Bryan was born and raised in Colorado, growing up in Littleton on the south end of the Denver metro area. “Thanks to my dad, I started out with trout fishing in the lakes and ponds near Evergreen and Georgetown when I was in grade school, progressing to fly-fishing and squirrel hunting in middle school thanks to my best friend and his family and their ranch in Sedalia,” Bryan said.

“I also spent a large part of my youth camping and enjoying the public lands of the West as a Boy Scout earning my way to the rank of Eagle Scout,” he added. Bryan also served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2002-2012 as a Navigator/Tactical Systems Operator aboard the KC-130 aircraft. “I was fortunate to serve in a fulfilling role that allowed for a wide variety of experiences, travels, and relationships,” Bryan said. “I spent time all over Asia, the Pacific, South America, and Europe.”

Although he hunts big game and upland birds across the western U.S. and Texas, Bryan especially enjoys looking for quail with his Brittany, Norman. “Any time I travel I bring a fly rod with me, so I am fortunate to have tried my hand at fly-fishing all across the US and internationally,” he added. “But my preference is the native cutthroat of my home state and the West.”

After the Marine Corps, Bryan completed a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Fish & Wildlife Management. He subsequently served as a ranch manager in South Texas and the Texas Hill Country. From that point he moved to a wildlife conservation non-profit called Texas Wildlife Association to serve as the operations coordinator for their mentored youth and adult hunting programs for 7 years.

Then he returned home to Colorado to take a role as the Natural Resource & Agriculture Specialist/Open Spaces Operations Supervisor for Arapahoe County. He’s currently working on a Master of Natural Resource Stewardship degree with Colorado State University with a focus on Ecological Restoration.

“I’ve had the privilege of meeting Bryan multiple times now,” Colorado BHA chapter Co-Chair David Lien (a former Air Force officer) said. “We crossed paths at the ‘Beers, Bands & Barbed Wire Stands’ Colorado Public Lands Day Bash in Gunnison and at an Armed Forces Initiative Club Pint Night in Castle Rock. We’re pleased to have Bryan on our team and look forward to working with him for the betterment of our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.”

Bryan hunts with muzzleloader, bow, and rifle. He joined BHA in 2016 after hearing about the organization from a friend who was serving as a chapter leader in Texas at the time. “I joined as a life member as soon as I found out more about the organization,” he added. Bryan lives in Castle Rock with fiancé, Christie, and their two dogs, Norman and Lilu.

Are you interested in serving on the Colorado BHA Chapter Leadership Team? Learn more about our volunteer opportunities here.

Founded by Mike Beagle, a former U.S. Army field artillery officer, and formed around an Oregon campfire, in 2004, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice for our nation’s wild public lands, waters and wildlife. With members spread out across all 50 states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories—including chapters in 48 states, two Canadian provinces and one territory, and Washington, D.C.—BHA brings an authentic, informed, boots-on-the-ground voice to the conservation of public lands. The Colorado BHA chapter was founded by David Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) in 2005 (the first official BHA chapter)