Cameron Lankhaar
West Co-Chair, Events & Fundraising Leader – Sultan
Cameron is a Washington native who currently resides in the heart of the Cascade mountains amidst the Mt Baker/Snoqualmie National Forst in Sultan, Washington. From a very young age, he spent most of his time outdoors from hiking and camping to snowboarding to ORV recreation. During his 20’s he discovered a passion for hunting, beginning with the thrill of waterfowl and upland bird, then developing into a desire to chase big game such as elk, bear, and deer. His obsession with blacktail deer and upland birds has fueled his desire to become immersed in public lands and the wild places they inhabit. He explores all options from rifle to archery, seizing any opportunity to set foot afield.
With the motivational words of Aldo Leopold, Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, and others he developed a passion and sense of responsibility to help preserve and protect the public places for his two sons and all others who enjoy them.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
I love to chase both elk AND upland birds, as they both lead me to explore beautiful places that require immense physicality.
What is your favorite podcast?
The Your mountain podcast.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Alaskan Caribou or Southeast Alaska Sitka Blacktail hunt.
Dan Wilson
East Co-Chair - Spokane
Dan grew up on Washington’s Hood Canal before relocating to Eastern Washington in 2006. After a few years working overseas, he came home with a deeper appreciation for the unique experience of American public lands and a reinvigorated interest in hunting and fishing. Whether crashing his Dad’s deer camp, discovering his own morel honey hole or picking up fly fishing in the last few years, his desire to be an outdoor generalist keeps him in the field year-round. An academic background in anthropology informs his perspective that through food, development and culture, hunting is intrinsic to the human experience.
Dan resides in Spokane with his wife and son, as well as two dogs that couldn’t hunt their way out of a paper bag. He is deeply committed to advancing recruitment, retention and reactivation in hunting and angling, especially reaching out to develop new participants from diverse backgrounds.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
A perfectly seared pronghorn backstrap with a huckleberry balsamic reduction is about as good as it gets.
What is your favorite podcast?
For hunting I really enjoy the Average Conservationist to get an idea of how other people are giving back to the outdoors. Wild Thing is a great long-form podcast on the enduring cultural impact and relevance of bigfoot that I enjoyed more than I would have ever expected and anyone who cares about public lands should listen to Bundyville.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
A free-range Aoudad hunt in Texas or New Mexico.
Ryan Los
Treasurer – Wenatchee
Ryan lives in Wenatchee, WA with his wife and two kids. Ryan and his wife love getting out on our public lands and waters hunting and fishing, with both young kids in tow. Ryan has a Bachelors degree in Environmental Policy, which he doesn't currently use for work instead using his knowledge in volunteering his time with groups like BHA.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
My favorite wild game to pursue is by far elk with my bow but I’m starting to develop a love hate relationship with the challenge of getting a mature mule deer on a backcountry hunt. I cook elk and any game meat in a wide variety of ways, from tongue tacos, shank Ossobuco, and your normal steaks and roasts. I love cooking especially when its something in depth and gathered around with a group of people.
What is your favorite podcast?
My favorite podcast would have to be Joe Rogan, the array of guests he has on and the varied topics is great, plus he is a very good interviewer/conversationalist. I listen to a lot of podcast so always have something hunting related on my list, Meat eater, Cal's Week, Remi Warren, THC and good ol Hal Herring.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
My dream hunt would be to go chase moose and woodland caribou in the Yukon. I have read so many books about the area and just getting to see the area would be spectacular.
Josh Wilund
Secretary
Josh is a native Idaho’n, born in Coeur d’Alene and raised in Sandpoint and Lewiston. He grew up in a family of educators, ranchers and loggers, and backcountry hunting and fishing have been a part of his life since he was a toddler. He currently calls Snoqualmie home but finds himself venturing out across the western US, Alaska, and the coastal jungle of Jalisco, Mexico.
A former backcountry guide and instructor of wilderness medicine and survival, his career spans service with non-profits, a multinational manufacturing corporation, and most recently worked for the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), where he served as the Senior Strategic Advisor to the Commissioner of Public Lands, and the Department Supervisor/Deputy Commissioner of Public Lands. Today he has a public relations and community engagement consulting business and he also operates a specialty contractor home improvement business.
He loves the biodiversity and beauty of the mountain west, and is passionate about conservation and the work of BHA. His efforts center around service and moving the needle for protection, access, and education by finding common ground and better mutual understanding. He can usually be found exploring new and old haunts with his family and friends or on solo adventures.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
Most of our protein we eat consists of fish we catch, game we harvest, or birds we raise (quail and pheasant), but it doesn’t get any better than Whitetail Deer for me. Backcountry prep: homemade dry rub and seared over hot coals. Frontcountry prep: marinated, seared then a little smoke on the Big Green Egg. Also, tongue tacos.
What is your favorite podcast?
