Phil grew up in a family of sportsmen and sportswomen, learning to hunt and fish from his parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. “One of my earliest angling memories is paddling a wooden-canvas canoe with my grandfather in Maine, casting flies to trout and poppers to bass,” he said. Growing up, summer vacations were spent on family river trips, which Phil credits as instilling both outdoor and conservation ethics in him and his siblings.
“Hunting has also been an integral part of my life, including big game, waterfowl, and upland pursuits,” he added. Phil hunts elk and deer in Colorado with a bow and rifle, and enjoys practicing with his traditional bow at the local archery range a quarter mile from his home. He lives in Carbondale and runs an energy business, helping municipalities and electric utilities with their power supplies, with a focus on renewable energy.
For part of the summer Phil works in western Alaska as a fly-fishing guide, taking clients on week-long fishing float trips down remote rivers in search of trout, salmon, and char. “Stewardship of our public lands and waters is very important to me,” he added, “and I’m excited to help BHA forward its mission and achieve its goals!”
Additional BHA/Colorado BHA Information:
- Colorado BHA Corporate Partners.
- Hunting For Sustainability (H4S).
- BHA’s Public Waters Access campaign.
- BHA’s Collegiate Program.
- BHA’s Armed Forces Initiative. “Armed Forces Initiative-Get Involved.”
- Colorado BHA Habitat Watch Volunteer (HWV) program information.
- Check out our Take Action Center and stay engaged on legislation in your area. Check out BHA’s North American Action Map, tracking examples of our accomplishments as an organization across the continent.
- David “Elkheart” Petersen (founder of the first BHA state chapter, here in Colorado, and a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) books.
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 over 40,000 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. Since the Colorado BHA chapter was founded by David Petersen (a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot) in 2005 (the first official BHA chapter), they’ve grown their boots-on-the-ground presence to over 2,000 dedicated hunters and anglers.
About David Lien