How long have you been a TU member? 

Can’t remember exactly when I joined, but for several years. When I was in Colorado Springs several years ago, I was a member of the Pikes Peak Flyfishers and then migrated to supporting TU in addition.

Are you a chapter board member and/or officer?

I am a newly elected Board member of the CPCTU and am looking forward to especially outreach to other conservation and sportsmen organizations.

What drew you to joining TU? 

All my life I have been involved some way with conservation and natural resource management. I have supported organizations like TU because of the lobby efforts on behalf of our natural resource management and stewardship. TU is one of the leaders in conservation across the country and that is very important to me. TU is a hands on organization with its many projects and mentoring to our youth. In addition, being involved in TU allows me to interact with our agencies, the public, and other sportsmen that care about the stewardship and management of our fantastic resources.

I am also impressed with the quality people in this organization and the amount of volunteer time that I have seen contributed. The folks in this organization are top notch.

When did you move to the valley and join CPC? 

I own recreational property south of Buena Vista and come and go throughout the year. I reside in Douglas County with my wife.

I have been coming to the Arkansas Valley since the 1980’s. I joined CPC several years ago and I am involved in another chapter in Denver.

Where are you originally from, and what do you do for a living?

I am a Dakota kid and graduated from the U. of Minnesota with a forestry degree. After college I eventually migrated to Colorado Springs where I spent most of my career as the City Forester for the City of Colorado Springs. During that period I also attained a M.S. from U.C.C.S. After ending my career as a municipal employee, I started to concentrate more on my forestry/landscape consulting business, which I have done since the 1980’s.

What section of the Arkansas do you think fishes best, and when?

I believe any section of the Ark fishes best if you are “catching”. The river system from Hayden Meadows to the Gorge is wonderful. I prefer fishing in areas as far from the road as I can, which involves lots of hiking. I have caught fish in the Ark at all times of the year. I especially like March-May, then later in the summer (when it is not so hot) and into the late fall. I am mainly a nymph fisher, combined with the Euro nymphing I am getting into.

What is your favorite Ark River fly? 

I believe the Blue Wing Olive dry, the pheasant tail, and the prince nymph are pretty good bets most times of the year.

Other Info about me

I was involved in the Envision Chaffee initiative when it started about 4 years ago. Since that time, the initiative was successful at passing the sales tax in 2019 that is earmarked for recreation and forest health. I continue to offer my input as needed from a forester’s perspective. I hope to continue that effort as it relates to many of the initiatives CPC is involved in.

In 2018 and 2019 I was supported by CPC when I was applying for a position on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. As I was not appointed, I will continue to pursue avenues such as this to become as effective as I can in the name of natural resources management.
I also serve as a director on a water and wastewater board in Douglas County.