I enjoy a lot of podcasts, but I don’t miss many MeatEater, Wired to Hunt with Mark Kenyon, or Cal’s Week in Review.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Moose in North Idaho or Caribou in Alaska.
Mandy Carlstrom
Communications Lead – Port Orchard
Mandy is a Washington State local, who grew up the Westside of the Cascades with her family riding horses through public lands bordering their neighborhood and trolling a wooly bugger behind the drift boat at a local lake. She spent her youth in 4-H and golfed throughout high school and college while completing her BA in Business. After graduating, moving to the Olympic Peninsula and marrying her husband, she got into hunting due to Cash, their GSP. The first season started with a pheasant release site, and ended with notching her first big game tag, on a blacktail doe with her bow. The following years have been spent chasing elk, deer, turkeys, upland birds, waterfowl and salmon.
As Doug Duren best says “its not ours, it’s just our turn”- conservation, habitat improvement and ensuring access to those things we all love is so incredibly important. Through public lands Mandy was able to find where her true passions lie and is incredibly excited to be a part of BHA and help create more opportunities for others to find theirs.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
My absolute favorite wild game to pursue is elk with my bow. One of the first dishes I’ll make when I punch an elk tag, will be my favorite blacktail recipe: Sirloin tip cooked in the sous vide with butter, garlic and rosemary at 130 for 4-6 hours, rested for 30-45 minutes then onto the cast iron for a quick hot sear seasoned with salt, pepper and rosemary, garlic and butter in the pan.
What is your favorite podcast?
Feels impossible to pick one- Cal’s Week in review, Meateater, Live Wild and Cutting the Distance
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Backcountry hunt for elk- as far back and away as you can get chasing some screaming bulls with the bow.
Ryan Niemeyer
Conservation Director
Ryan is a seventh generation Washingtonian and grew up on an alfalfa farm in Okanogan County where his parents still live. He grew up hunting and fishing all over Washington State, including hunting for goose in the winter, mule deer, grouse, and other upland bird in the Fall, and trout fishing almost year round. Ryan lives in Cashmere with his wife and kids, and still likes to hunt and fish, and mostly hunts with a compound bow. He's also an avid trail runner and cross-country skier. Professionally, Ryan completed his Masters in Natural Resources and PhD in Water Resources both at University of Idaho. He has worked on various natural resource issues including the impact of dams on river temperatures in Eastern and Western US, forest thinning impacts on water resources in the interior Pacific Northwest, and riparian buffers in Nicaragua. At the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board, Ryan is the Watershed Program Manager and works on a wide array of issues. Ryan is passionate about working with BHA to both increase hunting opportunities and public land access. He's also excited to work with BHA on projects to conserve and improve habitat for fish and game across Washington State.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
Elk is on the top of the list. My preferred way is to sauté the meat in some curry or soy sauce. But elk is most palatable to my kids when ground and served in tacos or quesadillas - so that's how I most often cook and consume elk.
What is your favorite podcast?
I'm all over the place with the podcasts I listen to - history, comedy, hunting, politics, etc. I'm going to try to hunt elk on the west side this year, so I've been listening to any podcast about hunting Roosevelt elk.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Hunting with my kids for mule deer in Washington State. The first big game I shot was a mule deer in the high Cascades with my Dad. The deer wasn't very big, but given the rugged terrain, we earned it. That is a memory I will always cherish. I'm hoping I can give my kids a similar experience hunting.
Matt Little
Policy Director – Fern Prairie
Matt is a passionate public lands hunter and angler who grew up in Minnesota and has been working on conservation from a sportsman’s angle ever since. Matt started his career in Washington, DC working on wetlands issues and then became senior advisor to the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York and, later, at a bipartisan congressional coalition -- focused on agriculture and conservation issues.
In 2003, Matt moved to the Pacific Northwest to be a Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park; followed by leading various regional conservation groups, including the National Wildlife Federation and SW Washington’s Cascade Forest Conservancy. Matt loves to find the middle ground on natural resources issues and has served on many resource advisory groups in Oregon and Washington.
Matt currently lives north of Camas, WA in a sportsman’s paradise with his wife Paula and two little hunting and fishing companions, Brooke and Sabrina.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
My favorite species to chase are salmon, ducks, and elk. Anything with Adobo is good with him!
What is your favorite podcast?
My favorite podcast is Randy Newberg
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
His dream hunt is to chase moose and caribou in Alaska as far away from a road as possible.
William Hughbanks
Legal Advisor
Bill was born and raised in Spokane and has had a life-long obsession of everything related to the outdoors. It started when Bill was a kid, hunting for deer and grouse with his grandpa and fishing with his dad and older brother. After a four-year hitch in the US Marines, serving two combat tours and receiving a Purple Heart, Bill returned to Spokane and reignited his passion for the outdoors. Now Bill can be found chasing pheasants across the Palouse and eastern Montana, searching for elk south of Spokane or floating down the Spokane, St. Joe or Grande Ronde river with his wife and two dogs.
