalist foundations. WCF also funds groups including EarthJustice and Climate Solutions, both radical environmentalist organizations that are more open about their left-wing affiliations.
Tawney is a Montana native but his loyalties are aligned much more with progressive environmentalists in DC and San Francisco. Before he became involved with BHA, Tawney worked for organizations including the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, yet another group donned in the camo of sportsmen but in actuality a major advocate for left-wing causes and a close ally of labor unions. TRCP was founded with money from the left-wing Pew foundation, and the Washington Post reported that TRCP’s goal was to help draw membership away from the National Rifle Association, which leans to the right.
Tawney has also overseen the Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund. In the 2011-12 election cycle, this PAC took in nearly two million dollars—largely from the America Votes Action Fund. This fund has a mission of pushing progressive policies and increasing voter turnout for Democratic candidates. America Votes is largely funded by the secretive Democracy Alliance, financed by billionaire investor George Soros. It should come as no surprise that Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund spent its money opposing the Republican Senate candidate in Montana. Part of this strategy involved $500,000 in support of the Libertarian candidate, in hopes of drawing votes away from the Republican.
In the Obama years, Tawney was a member of the Montana Sportsmen for Obama Committee.
Tawney’s real aims are better described as shutting down vibrant sectors of Montana’s economy, including ranching, coal, timber, and gas. All this at the expense of the jobs and economy in the state.
Real sportsmen have all sorts of political affiliations and aren’t required to adhere to any political ideology. Just so, sportsmen must remain vigilant and ensure they don’t get taken advantage of groups looking to pander and discreetly push an agenda.
Land Tawney doesn’t speak for sportsmen—he stands for Big Green’s radical left-wing changes in the Last Best Place. Montanans ought to take note.