As Montana chapter coordinator, Lukas will raise the profile of public lands sportsmen and engage in Montana conservation issues on BHA’s behalf
Missoula, MT -(AmmoLand.com)- Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the nation’s leading sportsmen’s group focused on public lands, announced today that Jeff Lukas has joined BHA’s national staff as Montana chapter coordinator.
In this role, a new position for BHA, Lukas will work to enhance the Montana chapter’s conservation efforts, including public lands advocacy, stream access and place-based projects. He’ll recruit and support strong volunteer leaders to increase the capacity and reach of Montana BHA. He also will collaborate on sportsmen-focused activities with other conservation partners and elected officials at both the state and federal levels. Lukas’s hire continues a period of accelerated growth for BHA, which in the past two years has seen its membership numbers more than double and accumulated a string of successes in mobilizing sportsmen to advance sound natural resources policy.
BHA President and CEO Land Tawney spoke positively about Lukas’ credentials as a sportsman and a conservationist and the growing need for his position in the public lands-rich state of Montana.
“Jeff lives and breathes hunting and fishing and has proven he can build a grassroots army to influence policy at every level,” Tawney said. “He is a great addition to our expanding team of conservation gladiators, and I look forward to watching him utilize his passion and experience to grow our presence in Montana. Quite simply, Jeff is a doer, and I admire that.”
Lukas grew up chasing muskies, mallards, whitetails and wild trout all over the state of Wisconsin. Raised next to the Wisconsin River, one of the “hardest working rivers” in the country, he saw firsthand what happens when public lands and waterways are not protected from pollution and irresponsible development. Lukas went on to earn his B.S. in resource conservation from the University of Montana in 2002. He promptly parlayed that degree into a “lucrative” guiding career, working among the bears, salmon and giant rainbow trout in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska.
Lukas wears a number of hats. In addition to guiding the waters of western Montana, which he’s done for the past eight years, he has helped advance several significant pieces of legislation in Helena and is involved with Hellgate Hunters and Anglers, a Missoula-based rod and gun club. His efforts have improved the lives of thousands of Montanans.
In addition to his other responsibilities, Lukas will serve as a liaison between BHA headquarters and the leadership of state chapter. Montana chapter co-chair John Sullivan warmly welcomed Jeff to BHA.
“Jeff has a wealth of experience in grassroots organizing and state legislative work that stretches across Montana,” said Sullivan. “He is going to help the Montana chapter ascend to the next level in ensuring public access and advancing conservation on behalf of hunters and anglers.”
For his part, Lukas relishes the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be working with the Montana chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers to conserve our public lands and protect our outdoor heritage,” said Lukas. “As a Montanan, I realize that our public lands form a central part of our identity – an identity that, given my close ties to our state, I look forward to upholding and defending. I’m honored to be wearing a new hat now – one that reads, simply, ‘Keep public lands in public hands.’”
A dozen years after its formation, BHA has expanded its membership to comprise chapters in 24 states and Canadian provinces. BHA was formed around an Oregon campfire in 2004; it’s headquartered in Missoula, Montana.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the sportsmen’s voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.
Learn more about BHA:
Visit our website.
Connect with us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
Follow us on Instagram.
About Backcountry Hunters & Anglers:
Formed around an Oregon campfire in 2004, BHA is the sportsmen’s voice for our nation’s wild public lands, waters and wildlife. With members in all 50 states and Canada, 18 state-based chapters and a chapter in British Columbia, BHA brings an authentic, informed, boots-on-the-ground voice to the conservation of public lands.
For more information, please visit www.BackcountryHunters.org.