President and Director: Bill Anderson
President and chair of the Little Juniata River Association since 2005; fly fishing instructor/guide; Innovative fly tyer; National Finalist for the Field & Stream “Hero of Conservation” award 2014; and Outdoor News – Person of the Year for 2015 (see links to videos on about the LJRA page). Winner of many environmental/conservation awards for his work preserving and improving the Little Juniata River. Bill has written articles on fly fishing and the Little Juniata River for regional magazines. And he is the author of “Trout Boomer and the Little “j” – The story of a fly fisher and his love for the Little Juniata River”. His innovative fly pattern, the CET (Crippled Emerger Transformer) was developed over several decades of observing and fishing the hatches on the little Juniata River. 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast”. Most recently, Bill contributed “My Most Go To Fly” for the Pa Fly Fishing Museum Newsletter. Bill lives with his wife Carol in Sinking Valley, 10 minutes from the Little J.
326 Hobbit Hollow Road, Altoona, Pa. 16601, bjuniata[at]verizon.net, Phone: (814) 569-8843
Treasurer and director: Scott Kavanagh
I have been a member for over 10 years and an officer since 2018. I grew up in Iowa and began fishing with my grandparents at a young age. I first picked up a fly rod to fish for smallmouth bass in the James River, while living in Richmond, VA in the mid-80’s. I had put my rods away for a few years until relocating to the Altoona area in the early 90’s and saw the beauty of the Little J! I am also a long-time member of Trout Unlimited and currently serve as the president of the John Kennedy Chapter.
Duncansville, PA
Director: Dennis Johnson
Director: William King Sr.
I’m Bill King. Platinum member & director of the LJRA. I’m recently retired from the Altoona Water Authority after 44 years, so I have knowledge of the Little J’s headwater streams and reservoirs. I’ve been fly fishing & fly tying since the mid 70s. I was fishing the Little J. When The PA Fish Commission was stocking “ fingerling” brown trout back in the 70s, I took a break from fishing and became a hard core-birder for several years. Now I’m back fishing & camping. I’m a frequent camper at Greene Hills RV Park, so I fish there & the lower Gorge areas.
Altoona Pa.
Director: Ron Kunz
Alexandria PA
Director: Gary A. Miller
I was born and raised in Southeastern Pennsylvania but moved to California in 1980 where I earned a B.S. degree in Biological Science from Chico State University. I then began working in the environmental consulting field participating in fisheries studies (primarily salmon and trout species) throughout California and other western states before moving back to the East coast. I continued to work in the consulting field gaining experience in a variety of different fields such as wetland delineations, water sampling and highway construction best management practices before retiring in early 2022.
Moving to this area in 1999, I have been involved with the LJRA since its founding, joining in response to monitoring the river’s recovery following a major spill event. I can distinctly remember as a kid how foul the river smelled and looked when visiting my grandparents in Tyrone during the late 60’s and early 70’s. Before the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, the river was the primary disposal point for liquid waste produced by the papermill and other businesses in the area. Thankfully things have changed greatly regarding this practice, and we now have a wonderful resource for all to enjoy. However, unfortunately, there are other ongoing pressures that could and do negatively impact the Little J such as illegal dumping to ill-advised development. Therefore, it is very important that, as a group we are vigilant in our mission to protect the river and its surroundings for future generations to come.
Tyrone, PA
Director: Lee Pryor
I was one of the original members of the LJRA that was formed after a chemical spill in 1998 wiped out most of the aquatic life in a large section of the river. I was born and raised and still reside in Birmingham, a village along the Little J. As a boy and young man growing up it was heavily polluted. Fortunately, the pollution was eliminated and the river has become a valuable natural resource which the LJRA, as part of its mission, has been protecting. I have been fishing the j for many years. I also enjoy tying flies, gardening, and fishing the local lakes for whatever tightens my line.
Birmingham, Pa
Director and project specialist: Carl Reed
I have served as director of the LJRA since 2012. I am the unofficial project specialist of the group. I am also a director of the John Kennedy Chapter Trout Unlimited 1995-present), a former director of the Yellow Creek Coalition (2011-2019) and a former director of the Mt Laurel Chapter Trout Unlimited (1975-1979). I am a PFBC and BSA angling instructor. I served in various capacities in Cub- and boy scouts for over 34 years. You wouldn’t know if from the picture, but I often smile!
Director and web master: Joe Reese
I have been a life member of the organization for 19 years and a director since 2014. I grew up in rural Northern New Jersey (yes, it exists!) and have fly-fished and tied for over 45 years. In addition to being a fisherman, I was a fur trapper as a youth during the winter months, which greatly improved my wading skills! I am an amateur herpetologist and studied painted turtle and water snake reproduction as an undergraduate student. My favorite part of the J is the middle river, especially the islands area. As you can see in this photo, I also enjoy chasing SMB on the “big J” in the summertime when the “THE J” is too warm and low to fish.
State College PA, ljraweb[at] gmail.com
Director: Angie Spagnoli
I was elected as the first female director in May 2022. I was born and raised in Altoona where I became fond of the Little Juniata River at a young age. I first got involved with LJRA as a college sophomore while earning a B.S. in Environmental Science at Penn State. I went on to obtain a Master of Science in Ecology at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, studying the effects of invasive plants on the transference of energy through trophic levels within the Little Juniata River’s floodplain. Currently, I am an aquatics specialist with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. It is my focus to develop and implement programs to restore habitat for fish, amphibians, turtles, and waterfowl. I am dedicated to protecting the Little J by assisting with restoration projects, presenting and promoting the LJRA, conducting stream monitoring, and writing grant proposals on behalf of the Association. I’ve watched the health of the river greatly increase in my lifetime, and I want to contribute to maintaining this beautiful resource.
Director: Logan Stenger
My name is Logan Stenger and I have been a life member of the LJRA since 2019 and a director since April 2023. I am employed as a Project Manager for the Chesapeake Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and improvement of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Specifically, I am a part of the Pennsylvania restoration team where I develop and implement grants and projects to support water quality and habitat restoration work across central PA, including Centre, Clinton, Huntingdon, Lycoming, Snyder, and Union counties. Most recently, I served as the Watershed Specialist at the Huntingdon County Conservation District where I coordinated stream restoration projects, water quality monitoring assessments, and environmental education programs.
I earned my B.S. in Environmental Science at Juniata College (where I also participated in the LJRA’s trout telemetry study at the time) and my M.S. in Entomology from Penn State. I am a certified benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomist and specialize in assessing aquatic invertebrate communities for water quality purposes. As a central PA native, I enjoy the outdoors and I am particularly passionate about hunting, trapping, and most recently, fly fishing. I look forward to contributing to the LJRA’s mission to monitor, preserve, and improve the Little Juniata River and its tributaries.
Tyrone, PA
email: lstenger [at] chesapeakeconservancy.org
Past directors:
Director Emeritis : Bill Bressler
I’ve been a Life Member of the LJRA since 2010 and served as Director from 2013-2022. I’m also a Life Member of Trout Unlimited. I was raised in State College, lived in Alexandria for three years, and have lived in Huntingdon since 1978. The Little Juniata is my favorite river, and I’ve been fishing it since 1973, at first just the lower river, but more recently the full length. I also enjoy fly tying and fishing other central and northern PA streams and the Madison River in Montana.