We are TU: Meet Barbara Luneau

Repost from National TU blog by Jenny Weis

We care about clean water, healthy fisheries and vibrant communities. We roll up our sleeves to volunteer, we sit on our boards, and we strategize as members and leaders of staff. We want you to join us.  

Thanks to initiatives such as TU’s decades-old Women’s Initiative – now Diversity and Inclusion Initiative – and those of our partners, new groups have engaged in coldwater conservation and the sport of fly fishing. The aim of this blog series is to highlight these friends, in hopes of making many new friends of broad stripes. In this series you’ll meet people of diverse communities – our good ideas, what we have in common, and where we differ. Know someone we should feature? Nominate them here. 

Since it’s not possible to sit down and have coffee or spend an afternoon on the river to show you what we’re up to, a blog post will have to do. As you read, we hope you’ll consider joining us. We need your ideas to help make a bigger impact.   

Together, we’ll help protect the special places we love.   

Barbara’s nomination detailed a long list of activities she undertakes for TU. We were curious as to what motivates her to make time for all these events and responsibilities! Reviewing her answers, we’re moved by her motivations and convinced there’s a lot she can teach us.  

Introducing: Barbara Luneau. (Instagram @baluneau) 

Hometown/current town: Longmont, Colo. 

What’s your history with conservation? I grew up with a conservation ethic, and have always believed being a steward to the environment was important. I joined Trout Unlimited and started volunteering about 12 years ago. I have served as chapter secretary, president, and conservation chair. Through TU, I have engaged more directly in my community to be a voice for my home waters and contribute to restoration and water management issues. Currently I also serve as a regional vice president on the Colorado State Council and I am chairperson of our Headwaters (Youth Programs) Committee. I also serve as co-director of Colorado’s River Conservation and Fly Fishing camp.  

My present focus in conservation is mentoring youth and working to inspire the next generation of river stewards. 

I know better than to think things will take care of themselves, it’s our civic responsibility to engage and continue to protect what’s important to us.

Barbara Luneau

Briefly, what is your history with fishing? I moved to Colorado in 1987 and was first exposed to fly fishing then. I fished on and off for a number of years, but became serious about fly fishing in 2005 when faced with becoming an empty nester. I’ve been avid about fly fishing since then. My husband and I fish all over Colorado, and many places beyond. 

Describe one challenge you face & how do you overcome it. I think that my greatest challenge as a TU leader is inspiring leaders with a new face to step forward and take on expanded roles. I believe that if we want to be different, we have to look different from the top down. I’ve been addressing these challenges by seeking out people that don’t meet the typical TU profile and finding opportunities for them to engage that align with their personal goals and passions. I wouldn’t say I’ve overcome it, but I’m working on it. 

[Giving back] means doing the hard things, seeing a need, and using your skills to address the need while improving the organization for the next generation of leaders. 

Barbara Luneau

What does ‘giving back’ mean to you? For me giving back is having an impact that you don’t even realize. I see this all the time working with youth programs, particularly our camp for teens.  It means doing the hard things, seeing a need, and using your skills to address the need while improving the organization for the next generation of leaders. 

Describe a perfect day. A perfect day is taking my 4-year old grandson to the pond on a sunny afternoon and catching bluegills all day.  

What would you grab if your house was on fire? (Don’t worry! Your humans/pets are already safe!) I probably should grab my laptop and disks, but I’d probably grab my ukulele.  

If you could squeeze just one more thing into your regular routine, what would it be? More fishing days.  

What do you want to see in the future of Trout Unlimited or in conservation? I want to see TU continue to become a more diverse organization that is sought after as a conservation partner in home waters across the country. 

What is an example of something awesome you’ve seen that helps make conservation or fishing more inclusive to new groups of people? I think an invitation is an awesome opening for inclusiveness. Seeking out partnerships where both groups have something to gain seems to be powerful for many programs including youth, veterans, cancer recovery. 

Name a person you admire. Why do you admire them?  Jimmy Carter. He values people, dignity, and the outdoors. 