Bill is a lawyer by trade and a graduate of Gonzaga Law School. With his background in law and policy, Bill aims to help preserve and improve wild lands and the public’s access to them.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
Elk has to be my favorite game to pursue but wild pheasants are a very close second. As far as my favorite recipe, it is medium rare elk tenderloin medallions over mashed potatoes and horseradish sauce on the side. Paired with a Caesar salad and glass of good scotch, that is about as close to perfection as one can get.
What is your favorite podcast?
I generally don’t listen to podcasts (I tend to get distracted too easily) but I did enjoy Zero Dark Thirty.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
In 2021, I took a month-long sabbatical during the month of October while in between jobs. During that time, I hunted grouse in northeast Washington, fly fished the Yellowstone with an old high school friend, spent five days hunting pheasants in eastern Montana and rounded out the month by taking a young bull elk in south east Washington. It is really hard to think of a dream hunt which can top that
Matt Bippes
Eastside Events & Fundraising Leader - Spokane
Matt grew up camping and fishing with his family in Eastern Washington. While serving in the Army he and his wife, Amy, moved to south eastern Alabama. While there, he joined a hunting club so he could hunt whitetail deer, turkey and feral pigs on leased timber land. It was at this time that he became aware of how amazing the public lands that he grew up on were. After the Army, Matt and Amy returned to Spokane where he continued to hunt whitetail deer and started hunting for elk, ruffed grouse and pheasant.
In the summer months he enjoys being thigh deep in a secret mountain stream fly fishing with his two sons, Logan and Derek. When not fishing with the boys, he and Amy enjoy kayaking the Little Spokane River and the Priest Lake thoroughfare.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
My favorite wild game to pursue right now is Elk with a black power rifle in North Eastern Washington. Sadly, I have been unsuccessful. My favorite game to cook is whitetail deer. There is nothing better than venison blackstrap pan seared in a cast iron skillet.
What is your favorite podcast?
I listen to a wide variety of podcasts including WTF, PulpMX, Americana Podcast, The Problem with John Stewart and The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Anything Alaska especially goats or sheep.
Jon Dykes
Westside Events & Fundraising Leader – Kenmore
Jon lives in Kenmore Washington and is originally from the Washington DC area. Growing up he spent a lot of time fishing and hunting on his family farm in Kentucky. After studying marketing and playing rugby at Penn State, Jon started filming hunts and working in the outdoor industry. In 2012 the beauty of the PNW and a new work opportunity brought him to Washington state. Jon enjoys exploring public lands while hunting, fishing, and foraging with his family. Jon also enjoys gardening, paddling, bicycling, and playing guitar.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
I like black bear hunting and making sausages out of it.
What is your favorite podcast?
Remi Warren’s
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Keeping it local right now, with a 3 year old daughter, my dream hunt is to do a week long family bear hunt / berry pick / mushroom pick / trout fishing trip in the high alpine of Washington. Other than that, really want to hunt Pronghorn antelope and New Zealand red stag one day.
Clarence Rushing
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 1) – Port Orchard
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and am an avid public land hunter who enjoys nothing more than pursuing big game with my bow or birds with a shotgun. I am blessed to have an amazing wife who supports my outdoor passions and joins me on many outdoor adventures. We also enjoy spending time on the Hood Canal, where we harvesting crab, spot prawn, salmon, and a variety of shellfish. I began my career at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard shortly after high school, then transferred to Trident Refit Facility Bangor to work on various submarine pumps, eventually changing carriers to being an Occupational Safety and Health Specialist at that same location.
Access to public lands and water is the only way I am able to experience the outdoors in a way that makes sense to me, and the driving force behind my desire to get involved with BHA.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
Elk with a bow. I like to cut the ribs and backstrap into tomahawk steaks, salt and coat in cracked pepper then braze in a mix of olive oil and butter with fresh thyme, rosemary, and whole garlic cloves. Serve rare with fried onion, mushrooms, fresh tomato, and Coors Banquet.
What is your favorite podcast?
Big fan of "The Meateater Podcast", and "Closing the Distance" with Remi Warren.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Pack in on horseback to chase rutting bull elk with my bow in the Montana backcountry.
Bryce Levin
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 2) – Lake Stevens
I was born and raised in Everett, WA. I earned a degree in business and economics from the University of Puget Sound while playing basketball. I currently live in Lake Stevens with my wife Megan, daughter Nova, and golden retriever Gus. I am a Housing Developer for Housing Hope, a non-profit affordable housing provider, helping move low-income families and individuals into housing and homeownership.
