Adam Leitschuh, Chair
Adam was born in Colorado but spent majority of his youth growing up camping and fishing in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California. Adam started hunting shortly after high school and expanded his opportunities after moving to Idaho to attend college at Boise State University. Adam hunted in California on summer and winter breaks until he gained residency in Idaho to afford tags on a college student’s budget. He spent free time around school, work and rugby scouting, camping, hunting or fishing on public lands. After graduating with a construction management degree work took Adam to North Dakota and then Montana. While working on a project in Great Falls, MT Adam met his wife who is an Air Force Officer. His wife’s career took Adam back to North Dakota where he helped start the North Dakota Chapter of BHA and then on to Nebraska. Adam, his wife and their young son who was born in May of 2019 now reside in Plattsmouth, and Adam had to stay involved with BHA. As luck would have it, shortly after Adam's family moved to Nebraska, the new chapter was starting. In the past ten years, he has had the opportunity to hunt multiple western states full of public land including Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and New Mexico and eastern states such as Ohio which is at the opposite end of the public land spectrum. Growing up surrounded by public lands and waters and traveling and moving around the country Adam experienced firsthand how easy it is to take public lands and waters for granted. Without people acting that may not always be the case. No matter where that public land or water is how small or large it deserves our attention and protection.
Derek Leslie, Treasurer
Derek grew up hunting deer, grouse, and turkeys near Springview, Nebraska, on land owned by his relatives. As he became an adult, he moved away from the idea of hunting and was even a vegetarian for a period of time. In his late 30s, he recognized that something was missing and that he needed to take action to feel whole again. Although he continued camping, hiking, and downhill skiing, he felt the need to be more connected to the land. He wanted to feel a part of the land and all it offered while spending time with his dad, wife, daughter, and son. He returned to hunting to meet that need. This renewed pursuit brought him joy, especially when sharing that connection with his wife, Cindy, when she shot her first whitetail buck, and through sharing wild game with friends and family.
When he started hunting again, he realized how fortunate he had been to have access to land owned by relatives. His work at Omaha Central High School also made him aware of how few people—whether in urban or rural areas—have access to land for outdoor recreational opportunities. He recognized that these opportunities are beneficial to both mental and physical well-being. He became involved with BHA because he saw it as an organization that would advocate
Kyle Broadfoot, Secretary
Kyle was born and raised in the mixed croplands and pastures of rural Southwest Nebraska. From an early age, Kyle’s dad was taking him on weekend adventures of chasing ringnecks, quail, turkeys, and deer, along with setlining the river for channel cats. Early on, he learned that fair chase, safety, and conservation were even more important than actually harvesting game. As Kyle grew older and access to private land dwindled, he began to seek out the wilder places that public lands in Western Nebraska offered. His quests for whitetails transitioned to mulies, Eastern and hybrid turkeys turned to Merriam’s and Rios, and his rifle was occasionally racked for a bow. His passion for public lands continued to grow, as well, the more he became involved in groups such as BHA, Pheasants Forever, and the Izaak Walton League. Currently, Kyle lives in Cambridge, NE where he works as a physical therapist assistant at the local hospital. He has a wife and three kids and one giant yellow lab, Ruger, who refuses to find downed birds.
Bill Grossnicklaus, Vice Chair
Bill was born in the small South Central Nebraska town of Oxford but spent his first formative years growing up on the front range of the Rocky Mountains with his mother, older sister, stepfather, and two older stepbrothers. Family outings found him following his brothers or catching small animals along the trout streams and lakes while camping. After the birth of his younger brother and sister, the family returned to his hometown where he was reunited with his grandfather who would become the biggest influencer in his outdoor passion. Pheasants and duck led to bigger game and with the guidance of a brother and grandfather he found his ultimate passion in bowhunting. His first deer was a 3x3 mule deer buck at 17, and he has been fortunate enough to take trophy animals with both modern and traditional gear over the last 30 seasons. Bill has also been an avid trapper and predator hunter for over 25 years. Many weekends are spent checking long trap lines for bobcat, coyote, fox and raccoon. Bill often brags about being the best skunk and opossum trapper in Furnas county. Bill lives in Oxford with his wife of 24 years, his daughter and two sons — all avid hunters. Bill is very active in his community. He has been a member of the volunteer fire department for 25 years where he is the current Fire Chief. He is a past city councilman, president and board member of the local outdoor club/shooting club, and coach for Little League baseball, football and Peewee wrestling.
Loren Smith
Loren is a life member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, a retired professor of wildlife management, and a Certified Wildlife Biologist. He has conducted wildlife habitat research from Alaska to Mexico working with numerous federal land management agencies (Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior) and state fish and game organizations. That includes working on Nebraska wetlands for over 25 years. Being mostly retired, Loren averages hunting and fishing on public lands on a weekly basis. He understands that the major barrier affecting hunting and fishing participation by the public is access. Therefore, his primary focus is on increasing the amount of public land available to the citizens of Nebraska, and on increasing access to existing public lands.
Cody Russell
Cody grew up in Southeast Nebraska (Beatrice) and has been obsessed with the outdoors ever since he was old enough to jump into a lake in an attempt to catch painted turtles—much to his parents’ chagrin. He began hunting pheasants and deer with his father and became an avid trap shooter in high school. He earned a spot on First Team, and his squad took second place high overall at the Nebraska State Trap Shoot—the first team from Beatrice to ever place at state.
For many years, he was a successful alcoholic. At the age of thirty, by the grace of God, he found sobriety. During his drinking years, he lost interest in his outdoor pursuits, but through sobriety, he rediscovered them. He first got into archery through crossbows and later transitioned to compound bows. Recently, he took his first buck with a compound bow and is now looking to increase the challenge through spear hunting.
