The Eagle Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited is an all-volunteer conservation nonprofit working to care for and recover rivers and streams and the trout that call them home. Working with TU staff and community partners, we bring people together to make our trout and salmon fisheries stronger, our water cleaner and our communities healthier. Join us and be a champion for your rivers and streams.
If you have the interest and time to make a deeper commitment to our local conservation and education work, we’d welcome you on the board or one of our many committees. To get started, connect with a Eagle Valley Trout Unlimited board member at one of our monthly gatherings or coming events, or contact us to learn more.
PRESIDENT
Greg Ciluzzi
Edwards, CO
Greg is originally from Cape Cod, MA where he grew up on the flats of the outer Cape playing with the tides and all the species and marine life around him that come with the territory including stripers and blues. He has lived in the Vail Valley since 2001 working in various outdoors roles for Vail Resorts as well as Fly Fishing Outfitters and currently is the Director of Operations for Exclusive Resorts, LLC. He has a passion for the outdoors, education and working with youth, enrichening kids with knowledge of what surrounds them in their environment. He has served on the EVTU BOD since 2022. He also enjoys an annual salt fly fishing trip somewhere south and warm before winter sets in to throw the crab and mantis to our saltwater friends.
VICE PRESIDENT
Jill Chalfant
Edwards, CO
Jill is a Colorado native, an avid angler, mother of 2 angling ladies and wife of fellow board member Dan who is constantly trying to keep up with Jill’s precise casting and presentation to our friends under the surface. An artist tossing BWO’s in spring and fall. Don’t be surprised to see her on the sticks rowing her family and shortly thereafter organizing lunch on the banks of any coldwater stream. She strives for preservation, conservation and finding the good cause in any TU gathering to make things fun. She loves to help organize our chapter fundraising events, a strength in her artillery that draws everyone together to unite in for shared passions.
EVENT & PROJECT COORDINATOR
Rick Messmer
Eagle, CO
Rick is a native of Colorado and has lived in the Vail Valley since 1996. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound, he followed his passion of fly fishing leading him back to the mountains of his home State. Father and son fishing trips throughout his youth taught Rick the importance of patience, persistence, and attention to detail. He is a Lifetime Member of Trout Unlimited and has been in various roles on the Board of Directors for the Eagle County Chapter for coming up on 30 years! Rick is currently serving as the Events and Projects Coordinator focused on the $617,000 Gore Creek Restoration Project. He is the proud father of one of the fishiest young women you will ever meet. Trout are the core of Rick’s soul, but you will also find him chasing piscatorial pursuits in all corners of the globe. His personal motto…Water, Water Everywhere And ALL Of It To Fish!
TREASURER
Elbert Bivins
Eagle, CO
Don’t let Elbert’s Accounting skills fool you with his adding machine and calculator. He has a drive to get his feet and line wet and catch and release the big one. He loves to take his 2 boys out on the river or the salt down south and lives for family time to enrichen the youth around him. Bivins as he is called is a passionate volunteer and true Ambassador of Trout Unlimited. Loves the woolybugger and anything big and buggy to rip across the river with a 5 & 6 weight rod.
EVTU BOARD MEMBER
Dan Chalfant
Edwards, CO
Dan is a master caster and loves to float or wade depending on the day of the week. He runs his own ski company, Liberty Skis, where he does he day job and lives for his time out on the slopes or on the river, whether in the Vail Valley or Austria or Japan or China. He has more flies than known to man and connections tied to the incredible relationships he manages through his business and passion for outdoor sports. He can occasionally be spotted on an SUP in the middle of nowhere in The Bahamas dodging sharks for bones and permit and has been serving as a Member of EVTU’s BOD since 2010.
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR
Ben Gaeski
Wolcott, CO
Ben Gaieski has lived in the Vail Valley since 1978. Most of that time he worked for Vail Resorts’ ski and snowboard schools. He currently works as a fly fishing guide in the summer and at the front gate of East West Resorts in the winter. He also serves on the board for Eagle River Coalition. When not working he can be found volunteering at the Edwards Community Market, working his garden plots at Colorado Mountain College, and fly fishing.
EVTU Board Member
Tom Mullen
Eagle-Vail, CO
Tom Mullen grew up in Missouri fishing trout parks, spring creeks, lakes and ponds on family vacations. In 1988 he moved to the Vail Valley and began working at the West Vail Liquor Mart and eventually became the owner. In 2020 he sold the business and is happily retired. Retirement has afforded him the time to rekindle his passion for fly fishing. Of course, he enjoys his home waters near Vail, CO, but he has had the opportunity to travel and fish for a variety of species. He sits on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Eagle River Fund as a representative for Eagle Valley TU. Volunteering for Trout Unlimited helps him connect to the local community of fishers and share in our fun experiences. He has a passion for building his own fly rods and has too many! He invites anyone interested to join Eagle Valley TU’s efforts to keep our waters clean, cold and free flowing.
EVTU Board Member
Rob Verratti
Edwards, CO
Rob has served on the EVTU Board since 2015 and is an avid angler and supporter of TU. He is the President of MidFirst Bank, one of EVTU’s largest supporters and partners. He loves to mix in various wading excursions on his cold water fishery in his backyard, the Eagle River. Rob has contributed many hours of volunteerism and is very dedicated to youth education and communal events that get those being raised in his community, involved in the natural resources around us.
EVTU Board Member
Brian Bloess
Eagle, CO
“Bloess” helped create the “Hopperfest” originally prior to it becoming the “Upper C Fall Classic” – a fishing tourney 20-30 boat fundraiser that was held for 10 years during his time with EVTU before it pivoted to RISE for OUR WATERS. He has raised multiple kids in the Vail Valley while serving as a volunteer for EVTU on the Board since 2012 and helping with many various pieces of the pie. He loves to take road trips with his family especially if it includes river time.
Bloess runs two very reputable companies in the valley called ‘8150 Cabinets’ as well as ‘Vail Closet Company.’