Larry Traubel

President

Larry is a fruit grower and businessman that spent his life involved in production agriculture. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science from University of Arizona in Agriculture Business and Agronomy in 1979, Larry began his career in the Pacific Northwest selling Ag chemicals.  It was there that he developed a deep love of horticulture and the management of orchard crops. Growing fruit commercially took him from Idaho to Washington to Arizona and finally in 1993 to Western Colorado.  After a 7-year period working as a horticulturist, Larry joined Grand Mesa Discount selling agricultural chemicals on the Western Slope of Colorado. In 2006 Larry purchased the business, bringing with him a focus of continued growth through customer service and education, rebranding it “Cropworx”.  Recently retired, Larry treasures time spent in outdoor activities, but finds purpose in “giving back” to the area and people that have enriched his life.

Norma West

Treasurer

Norma’s love of the great outdoors began as a child in New Hampshire where she enjoyed swimming in the ocean and lakes, fishing in the streams and skiing in the mountains. She moved to Grand Junction after graduating from high school, and has been a resident for more than 35-years. In her spare time, she likes to swim, ski, golf, hike, camp, and travel with her husband. She enjoys cooking and canning the fresh produce grown in our community. Norma earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Accounting with an emphasis on Computer Information Systems at Mesa State College. She holds a Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration, and is a retired Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She is now a Real Estate Broker affiliated with RE/MAX 4000 inc. Norma is the Treasurer for Restore the Balance and has served as Treasurer for other non-profits.

Gwen Cameron

Secretary

A second generation fruit grower, Gwen Cameron farms 38 acres of organic peaches, plums, apricots, cherries and melons at Rancho Durazno, just east of Palisade. She believes the best fruit is grown from well-tended soil and is harvested by workers with a deep connection to the land. Gwen is a graduate of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union’s Fellows Program and serves as president of the Mesa County chapter. She was named Young Grower of the Year by the Western Colorado Horticultural Society in 2018. Gwen also works with Hunger Free Colorado as a Regional Food Coordinator, connecting food pantries with local farms and ranches to build more resilient local food systems and to provide high quality, fresh food to communities who need it. When she’s not driving a tractor, she can be found mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing or rafting around the West.

Jacquie Chappell-Reid

Jacquie grew up along Rt. 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. She has lived in Grand Junction since 1972 and raised her three children Toni, Terri and Ronnie here. She now has eight grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Prior to retirement, after 16 years as a Major Gifts Officer for HopeWest, Jacquie was employed for over 20 years in advertising & marketing and also spent 10 years as the Membership Director for the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. In addition to her work life she was involved with many local non profits serving as the first woman President of the Grand Junction Kiwanis Club, the VP of Marketing for United Way and on the Board at The Redlands Community Center. She is currently active on the Steering Committee for Restore The Balance. Her late husband, Erle Reid, was also a fundraiser and retired after 25 years as VP of Development at Hilltop Health Services. Jacquie loves art, poetry, reading, traveling,and hiking in the beautiful landscape of Western Colorado. She is excited to serve on the Board for Colorado West Land Trust and hopes to contribute to protecting this beautiful landscape we all love.

Brad Banulis

Brad grew up in Wyoming, Arizona, and Colorado. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and attended the University of Wyoming for graduate school. An opportunity opened up in Montrose, Colorado for Brad to work as a Private Lands Wildlife Biologist between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Colorado Watershed Network and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) in 2003, and he has resided in the Uncompahgre Valley ever since. As a Private Lands Biologist, Brad worked with landowners to enhance wildlife habitat through Farm Bill programs and provided technical assistance. Since 2004, Brad has been a Wildlife Biologist for CDOW (now Colorado Parks and Wildlife) working to monitor, study and manage a diversity of game and non-game wildlife populations across parts of Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel counties. Brad, his wife Tanya (also a wildlife biologist), and their two young children spend their spare time outdoors at youth sporting activities or fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, and traveling whenever possible.

