The Gunnison Gorge Anglers Chapter of Trout Unlimited is an all-volunteer conservation nonprofit working to care for and recover rivers and streams and the trout that call them home. Working with TU staff and community partners, we bring people together to make our trout and salmon fisheries stronger, our water cleaner and our communities healthier. Join us and be a champion for your rivers and streams.
If you have the interest and time to make a deeper commitment to our local conservation and education work, we’d welcome you on the board or one of our many committees. To get started, connect with a Gunnison Gorge Anglers board member at one of our monthly gatherings or coming events, or contact us to learn more.
PRESIDENT
John Hamill
Montrose, CO
As an avid outdoorsmen, hunter and fly fisherman, John has over 30 years of experience working collaboratively with state and federal agencies and stakeholder groups to help promote fish and wildlife conservation in the Southwest. This includes 20 years with the USFS working on fisheries and water management issues in the Colorado River Basin. John has volunteered with TU since 2011 and continues to protect and advocate for our watersheds.
VICE PRESIDENT
Connor Visser
Montrose, CO
Connor has been fly fishing for just over 10 years focusing on both fresh and saltwater species. He has volunteered with a fly fishing school in Denver and is a local chapter leader of the Mayfly Project, teaching fly fishing and entomology to local children in the foster care system. He and his family love living in Montrose and spending time together exploring the near by rivers and lakes.
SECRETARY
Position open
Contact us if you are interested in getting involved with Gunnison Gorge Anglers!
TREASURER
Stan Hayes
Montrose, CO
Bio pending.
GAMES MANAGER/PAST PRESIDENT
Joel Evans
Montrose, CO
Joel has been a member of the Western Colorado angling community for over 50 years. He is a self-taught pro tier and has held several positions with GGA, including a few rounds as president. He has also served on the boards of CTU and FFI’s Eastern Rocky Mountain Council. Joel brings writing and photography to his passion for angling and has been a major supporter of local projects like Pa-Co-Chu-Puk and fish habitat improvements through Montrose.
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Brent Curtice
Delta, CO
Brent is a lifelong outdoors enthusiast, retired educator, and published fly fishing writer. He has hosted outdoor TV shows and been an integral member of GGA for over 30 years. Brent spent several years guiding in Western states, and received two awards as a fly fishing host. He has a passion for people and relationships and continues to teach fly tying and host clinics.
BOARD MEMBER
Marshall Pendergrass
Montrose, CO
Marshall has been involved with local, state and national TU for two decades. He has lived in Montrose over 30 years, with an 8 year stent working overseas in Thailand and Africa. His major contributions to GGA include: Relief Ditch Dam on the Gunnison River; San Miguel River Restoration Valley Floor Project; Troutapalooza; Electronic Fish Barrier on the Gunnison tunnel; Restoration of Rainbow fishery in the Gunnison River post whirling disease.
BOARD MEMBER
Chuck Shaver
Montrose, CO
Chuck is a lifetime angler who picked up a fly rod in junior high. Although trout were not a common thing in Iowa, he made many trips to NE Iowa to trout fish. This introduction to trout fishing has led to a lifetime of pursuing his favorite fish. He and his wife live in Western Colorado, and love the mountains and world travel.
BOARD MEMBER
Ed LeViness
Montrose, CO
Ed has been fishing since the age of 8, starting in Florida and working his way to the West Slope. His interest in fly fishing led to fly tying, which became an obsession. He joined the fly fishing industry as a vise sales rep, and now owns and operates Ed’s Fly Shop in Montrose, CO. Ed is also on the board of Friends of the Black Canyon, an important advocacy group for our local National Park.
BOARD MEMBER
Kim Childs
Delta, CO
Kim loves fly fishing in all settings and spends as much time as he can on his home waters on the Gunnison River. His long association with TU and participation in GGA flow from his strong interests in conservation and water quality issues. Kim and his wife Eileen have 3 kids and a dog Leo, and live south of Delta on the Uncompaghre River.
BOARD MEMBER
Abel Sanchez
Montrose, CO
Abel grew up in Olathe, CO and started fishing with his father at a young age. After moving to Montrose in 2014 he began fishing a lot more and eventually took up fly fishing. Abel was inspired to give back and volunteer with GGA by the acceptance of the local fly community. As a father it is important for him to give back to the community for the future of the next generation.
BOARD MEMBER
Claire Barker
Ridgway, CO
Fly fishing in the San Juan mountains with her dog is usually where you will find Claire. But sometimes you can find her on a desert backpacking trip or rowing on the lower Gunnison. She has a passion for conservation and public lands. Claire also volunteers with the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership and collects monthly river samples for Science on the Fly.
BOARD MEMBER
John Fischer
Montrose, CO
John has been fly fishing for about 45 years, most of that time spent in California where he grew up. His first love was saltwater angling but after moving to Montrose 3 years ago he does a lot more trout fishing. John enjoys sharing his experiences with new anglers so being part of Gunnison Gorge Anglers seemed like a good way to share.
BOARD MEMBER
Thomas Piccirilli
Montrose, CO
Tom started fishing at 9 years old in Pennsylvania, just 70 miles outside of Pittsburgh. His family would visit the Rocky Mountain West every summer to fish and backpack. After graduating with a degree in Earth Science, Tom made the move to Colorado to work for the USGS. He retired from the DOI in 2020, and has been a TU members since 1985. Tom is a past president and board member of the South Platte TU chapter, and has fished extensively in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and their wilderness areas.