I grew up on the saltwater fishing salmon, crabbing, shrimping, and clamming. As a teenager I got into fly fishing and after college spent time in Montana and Alaska as a fishing guide. When I was home I spent most of my free time chasing steelhead in Washington and Oregon. More recently I became and “adult onset hunter” and was able to harvest a mule deer in 2019.
I love Washington for the diversity of opportunity that each season offers. My experiences chasing fish and game have opened my eyes to how unique and special the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and our public lands and waters truly are. This wasn’t by accident, it was the result of forward thinking an great leadership. I feel very fortunate to be working with BHA to continue to be a forward thinking, to be a leader and advocate for our public lands, and to ensure that the opportunities that shaped me are available to future generations.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
Since you can’t bonk wild steelhead, I’d have to say high country Mule deer. It’s a mix of a backcountry trip with the chance at a real quality buck. My favorite way to cook venison is in the sous vide with herbs seasoning, finished in cast iron with butter.
What is your favorite podcast?
All MeatEater stuff is great, but I’d have to say biologists John McMillans “The OP Fishing Podcast.”
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
A pack trip with a solid group into a Wilderness Area like The Bob or Frank Church for deer and elk.
Alyssa Jumars
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 3)
Alyssa is an adult-onset hunter, who enjoys sunsets and long walks with her 25-06. Among her favorite things to chase are Methow mule deer, Merriam’s turkeys, the occasional grouse, and the surprisingly-nimble morel mushroom. Her background is farming, and she has been working in agriculture since the day they let her out of college. In addition to running a small farm, she has engaged in other non-profit work, including efforts to enhance working lands stewardship, local watershed management, and regional food systems.
She is thrilled to join BHA and learn from fellow hunters. She is eager to advocate for public lands; to create welcoming spaces in conservation; and to share good company, hard work, and a tall tale or two.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
Muleys. If I’m being honest, I don't love to cook. So I’m giving curing a try – I made some really excellent jerky and some pretty terrible summer sausage with my last deer.
What is your favorite podcast?
Hunt Talk Radio with Randy Newburg.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Moose with my hunting mentor, north of here.
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 3) - OPEN
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 4) - OPEN
Rebekah Hellesto
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 5)
Rebekah originally grew up in the Midwest hunting Indiana whitetails and squirrels before moving to Washington in 2020 for graduate school. Washington quickly felt like and became home, especially after marrying a West Coast guy, and she now resides in Olympia with her husband, Clark. Growing up in a family that valued the outdoors, Rebekah pursued hunting, camping, backpacking, fishing, and anything else that involved being outside all through her childhood and adult life. This passion and love of wild places led her to pursue a B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Conservation, then work across the country studying wildlife populations. While working, she learned about BHA and started getting involved because so many of her experiences had been on public land, and it’s an amazing resource we need to protect. She is very excited to help advocate for public lands and wildlife in Washington.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
Although I love big game hunting, I have a special place in my heart for squirrels, as I grew up heading out my back door to hunt them in the forest behind my house and using it as a break from school when I could be in the woods. One of my favorite squirrel recipes is squirrel pot pie, but I’m often trying something new each time as well.
What is your favorite podcast?
I’ll have to be a little cliché and say Meateater, although I also listen to a lot of Your Mountain and Ologies (all about different scientific fields).
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Elk hunting with my husband and brother. Location doesn’t matter, getting to create memories with two of my favorite people would be the best part.
Justin Averre
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 6) – Cle Elum
Justin was born and raised in between Sumas Mountain and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He now lives happily on the eastern slopes of the Cascades nestled amongst some of the largest tracts of public land Washington has to offer and perhaps some of the best habitat for big game. He wanted to learn how to hunt as a young adult… he’s still learning.
He earned a B.A.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Natural Resource Management from the Evergreen State College. He’s been employed to research wildlife, enhance habitat, produce livestock and take care of a ranch, and manage wildfire. He currently works for a rural Fire District in Central Washington and is thrilled to be a part of the Washington Chapter of BHA.
What is your favorite wild game to pursue, and how do you cook it?
I love the way hunting changes the way I experience and interact with a landscape. I love feeling like a participant in an ecosystem. I’ve enjoyed every hunt I’ve been on. Mule Deer and Elk are the two species that have always motivated me. I love them and their habitats. My family eats a lot of meat, so getting a deer and/or an elk is a good deal. I think my favorite thing ever is eating steaks. If I had to narrow that down, I’d say backstraps. Marinated… grilled… or sautéed with copious amounts of fat… yes.
What is your favorite podcast?
Well the BHA Podcast & Blast is fantastic. But that’s kind of a cheap answer, because it’s pretty heavy on hunting. Outside of that, I’d say The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Podcast is kickass. I also dig The Art of Range and The Paramedic Practitioner.
What is your dream hunt (species and location)?
Any wild sheep hunt anywhere in wild sheep country.
Conservation & Policy Leader (Region 7) – OPEN