Browns Canyon
National Monument

About Friends of Browns Canyon

Michael Kunkel and Jerry Mallett formed Friends of Browns Canyon in 2002 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the unique, unspoiled landscape in and around Browns Canyon. Since then, Friends of Browns Canyon has supported legislative efforts to protect Browns Canyon as wilderness, the highest level of protection available for public lands. After congressional politics and gridlock prevented a wilderness designation, President Barack Obama designated Browns Canyon National Monument on February 19, 2015.

Following the national monument designation, Friends of Browns Canyon led a broad coalition of local and regional stakeholders in working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to create a management plan that ensures adequate protection for the unique landscape and natural resources of Browns Canyon. We remain committed to the long-term stewardship and conservation of the National Monument. To learn more about our history, click here.

Our Mission

Friends of Browns Canyon protects and preserves the natural and cultural resources of Browns Canyon National Monument through advocacy, education, and collaboration. We unite conservation voices, engage the public, and work with agencies to ensure responsible stewardship and lasting impact. 

Activities

Acting as the voice of the Browns Canyon area, including the National Monument, we serve as partners with the BLM, USFS, and the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) on education, monitoring, stewardship, and programming. We inventory and study the ecosystems, cultural resources, and human use of the area to inform management decisions.

We seek to develop new partnerships across business, government, and the nonprofit sector, and expand our membership to enhance the effectiveness of our conservation and stewardship efforts.

We host volunteer-led hikes and work projects to provide opportunities for recreation and engagement with resource protection efforts. We often partner with other organizations for these projects, creating a diverse, grassroots-based coalition seeking to preserve Browns Canyon. A large focus of our current public education and outreach efforts revolves around the 2024 designation of Browns Canyon National Monument as a certified Dark Sky Park. Summer stargazing programs are presented free to the public within the Monument and at adjacent campgrounds. We believe that by educating the public about Browns Canyon’s treasures, current and future generations will ensure its longevity.

Board of Directors

Michael Kunkel
President, Founder

In 2002, Michael co-founded Friends of Browns Canyon, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of Browns Canyon National Monument in 2015. More recently, he led the campaign for DarkSky International’s certification of the National Monument as a Dark Sky Park, awarded in 2024. Michael has spent decades protecting public lands, promoting sustainable energy use, and becoming a proponent of recycling. Building a successful Salida-based business, Lifestream Water Systems, has enabled Michael to integrate his passion for the environment with his daily pursuits. Internationally, he volunteers to build water and sanitation projects in Bolivia, Mexico, and Nepal, as well as girls’ schools in Nepal. Locally, Michael spearheads electronics recycling for Chaffee County, helped secure the funding for Level 3 charging stations in Salida, and is active in Jane’s Place. Michael can be found fishing, hiking, climbing, skiing, cycling, and exploring off-the-beaten-path places with friends and family in Colorado.

David Beaulieu
Vice President

David has been living and working in Central Colorado since 2004 where he first settled into an off-grid cabin above the San Luis Valley and has since 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 Bebell
Treasurer

Linda’s formative years at Colorado Mountain College sparked an interest in photography that led her to hiking, camping, skiing, and photographing our public lands. Linda 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  including Friends of Browns Canyon. Linda feels honored to be on the forefront of protecting the uniqueness of Browns Canyon National Monument for current and future generations to enjoy.

Luke Urbine
Secretary

As a young adrenaline junky, Luke settled at the base of the Continental Divide in Buena Vista. His life’s passion has been working on the river and making a living as a photographer, documenting the lifestyles of local folks. His real dedication is to advocate for and defend public places that can’t speak for themselves. Luke’s passion for keeping public land public led him to volunteer for Friends of Browns Canyon. 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
Director

After graduating from Ohio State University in wildlife management and biological sciences education, Reed made his way to Colorado where he and his wife started 4-Corners Rafting. In 1976 they moved to Buena Vista. Reed co-founded the Colorado Rivers Outfitters Association and the Arkansas River Outfitters Association. He was instrumental in the creation of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area and served as a Citizens Task Force member from 1989 until 1997. Reed was a founding member of the Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited and served in multiple board roles. Reed has also held appointments to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the Arkansas Basin Roundtable. In 1982 Reed initiated what has become the Arkansas River Voluntary Flow program that 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.

John Sztukowski
Director

John Sztukowski is the conservation director for the science-based conservation nonprofit Wild Connections and has been with the organization since 2013. John oversees Wild Connections’ public lands work, wilderness lands inventories, educational events, and outreach to the public, agency staff and government offices on local conservation issues. John serves on BLM’s Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Council as a Category 2 representative (environmental organization). He was appointed to the advisory council in 2021. His background ranges from climate change to sustainable agriculture to habitat restoration and wilderness conservation. John is also the president and co-founder of the nonprofit Heart of the Rockies Disc Golf Club, founded in 2021.

Hope DeLarue
Director

Hope settled into Colorado as a young adult with a family to raise. She has invested time learning about, teaching about, and studying the history of the people and the land of the American West. In her decade of living in Chaffee County she has enjoyed working as a business owner both in Salida and in Buena Vista. She started volunteering with Friends of Browns Canyon in 2017 to support the efforts of FOBC to ensure the protection of Browns Canyon. In addition to FOBC, Hope works with High Country Fine Arts Association, is a full time home-school mom, and helps with her family-owned auto shop, Reliance Motorworks. Hope loves being in the great outdoors and learning how to navigate local wilderness with experienced people like her fellow Friends of Browns Canyon board members.

Wendy Gordon, Ph.D.
Director

Wendy first found her way to Colorado while in college, spending a summer as a research assistant at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory near Crested Butte. After hoisting a backpack and climbing her first mountains, she vowed to one-day return to the area, which she did in 2020. Wendy is an ecologist with expertise in water, biodiversity and climate. She holds a Ph.D., M.S. and B.A. in those disciplines. Most of her career has been devoted to public service, including working as Chaffee County’s first Natural Resources Planner. She joined the FOBC Board in 2024. She serves on other nonprofit and Town of Buena Vista boards. She founded the Arkansas Valley Chapter of the Colorado Native Plant Society.

Joe Bissonnette
Director

Joe’s passion for the outdoors, open spaces and clear night skies brought him to Chaffee County, Colorado. Joe is a mechanical engineer and licensed project manager who recently founded Sky View Tents, a stargazing tent company based in Buena Vista.  His favorite pastimes include climbing, rafting, camping and stargazing. These activities are all interconnected with his desire to preserve the unique Browns Canyon landscape.

Tom Karnuta
Director

Tom trained in the Earth Sciences, earning a Masters degree from the University of Northern Colorado with an emphasis on geology and astronomy, along with a teaching license in secondary science.  His graduate research focused on the geologic history of the Upper Arkansas Valley. He has lived in the Salida 39 years and worked as an engineering geologist and principal at Mountain Engineering and Testing for 20 years. During the 1990s, Tom was a member of the U.S. National Canoe and Kayak Team and competed in World Cup and World Championship events throughout Europe. Currently, Tom volunteers at several national parks, including Bent’s Old Fort in La Junta, Colorado, the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, and Arches National Park, where he is the volunteer astronomer-in-residence from March to June. He leads Friends of Browns Canyon’s summer stargazing events in Browns Canyon National Monument.