Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Appoint Deanna Greco To Board Policy Chair Position

The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently appointed Deanna Greco to serve as Board Policy Chair. Deanna grew up in a household with a family tradition of hunting/fishing. From early childhood she either accompanied or participated in various hunting and fishing outings with her father and uncles. As an adult, she has been an avid hunter and an enthusiastic (but, in her words, “really poor”) fly fisherwoman.

“I recently retired after 35 years of federal service working for the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service,” Deanna said. “My final position was as the Associate Regional Director of Resource Stewardship for the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. In addition to spending my entire adult life serving to protect and steward public lands, I am also a devout user and advocate for public lands.” 

“In my last position with the National Park Service, I led a team of over 100 resource management professionals that served 84 national park service units in the Intermountain west,” she added. “I have a strong grasp of public land management, the issues with managing these lands, and I have been involved and/or led teams resolving complex resource issues on public lands.”

Deanna has been a BHA member for four years. “I feel like the organization strongly represents my interests and perspectives on conservation and public land management needs,” she explained. “I have participated in BHA volunteer days and now I would like to be more involved at the organizational level.”

“We welcome Deanna to the Colorado BHA chapter Board and have much to learn from her 35 years of public lands management, policy, and governmental perspectives,” chapter co-chair David Lien said. “Her strong background in natural/biological resource management combined with a long track record of working with staff and stakeholders on complex resource issues will help enhance BHA efforts to protect our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife across the state and country.”

 

Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Appoint Ryan McSparran To Board CPW Commission Liaison Position

The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently appointed Ryan McSparran to serve as Board Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission Liaison. 

Standing on a remote spot, somewhere on public lands, is exactly where Ryan likes to be; whether it’s in the sagebrush, above timberline, or anywhere in between. He was born and raised in Colorado, where public lands were the playground and a way of life. He remembers family hunting trips, learning to fly fish, summer backpacking with friends, and skiing some of the highest peaks in the U.S. 

Ryan went to Seattle Pacific University where he studied journalism and found a job writing for Fish & Fly Magazine. After college he went into corporate communications and his career eventually evolved toward PR and marketing. In 2013 he launched a business serving hunting and fly-fishing outfitters. Then, in 2022, Ryan and his family took the reins at Budge’s Wilderness Lodge, a remote destination that operates on wild, public lands.

Ryan has guided wilderness hunting, fishing, and horseback trips for nearly 20 years. He lives in Littleton and enjoys adventures with his wife, Kelly, and kids, Nolan and Clara.

 

Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Appoint Ben Fickett To Board Treasurer Position

The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently appointed Ben Fickett to serve as our Board Treasurer. 

Ben grew up in New Hampshire with parents who loved to canoe and camp. “I spent my childhood exploring the White Mountains and paddling on lakes in Maine,” Ben said. “My mom and my grandfather both loved to fish. My uncle Andy was a big-time fisherman, hunter, and trapper. He taught me a lot of what I know. My dad and I hunted grouse and deer together.” 

These days Ben flyfishes for trout, hunts waterfowl, and bow hunts for big game in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. “Last year I killed my first deer with my bow and I’m definitely hooked.” Ben has been on senior leadership teams at various non-profits since 2012, most recently serving as executive director of Fishing the Good Fight, a small non-profit working on men’s mental health through fly fishing. He’s also training his first gundog, Bowie. “Last season was his first and we learned a lot together,” Ben said.

“I love hunting with new hunters and have been mentoring some new adult hunters for the last several seasons,” Ben added. “I spent the last 18 years working for Outward Bound. Before that I was a raft guide. I’ve been lucky enough to spend my career and my entire adult life working on public lands. Our public lands, waters, and wildlife are sacred to me. Now, more than ever, they need to be protected.” Ben first learned about BHA from a sticker on a friend’s water bottle while duck hunting. He joined in 2018. Ben and Bowie live in Denver.

 

Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Appoint Emily Mertz To Board Events Coordinator Position

The Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) recently appointed Emily Mertz to serve as our Board Events Coordinator. 
 

 

During her career Emily worked in real estate investment and management, managing up to 200 employees, working with investors/employees/city officials, organizing calls and notes, tracking projects, and managing operations. She was born and raised in Missouri and wildlife has always been a part of her life. Since moving to Colorado in 2017 Emily has explored the state via hiking and fishing. 

“I started fly fishing a few years ago when my husband began teaching me for an upcoming month-long camping trip through Wyoming and Montana,” she said. “Since then, it’s become a passion and I now teach other women how to fly fish. I’ve recently picked up archery with a compound bow and will eventually start hunting!” Emily has taken hunters ed and completed an apprenticeship under a friend, which included exposure to goose and elk hunting. “I am excited to keep building my skillset for hunting,” she emphasized.

Since leaving her real estate investment/management career in 2024, Emily has been finding ways to give back to the community and share her passion for the outdoors with others. “Being more involved in Colorado BHA will help me achieve that and learn more about the issues the angling and hunting communities are facing,” she explained.

Emily takes pride in both her attention to detail and ability to work with individuals from all backgrounds to resolve complex issues. “I currently work part-time for a Colorado outfitter teaching fly fishing classes to women,” she added. “Through them, I assist with social media and communications for classes/events along with all operations - scheduling events for the company, submitting for permits, collaborations with local businesses, resolving employee issues. I write monthly blogs for the website and host free monthly meetups.”

Emily discovered BHA while at a fly shop. She saw someone wearing a BHA sweatshirt and asked about the organization. “Found the Colorado BHA chapter online and loved the mission,” she said. “Public lands and waters provide habitat for wildlife but also for the people that enjoy them,” Emily added. “I use public lands a few times a week, whether it’s hiking with my dog, fly fishing, or camping.”