Staff & Board of Directors

The BCRLT Board of Directors is the governing body for the organization and is supported by Board-designated committees which oversee conservation project selection, fund raising and outreach, financial management and human resources. Please contact BCRLT staff for more information. Click here to email us.

BCRLT Staff

Julie Barger - Office Manager & Conservation Projects Manager. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Office Manager and 14 year resident of Montrose County. Julie has held several positions as Office Manager and has functioned in Public Relations work as well. She has worked for BCRLT for 5 years now and she possesses a broad knowledge of real estate closings/title transactions and was a Real Estate Closer for 5 years. She has extensive customer service background and has fostered many long-term relationships in the local community with her endearing personality and genuine interest in helping people. Julie not only manages the BCRLT office, she also participates in fundraising, education, conservation and stewardship for BCRLT.

Jeremy Puckett - Stewardship Director. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jeremy took up residence in the North Fork Valley (Paonia) in 2001, after becoming Assistant Director and Public Lands Coordinator for the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council. During his tenure with WSERC, he kept tabs on a wide range of conservation issues ranging from underground coal mining, oil and gas development, timber harvesting, and off-road vehicle planning, to wildlife habitat protection, federal reserved water rights, and collaborative engagement in the GMUG Forest Plan revision process. Jeremy is an alum of the Student Conservation Association and a charter member of AmeriCorps. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology, a Master of Science in Environmental Studies, and a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems. Beyond the passionate pursuit of conservation, Jeremy enjoys escaping into the mountains to chase wild trout with a fly rod and Dusky Grouse with his bird dogs, as well as hiking, camping, photography, birding, and cycling. Jeremy works primarily from his home office in Paonia.

Board of Directors

Tom McLeod - Board President

Tom is a fourth generation rancher raised on Black Mesa and in the Crawford area. He received a degree from Texas Christian University in Ranch Management. Tom is a ranch owner that was established in 1914 and takes part in the raising of grass fed cattle. In addition, Tom is owner of Black Mesa Lodge that was established in 1978 that has a base herd of elk which produce trophy animals for hunters to pursue. His two sons Levi and Custer, the 5th generation of Mcleods, are heavily involved in the operation and will continue the legacy of his ranching lifestyle to hopefully pass on to his grandchildren. Tom is excited to be on the board and continue conservation in the area that his family has been and will continue to live in for years to come.

Steve Smith - Treasurer

Steve Smith has worked all his life in the non-profit world, mostly overseas, and still continues his long-term involvement with an African social message media company that he helped establish, based in Tanzania. He also set up and ran a computer sales and service business for 15 years near Baltimore that continues today self-propelled. Steve has been in Colorado for 14 years spending most of his time on his conserved Black Mesa property. He’s a skier and loves mountain living, especially outdoors, and has two grown children and a couple wonderful grandkids.

Peggy Lyon - Vice President

Peggy Lyon has been a Ridgway resident since 1982. For the last 20 years she has been the western slope botanist for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program at CSU, working from her home. She has been the principal investigator for numerous western slope research projects, including county-wide natural heritage surveys of ten western slope counties, rare plant surveys and monitoring projects for federal, state and local clients. She spends summers in the field (her favorite part of the job) and winters at the computer. She has a BA degree in English from the University of Washington and an MS in botany from the University of Wyoming.

Fred Stemmler - Secretary

A resident of Ridgway, Fred joined the Board in late 2011. Fred attend the University of California Los Angles in 1969 and finished with a degree in Economics. From there, Fred went on to receive his JD from the Univerity of Southern California and moved on to begin his career as a real estate attorney with Loeb & Loeb. His work continued, specifically focusing on redevelopment projects targeting obsolete urban regional shopping centers. Now retired, Fred is enjoying a full-time life on Hastings Mesa and is focused on conserving the Mesa his grandson will inherit.

Willy Kistler - Board Member

Willy is a fifth generation Coloradoan, born and raised in Denver. He moved to Paonia in 1980 and has been ranching in the North Fork Valley since. Willy raises elk for meat on his conserved property, and assists other ranchers with seasonal livestock management. Willy’s passion for land and wide relationships in his community, have proved to be great assets to the BCRLT Board. When not working on the land, Willy takes time for fine woodworking and serving as the president of his local ditch company.

Joey Burns - Board Member

Joey Burns is a rancher, entrepreneur, public speaker, and a self-defined "land man." A Montrose local of 21 years, Joey is the owner/broker of Lone Eagle Real Estate, specializing in farm and ranch sales and services across western Colorado. Joey also owns Land Information Systems, LLC, a private GIS company that uses the latest technology to gather, categorize and display individual assets on private properties. Joey's tremendous professional network and balanced perspective on conservation efforts and private property rights will be true assets for BCRLT.

Adam Petry - Board Member

Adam Petry is a seasoned field biologist specializing in National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act compliance for transportation, recreation, energy, conservation and restoration projects. Originally from the eastern plains of Illinois, Adam has lived and worked across the Midwest and Mountain West of the U.S. engaging his passion for wildlife biology and conservation, writing, and journalism. Adam currently calls Paonia and the North Fork Valley home, where he works as a private consultant and moonlights as a fiddler in an old time string band. Adam brings on-the-ground knowledge of local, state and federal conservation issues and an unyielding passion for cooperative conservation to the Board of BCRLT.

Legal Counsel

Allan C. Beezley, P.C.