John Currier

John is a 4th-generation West Slope farm kid with family roots in Grand Valley agriculture dating back to 1892. After growing up on the farm, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Colorado State University and embarked on a 40-year career in water rights engineering, with a primary focus on the Western Slope. After retiring in 2021 from his role as Chief Engineer for the Colorado River District, John re-entered private practice, providing water resource and water rights consulting services to select Western Colorado clients. In addition to serving on the CWLT board, John has also served on the boards of directors of the Colorado Water Trust (CWT) and the Colorado Water Congress (CWC). John and his wife, Teddy Ann, along with their two adult children, all love Western Colorado. When he is not stuck behind his computer, he can usually be found hiking, biking, camping, or simply exploring the great outdoors of Western Colorado.

Stacia Cannon

Stacia lives in Hotchkiss with her husband, Harrison Topp, where they run their family orchard business, Topp Fruits LLC. Stacia is the vice president of the board of directors for her local electric utility cooperative DMEA, serves on the board of directors for a local broadband company Elevate Fiber and is on Club 20’s Public Lands and Natural Resources Advisory Committee. Stacia has also volunteered her time as an ex-officio board member for her local irrigation and ditch company, has served as the secretary of the Montrose Farmer’s Union chapter, and volunteered her time in the winter to teach children how to cross-country ski on Grand Mesa. Stacia enjoys horseback riding through her orchards, fly fishing on the Gunnison River, cooking with her husband, and exploring the beautiful public lands of Colorado.

Renzo DelPiccolo

Renzo grew up on a small hobby farm on the Front Range, surrounded by a pond and various farm animals. His love for all things in nature took him to CSU, where he received a BS in Wildlife Biology. Renzo’s first job was working with the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Program with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. He then served as a District Wildlife Manager for the Department of Wildlife (DOW) in Dinosaur and Mesa, CO, and was eventually promoted to Montrose Area Wildlife Manager. Renzo retired after 33 years of absolutely fulfilling service with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The career was filled with solving wildlife conflicts, trapping, and transplanting moose, turkey, big horn sheep, and many other species. Additionally, managing big game, small game, fisheries, and non-game wildlife with colleagues was a perfect fit for a nature lover! Renzo and his wife, Lisa, have a daughter who lives in Georgia and a son in Indiana. Lisa and Renzo call Montrose their home, where Lisa is the city clerk for the City of Montrose.

Angela Dye

Angela Dye, FASLA is a licensed landscape architect (Arizona & Colorado) with Masters’ degrees in Landscape Architecture, and Community Development & Planning, from the University of Colorado/Denver. She founded A DYE DESIGN in 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona, as an urban design/planning/landscape architecture firm. The firm has resided in Telluride, Colorado since 2010, where she has diversified her practice to residential design and the visual arts. She is a past President (2008-2009) of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).  She is currently a member (former Chair) of the Town of Telluride Open Space Commission, Chair of the Telluride Planning & Zoning Commission and a member of the San Miguel County Open Space Commission.  Her most recent effort is as co-chair of the San Juan Skyway scenic byway committee.  She is a volunteer DJ Lady Dye on KOTO, Telluride’s community radio station, with her own show Pandora’s Box. She enjoys creating fiber artwork through the AhHaa School for the Arts in Telluride, as well as the many activities offered in her mountain home and the Colorado Plateau.

Mandy Harter

Mandy was born and raised in Wisconsin but moved to Grand Junction over 24 years ago to attend Mesa State and made it her home. The people, community, climate, and endless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors make Western Colorado the place she wants to spend the rest of her life. She has worked as an independent agent for RE/MAX 4000 for 15 years and loves helping people find their dream home or next investment. She enjoys many of the outdoor activities that Western CO has to offer, including mountain and road biking, hiking, skiing, running, and camping. Above all she enjoys spending time with her 8-year-old daughter Bella and showing her all the world has to offer. She welcomed the opportunity to serve on the CWLT board and work towards protecting and improving this beautiful place that we all call home.

