About Friends of Browns Canyon

A 1971 Boy Scout camping trip to Chaffee County left an indelible impression on Scout Michael Kunkel. He fell completely in love with the Colorado Rockies’ outdoor majesty. It informed his choice of college, leaving Oklahoma for Colorado College. It later inspired his Sierra Club activism in the mid 1980s, serving as an Executive Committee member in the Norman, Oklahoma, chapter. Protecting public lands, supporting wilderness designations, sustainable energy use and community recycling programs became an integral part of Michael’s life. Since moving to Salida in 1999, Michael co-founded Friends of Browns Canyon in 2002. He served as president of Chaffee County Citizens for Recycling, organizing and spearheading the addition of cardboard, paper and plastic collection throughout the county. He has also served as a Chaffee County Mentor. As an EnergyNow board member, he worked to promote sustainable energy use throughout the county. Internationally, Michael has worked as a volunteer on water and sanitation projects in Bolivia, Mexico and Nepal. Currently, he is helping to build and sustain schools for young girls in Nepal. Michael holds a B.A. in economics from Colorado College and operates Lifestream Water Systems in Salida. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family traveling, fishing, climbing and exploring the off-the-beaten-track areas of Chaffee and Fremont counties.

While growing up on a pond in rural New Hampshire was a formative experience for David, he always looked to the Rockies, and Colorado in particular, as the realm of the mythical mountain man and hardcore outdoors people. After backpacking to all the highest peaks in New England and canoeing most of the whitewater rivers there, he felt he’d gathered enough outdoor experience to make the move to adventure in Colorado in 2004. David settled into an off-grid cabin above the San Luis Valley and since then has worked as a sales executive at Salida’s KVRH radio and as the manager at Orient Land Trust’s Valley View Hot Springs.

Soon after installing solar at his cabin, David decided to start a solar installation business. Today, he is the Sales Manager at SolarSet, a manufacturer of pre-assembled solar units in Center. He volunteers as a trail steward for Salida Mountain Trails and spends most weekends mountain biking the trails around Salida, running the Arkansas River on his raft, backpacking and camping in the local forests and taking long walks with his dog, Uki.

Linda grew up in Denver but always had the mountains in her blood. As a young girl, she would often ask her parents to move to the mountains and get a horse. For college, she moved to the Glenwood Springs area, and it was at Colorado Mountain College that an interest in photography was sparked. She would spend her time photographing, hiking, camping and skiing on our public lands, as they are refuge for Linda and dear to her heart. During her younger years she also became environmentally conscious of the need to take care of our land, water and air and has since been committed to that. After graduating from college, Linda married and had 3 children. After briefly relocating out of state, she returned to Colorado and settled in Salida in the late 1990s. A good friend took Linda horseback riding in Browns Canyon shortly after moving to the area, and she was enthralled with its beauty and wildness. Linda has volunteered with Salida Sertoma Club, Upper Arkansas Service Club, KHEN public radio station and her church. She currently serves on two nonprofit boards of directors, inclding Friends of Browns Canyon. Linda feels honored to be on the forefront of protecting such a unique area as Browns Canyon National Monument for current and future generations to enjoy.

Living in the Great Smoky Mountains as a teenager in North Carolina led Luke Urbine down a road and he would never look back. With his first raft trip as a youth and taking the literal plunge, the river flowed in his veins. Not knowing what the future held, Luke worked as a Llama trek guide, river guide, tree canopy guide, mountain trekker and anything else that would put the beans and rice on the table. After years of traveling in Latin America and the Southwestern U.S., Luke heard the call to the mountains near Browns Canyon, Colorado. Sticking his thumb out on the road with a kayak in tow he found himself in the drivers seat of a boat and it seemed the most likely fit for the young adrenaline junky. Luke soon settled at the base of the Continental Divide in Buena Vista, Colo. Working on the river and making a living as a photographer, Luke works to document lifestyles of the local folks. His real dedication is to helping advocate for places that don’t have the spoken words and trying to defend them. Luke’s passion for keeping public land public and working as the secretary of Friends of Browns Canyon are just of few of the things that keep him busy during the week. You will also find him leading the Boy Scouts, working for the Buena Vista Recreation Board, capturing landscape photos, chasing his kids to soccer games or working at his photography studio. When not working at these projects you might just find him by a campfire howling at the moon.

Reed Dils grew up in Ohio and always enjoyed the outdoors. He started fishing and canoeing at a young age. After graduating from Ohio State University in wildlife management and biological sciences education, he taught school in Rochester, N.Y., before doing graduate work in environmental education at the University of Northern Colorado. After teaching and starting 4-Corners Rafting with his wife, Karen, in southwest Colorado, Reed moved to Buena Vista in 1976. After 25 years of operations they sold the company in 2001. Reed co-founded the Colorado Rivers Outfitters Association and the Arkansas River Outfitters association and served on both boards. He was instrumental in the creation of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area in the late ’80s and served as a Citizens Task Force member from 1989 until 1997. Reed was a founding member and board member of the Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited and served on the board as vice president, treasurer and advocacy chair. Reed served one term on the Colorado Water Conservation Board, two terms on the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservation Board and 11 years as the Recreation Representative on the Arkansas Basin Roundtable. In 1982 Reed initiated the beginnings of what has become the Arkansas River Voluntary Flow program which provides whitewater flows from July 1 through August 15 and fishing flows year-round on the upper Arkansas River. In 2008 Reed received the Bob Appel Friend of the Arkansas Award for outstanding contributions to preserving and protecting the Arkansas River basin. He and wife Karen have also received the Colorado and Arkansas River Outfitters Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Volunteers Award from Colorado Trout Unlimited.