Why  Trout Unlimited?   We humans are consumers of everything, TU is focused on conserving and protecting at the grassroots level, a person can really connect with their local community and water issues in their community through TU where ever your interests lie. As a TU volunteer, you can do a little or a lot, it’s fully up to you. Fly fishing is my meditation, and it’s better than it’s ever been because of actions that TU staff and volunteers take. I know better than to think things will take care of themselves, it’s our civic responsibility to engage and continue to protect what’s important to us. 

If you want to join Barbara and grow the community and work of Trout Unlimited, we encourage you to become a member! For a discounted first-time membership, click here: https://gifts.tu.org/we-are-tu 

Behind the Fin: Dave Taylor

Join us Behind the Fin with Dave Taylor, formerly the Executive Director and later the Board President of Colorado Trout Unlimited. Read on to hear some of his thoughts on TU past, present, and future.

How long have you been a TU member?

I joined TU in the early 1980s, with the Boulder Flycaster Chapter, when I was in graduate school at CU. A few years later I became a life member.

Why did you become a member and what chapter are you involved with?

I moved to Colorado in 1980 and became a rather fanatical fly fisherman, so I began attending Boulder Flycaster meetings after reading their newsletter in the local fly shop. I quickly got conscript- ed by Bruce Hoagland to be the Newsletter Editor, and a couple years later became chapter president.

What is your favorite activity or project you have done with TU?

I have done so many projects it is hard to determine a favorite. Certainly our work to save the South Platte from Two Forks inundation and our West Slope work to squash the AB Lateral project on the lower Gunnison are at the top of the list. Few today realize that we also purchased some key land   along the Dream Stream section below Spinney Mountain Reservoir that helped maintain public access. We turned that final parcel of land over to the state to ensure permanent access and state property status. We did the same thing on a small piece of land on the Roaring Fork as well. Good stuff, indeed. You were a central piece of the fight against Two Forks. How did you overcome the odds and beat the ‘2000-pound gorilla’ that was Denver Water? I thought it was 10,000 pounds? And don’t forget the Metropolitan Water Providers! It was a tremendous cooperative effort between a large coalition of conservation and environmental groups.

We also took a very intelligent approach. Thanks to agreements when Denver built its Foothills Project, we had a seat at the table for Two Forks. Technical experts such as Bob Weaver and EDF’s Dan Luecke helped build out a highly intelligent and viable series of alternatives that were cheaper, less destructive and could be phased in over time. We were able to point out several, ultimately fatal, flaws in the Two Forks proposal. It was a brave call by the EPA, but it was the right call. Many of the alternatives we proposed have actually been enacted, including conservation measures. No one in Colorado is without water to- day because Two Forks was vetoed. Intelligence prevailed. It’s nice to witness such a thing.

Do you have a favorite place to fish or memorable fishing story?

I have a lot of passion for the Madison River and the $3 Dollar Bridge area. Aesthetically, it is about as magnificent a river valley as you will see. The fishing is not bad either. It has gotten pretty crowded in recent years, though. Its recovery from whirling disease makes me particularly happy. You were at the heart of the battle over whirling disease in Colorado.

What did it take to win that battle to reform Colorado’s stocking practices?

Whirling disease was tragic in many ways, and personally was a very emotional issue. To see the magnificent wild rainbow populations collapse on the my favorite rivers – the Madison, the lower Gunnison, the Colorado in Middle Park, the South Platte and the upper Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake – still pains me greatly to this day. We have learned much since the start of the WD dilemma, and some waters have recovered, but there is a clear and sobering lesson in WD for all of us to never forget.

Catching some fantastic wild rainbows at $3 Dollar Bridge two years ago made me feel a lot better. But then I fished the Yellowstone near Sulphur Caldron last August and landed one fish. In early July of 1980 I hiked into Cub Creek, a feeder stream into Yellowstone Lake. The Cutts were spawning and were so thick in the stream it looked exactly like an Alaskan salmon run. For a kid from New Jersey it was magical to see -- the essence of nature and wild trout. Several years ago, I believe Cub Creek had less than 100 fish in its spawning run. I think tens of thousands were going up the creek in the early 1980s. The careless stocking of lake trout and the WD menace have put those Yellowstone cutthroat on the brink. It is a very sad tale. Forty years ago one could stand in Buffalo Ford on the Yellowstone River and 5 to 10 large cutts would move up into the wake created by your legs when wading. And they were all 100% native and wild. That’s why we need TU.