Chele Hawks

Chele is a Grand Junction native who spent her summers on Pinyon Mesa (Glade Park), where her grandparents and parents ran 6,000 sheep for several decades. On their mountain and desert ranges, she developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors. She and her husband, Dave, have been raising cattle for more than 25 years as part of a four-generation livestock-producing family, with their son Hudson serving as the current ranch manager. As the saying goes, “Every successful rancher has a wife with a good job in town,” and that has certainly been true for Chele. In addition to helping on the ranch and managing the books, she held management roles in banking for more than 25 years, owned her own health-related business for 18 years, and served on a national franchise committee for 16 years. Her favorite roles, however, are “Mom” and “Nanna”. Dave and Chele have two children and one granddaughter. They completed multiple easements with the Colorado West Land Trust. Chele looks forward to serving on the board to help protect the beautiful landscapes of Western Colorado.

Hannah Holm

Hannah has been working on projects and policy to promote climate resilience for American Rivers, a national environmental organization, since April of 2022. She also serves on the board of the Mesa Conservation District. Prior to joining American Rivers, she co-founded and directed the Hutchins Water Center at Colorado Mesa University from 2011-2022. She previously facilitated a local wise water use council and advocated for stronger drinking water protections with Western Colorado Congress. Earlier in her career, she co-staffed legislative committees on the Environment, Natural Resources, Sustainable Agriculture and Smart Growth at the North Carolina General Assembly. Hannah has a joint master’s degree in Community & Regional Planning and Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and trail running and messing around in her garden.

Kirsten Kurath

Kirsten is an attorney in Grand Junction whose practice has been focused on water law and representation of local governmental entities and water-related entities. Kirsten grew up in Connecticut with lots of time in New Hampshire and Vermont. She moved to Tucson in high school and fell in love with the desert and her husband. Kirsten has a B.S. in cellular and developmental biology from the University of Arizona. She was the head technician/lab manager of a cancer research lab at the Arizona Cancer Center for several years before heading to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for law school. Kirsten and her husband found their way to Grand Junction in 1995 and raised two sons here. Kirsten has always been active on nonprofit boards, which currently include the Colorado Water Trust and the technical advisory committee to the Ruth Hutchins Water Center at CMU. Kirsten has been a long supporter of the land trust and its protection of the vital agricultural lands and open spaces in Western Colorado.

Helen Love

Helen grew up in Davenport, Iowa, went to Massachusetts for college (Smith), then traded in trees and humidity for blue sky and red rocks in 1978, when she moved to Grand Junction. She has recently retired from a 34-year career as a financial advisor. She takes joy in the outdoors and in being of useful service in the community. Once a friend told her, “You should support the Land Trust.” It made sense! Still does. Helen and her husband Arvid like to cook, hear live music, and have parties.

Mary Thom

Mary Thom moved to Grand Junction 14 years ago from the midwest and has no regrets. She started work in Information Technology back when it still felt like the wild west and most recently worked as a data center network engineer for Medtronic. Now retired, Mary enjoys the beauty of nature as much as possible, as well as other hobbies such as crafting crossword puzzles. She enjoys an active life of hiking, biking, skiing, and paddling with her husband, Ken Scissors. Mary has been an enthusiastic supporter of the mission and vision of the land trust.

Laurian Unnevehr

Laurian has been a resident of the Grand Valley since 2012, when she and her husband realized a lifelong dream to retire in the west. Laurian is a retired agricultural economist and Professor Emerita of the University of Illinois. A native of California, she has lived and worked in southeast Asia, the Midwest, and Washington DC. Her research has focused on food policy, including promotion of value-added agriculture. She has been a consultant to both the private and non-profit sectors on food policy issues, including food safety management and the role of local foods in nutrition. She enjoys hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, kayaking, wine tasting, and peach pie baking opportunities in this unique region. Since moving to the Grand Valley, she has been an enthusiastic supporter of Colorado West Land Trust and their vision for a vibrant agricultural community.