By day, he is a Training Coordinator; by night, he is a content creator. A turkey nearly sat in his lap, and that video got him monetized. He enjoys sharing the opportunities public lands have to offer on his channels.
His favorite outdoor pursuit depends on the season—from saddle hunting deer on public land in the fall, chasing South Dakota walleyes on hardwater in the winter, teasing gobblers in the spring, to chasing anything with fins in the summer. Many men talk to God in a church; he talks to God 15 feet up in a tree or from his kayak on a desolate river.
He is married and a father of three. He shares his passion for the outdoors with his children in hopes that they will carry on the tradition. The impact that public lands and waters have had on his life is immeasurable. He wouldn’t be the man he is today without them, and he will do everything he can to protect them.
Collin Kelly
Collin was born in New Jersey but moved to Nebraska early in life. A graduate of Gretna High School, he attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha for his undergraduate studies. While pursuing his MBA at Colorado State University, Collin developed the idea for Elkhorn Coffee — a company that now roasts coffee to support conservation efforts across North America. Elkhorn Coffee partners with a wide range of conservation organizations, including Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
Collin is married to his wife, Kelsey, and together they have three wonderful children. An avid outdoorsman, Collin enjoys archery hunting for elk, whitetail, and mule deer, as well as upland game and waterfowl hunting. Whenever he gets the chance, he also loves fishing — whether it's on the lake in Nebraska or deep sea fishing off the coast of New Jersey while visiting family back East
Tim McAreavey
Tim was born and raised in Eastern South Dakota, and lived on a farm until age 10. Being years behind his older siblings, he occupied his time on the farm by spending every minute outside, exploring, shooting his BB gun and bow and hanging on every word of the hunting stories from his older brothers. Once he started hunting himself, waterfowling, pheasants and deer hunting, along with fishing in local rivers and lakes, occupied his free time through young adulthood.
Marriage, children and a career transfer resulted in a relocation to Colorado, though that life phase of family and career building, along with a return to school, didn't provide for any time hunting or fishing. The fire for the outdoors was re-ignited with a career change to join Cabela's in Sidney, Nebraska. Being immersed in the outdoor lifestyle provided the opportunity to introduce his kids to hunting and fishing, return to his early passions of waterfowling, upland and deer hunting, and become completely addicted to archery hunting. This period also emphasized the importance of access and protecting the lifestyle.
BHA and its mission connected with Tim and his time on public lands and waters, and his focus helping to keep those lands and waters accessible for his children, grandchildren and successive generations. Now living in Omaha, but with significant connections still in Western Nebraska, he is eager to work with others to accomplish just that.
Emily Anderson
Emily lives in the Nebraska Sandhills with her two kids and rescue dogs. She was born outside of Lincoln, Nebraska, has lived across most of South Dakota and parts of Oklahoma. As a child Emily was fortunate to be introduced to the outdoors through family trips to public lands.
Emily earned a bachelors and masters in Natural Resource fields. During Emily's career, she has had the privilege of calling a variety of public lands, city, state and federal, her office. She has also had a front seat view on how hunters are an important component of wildlife and habitat management.
Emily has witnessed first hand how public lands enrich people's lives. She feels strongly that access to public lands contributes to the well-being of humans. Access to public lands is also vital to human understanding of their environment and natural processes. People are more likely to value something that they have been able to experience. Emily also believes that public lands need to be respected by the public they serve. Emily's desire to be involved with Nebraska Backcountry Hunters & Anglers developed because NE BHA advocates for responsible public access. Emily hopes public lands will be available to her children and future generations. Emily has a strong desire for youth to have a healthy understanding, respect and appreciation for where their food and resources come.
Mike Storrs
Mike is a lifelong hunter, angler, and passionate advocate for America's public lands. Born into a military family in Northern California, Mike spent his childhood moving across the country—from California to Alaska, then Georgia, before his family eventually settled in Nebraska. Those experiences fostered a deep appreciation for the outdoors and the diverse landscapes that make America's wild places unique.
Countless days spent fishing local lakes, hunting public lands, and exploring remote mountain country instilled in Mike a strong belief that these places must be protected for future generations. When the Nebraska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was established, Mike proudly became a Life Member and immediately got involved, dedicating his time and energy to the organization's mission.
Today, Mike lives in Juniata, Nebraska, with his wife, Stephanie. Together they are raising two teenage daughters and sharing life with two stubborn bird dogs who are always ready for the next adventure. As a family, they enjoy camping and exploring public lands throughout the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, as well as the wide-open beauty of Nebraska's Sandhills. Mike remains committed to conserving the public lands and waters that have shaped his life and inspired his love of the outdoors.
Zane Jaramillo
Zane is a Nebraska native born and raised in the panhandle. He grew up in the Hemingford area and now resides in Scottsbluff with his wife Elizabeth where he has a residential and commercial painting business as well as a trapping bait and lure business.
Zane grew up in the country, working on farms and ranches for the majority of his life. He has been tagging along on a trapline since he was a toddler and hunting all manner of species that are available to us in Nebraska for his entire life. Zane was able to hunt and trap on the family property up until about six years ago when the land was sold. It was then when he found a passion for public lands.
Zane pursues turkey, deer, antelope, and waterfowl to feed his small family and some of those animals are harvested off Nebraska public land every year. Zane also runs a trapline each winter with the goal being predator management on public and private land.
Zane has recently joined the Nebraska BHA Board to help protect and promote others on Nebraska’s public lands as well as educate people on their uses.
There is a political agenda against the public lands of America and Zane believes this is a fight worth fighting and an issue that can bring people together from all walks of life. Public land ownership is a concept that is uniquely American and it is one that must be protected before it is lost.
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