National TU

Wyoming Trout Unlimited is happy to work closely with seven national TU staff and one 'hybrid' state and national employee who coordinates state efforts.  If you would like to learn more about what Trout Unlimited does on a national scale please visit www.tu.org.

Your TU staff from left to right:  Cathy Purves, Kathy Lynch, Nelli Williams, Scott Yates, Austin Williams, Tom Reed. (Not pictured: Cory Toye and Dave Glenn)

Wyoming Staff

Nelli Williams - Wyoming Coordinator

Nelli Williams comes to Trout Unlimited via Wisconsin, Alaska, and Oregon. After completing graduate studies in conservation education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, she worked as a Public Affairs Specialist for the Tongass National Forest and as the Community Outreach Coordinator  for a small non-profit in Roseburg, Oregon.  As TU's Wyoming Coordinator, Nelli helps coordinate TU's Wyoming Water Project and Public Lands Initiative efforts ensuring that grassroots members are informed and involved in the development and implementation of programmatic efforts.  She also provides support to local members and chapters, while coordinating the activities of the Wyoming State Council.  When Nelli is not working, she is out exploring the vast and beautiful landscapes of Wyoming with her husband and golden retriever, fly rod and camera in hand.  If a weekend at home is on the agenda she can be found out for a long run or in their backyard converting grass into gardens. Email: nwilliams@tu.org

Wyoming-based National TU Staff

Wyoming Water Project

Scott Yates - Wyoming Water Project Director

Scott began working for Trout Unlimited in 1997.  His tenure with TU has included work in the Pacific Northwest on salmon and steelhead issues, the Rocky Mountains on native trout issues, and Idaho and Wyoming for stream flows.  He left TU briefly in 2005 to work for Portland General Electric as the License Manager for the 350 megawatt Pelton-Round Butte Project on the Deschutes River.  He now directs TU’s Wyoming Water Project based in Lander, Wyoming.  Scott has an undergraduate degree from Willamette University and a law degree and environmental and natural resource law certificate from Lewis & Clark’s Northwestern School of Law. Email: syates@tu.org

Cory Toye - Wyoming Water Project - Project Manager

Cory is a Wyoming native and a recent law school graduate from the University of Wyoming. Perhaps most importantly, he has spent actual time on-the-ground working with irrigation systems on a working ranch in the Wind River Basin the past few summers. Cory will be helping work on our existing on-the-ground projects and help identify new ones that both protect/restore streamflows and compliment our legislative efforts. He’ll also become the TU face in Wyoming working on Wyoming Water Development Commission and federal Farm Bill issues.  Email: ctoye@tu.org

 

Public Lands Initiative 

Dave Glenn - TU’ s Backcountry Lands Director

Dave supervises five Public Lands Initiative staff (based throughout the West), and galvanizes efforts to organize and educate sportsmen in order to provide long-term protection for important fish and wildlife habitat,and fishing and hunting opportunities on public land.

Kathy Lynch - Rocky Mountian Energy Council

Kathy is focusing on coalbed methane development in the Rocky Mountain West and its impact on coldwater fisheries and water resource management.  She works with sportsmen, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders to promote responsible management of these resources in conjunction with coalbed methane development.  Prior to joining Trout Unlimited, Kathy practiced as an attorney in Wyoming, having begun her legal career in the Natural Resources Department at Holland & Hart, LLP.  She formerly worked as a biologist for a natural resources consulting firm in Montana specializing in rangeland health issues. Email: klynch@tu.org

Cathy Purves - Technical Advisor for Public Lands

Cathy joined TU as Technical Advisor for TU’s Responsible Energy Program in June 2005.  She works on issues relating to energy development on public lands in the West and often collaborates on several different campaigns and projects that involve working directly with energy companies and grassroots participants. Prior to coming to TU, she worked for 3 years for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation as the Field Director and Acting Executive Director.  Her career in natural resource conservation first began with a job as a Fisheries Technician for the Wyoming Game and Fish in western Wyoming. That job inspired her future career with Wyoming Game and Fish as a habitat biologist, wildlife disease technician, and a wildlife strategic planner. She has also worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and was President and owner of Purves Environmental for 10 years, working on compliance issues related to wildlife, oil and gas.  She is a graduate of the University of Wyoming and lives in Lander, Wyoming with her husband, Chris, and their collection of Arabian horses, dogs and cats.  Email: cpurves@tu.org

Tom Reed - Backcountry Coordinator for Wyoming and Montana

Tom works in Wyoming and Montana on a number of projects including protecting the Wyoming Range from gas drilling. A life-long Westerner, Tom attended Arizona State University where he received a bachelors degree in journalism. He has spent a career in public relations and communications and has worked for several newspapers and magazines. He was the information supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. He is the author of two books, Give Me Mountains For My Horses and Great Wyoming Bear Stories and is working on a third about fishing small mountain streams. He is an avid outdoorsman, horseman, hunter and angler. He splits his time between Bozeman, Montana, and Lander, Wyoming.  Email: treed@tu.org

Austin Williams is the Rocky Mountain Energy Coordinator based in Lander, Wyoming.  Austin came to Trout Unlimited in 2007 as a recent graduate of the University of Oregon Law School.  Before entering law school, Austin spent several years researching salmon and steelhead for the US Forest Service in southeast Alaska and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in northern Idaho.  Austin coordinates TU’s effort to develop recommendations for policies and procedures that conserve and restore trout while facilitating responsible energy development on public lands in the Rocky Mountain West.   Over the coming months, Austin will facilitate the evaluation of existing scientific data and development practices by industry, policy, and scientific experts.  He will then organize a regional forum for the exchange of information and the development of recommendations for revised policies and procedures that responsibly conserve and restore trout fishery resources. When Austin isn’t chasing fish with his fly rod, he often can be found crashing down the nearby slopes on skis.  Email: awilliams@tu.org