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

TU has been a large part of my life, both professionally and asa volunteer. When I started inTU, I was one of the younger leaders, in my early 20s. I was a young Chapter President, and from 1986 to 1991 I worked for TU.

Later I was chairman of the Natural Resource Council in my early 30s – younger than most other leadership members. I later became CTU President and helped Dave Nickum establish a foundation for what has been a great 20 run of success in CTU under his leadership. And I volunteered to help start the Western Water Project operation in Colorado. For the last 10 years I have not done much work with TU, other than donate to the auction and Century Club.I have been too busy with family and work. Now, almost 40 years after going to my first TU chapter meeting, I am 62 years old and no longer a youngster in TU. I have witnessed great friends and TUers such as Bruce Hoagland, Al Makkai, Leo Go- molchak and Fred Rasmussen pass away. While I don’t look at myself as old, I am no longer a young buck in TU. When I retire in a few years, I will get re engaged on the volunteer side.

 What other hobbies or activities do you like to do?

I have an affinity for skiing, golfing and biking, and also from a DIY perspective like to play with electronics and build hi-fi amplifiers and speakers. I discovered that there are too many great hobbies and sports to engage in in life. So I had to win now it down at several stages of life.

What is the most important thing you learned from your past involvement with TU that present-day members ought to know?

I was born in 1956 and there were 169 million people in the U.S. at that time. Sixty-two years later there are almost 330 million. Pretty easy math. So in my lifetime there are 161 million more people utilizing the same land mass and a finite amount of natural resources, including cold water rivers and streams. To quote Joni Mitchell, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”

Conservation-minded anglers realize, and know, what we’ve got, and we need to band together and work our asses off to keep and protect it. If we want our grandkids and great-grandkids to be catching wild trout in magnificent settings and wading in clear, cold water, then we better work hard to protect the coldwater resource. If one doesn’t have time to personally dedicate to the cause, I can fully understand and empathize. But that’s when I say give money instead of time, so others can work on your behalf. It ultimately comes down to what something is worth to you, right?

Behind the Fin with Reid Baker

Join us “behind the fin” with Reid Baker, Vice President of Denver Trout Unlimited Chapter

How long have you been a TU member?

Since 2006.

Why did you become a member and what chapter are you involved with?    

Though I've been a member since 2006 I really became more active in 2014. I had been a full time fly fishing guide and realized that I had made a living off of these resources, and rather than simply taking it was time to give back in a more substantial way. That was the year I became a board member of the Denver Chapter.  

What made you want to be involved with TU?

I think what draws me to DTU most is because our projects benefit not only anglers, but Denver as a whole. Whether you like to fish, SUP, kayak, bike along the path, or enjoy one of the many riverside parks we've been involved with, we've tried to improve our city through its river. 

What is your favorite activity or project you have done with TU?

I have competed as a pro, amateur and am currently the Operations Manager for the Denver Trout Unlimited Carp Slam (www.carpslam.org) fishing tournament. For 12 consecutive years, DTU has put on "The Slam" to raise proceeds for the Denver South Platte River (DSP). 15 Pro/Am teams fish for most total inches of carp on the fly in a single day. It has been an awesome event to be a part of and I've met some of the most talented anglers in the region through this event. More importantly though, I've seen a lot of good go back into the DSP to make our home river better.

I know you won’t tell me your favorite spot, but what is your second favorite place to fish or favorite fishing story? 

At this point I'm pretty content anytime I get to float with friends or family and watch them catch fish. That's not an open invite to anyone reading this... haha... but I get more enjoyment at this point watching other people do the catching. Plus from a rower's seat I get to heckle. 

What does being a part of TU mean to you? 

Being a part of TU means being a part of a great local community of conservationists. Conservationists who happen to fly fish. 

What else do you do in your spare time or work?

I try to travel as much as I can... usually with a fly rod in my hand. I've been fortunate to fish in some amazing places and meet more amazing people. I also recently got a smoker and working on perfecting my brisket-- got a long way to go before I enter any competitions.