In the first installment of The Wire, we track the legislative movements and conservation battles shaping our access to the outdoors. From the halls of Washington D.C. to the desert reaches of the Big Bend, the decisions made this week carry consequences that will be felt for generations.

In this Signal:

• The Lead Line: We break down House Bill 556 (the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act) and its aim to prevent blanket lead bans on federal lands. We look back at the 1991 steel shot transition to understand the real-world economics of non-toxic ammunition.
• The Boundary Waters at Risk: A look at H.J. Res 140 and the attempt to bypass 20 years of science to allow sulfide-ore copper mining at the headwaters of America’s most visited wilderness.
• The Big Bend Waiver: Why the Department of Homeland Security is waiving 28 federal laws to fast-track a border wall through Big Bend Ranch State Park, and why local sheriffs are calling for better tech over more steel.
• A River Reconnected: Celebrating a record-breaking year for American Rivers with 100 dams removed in 2025, restoring nearly 5,000 miles of free-flowing water.
• Texas Giants: The 40th Anniversary of the ShareLunker program kicks off with back-to-back heavyweight bass from Lake OH Ivy.
• Reprieve for Catalina: A major update on the Catalina Island mule deer eradication plan as a court-granted stay grounds the sharpshooters—for now.

Chapter Markers: 
00:00:00 | The Frequency: A Weekly Pulse
00:01:27 | The Lead Line: House Bill 556
00:05:38 | Sulfide and Silence: The Boundary Waters
00:08:36 | Waiving the Law: Big Bend Ranch 
00:10:31 | Running Free: 5,000 Miles Unlocked
00:11:08 | Heavyweight Rounds: The ShareLunker 40th
00:12:07 | The Reprieve: Catalina’s Mule Deer 
00:13:49 | Accountability: Holding the Line

The wood is dry, the signal is strong.

Resources:

• Find Your Representative
• Contact Your Senator
• Join America Rivers
• Save The Boundary Waters

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Instagram: @Texas_Josh
Website: Spoke Hollow Outfitters

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