Nick retired in 2014 and moved to Hailey ID.  As an attorney, he represented mostly local governments on telecommunications projects. He has fished since he was six years old (mostly bass and crappie until he found trout in the Wood River Valley in 1984).  He has long been active in Trout Unlimited, serving as the current Chapter President of the local Trout Unlimited Hemingway Chapter, and a past President of the National Capital Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

 

In his own words, “The Big Wood River is the heart and artery of our Valley that sustains our entire economy and ecosystem.  The ski mountain uses its water for snowmaking.  The birds (100+ species visit every year) and macroinvertebrates live in, around and over it.  The large mammals who were here before us and still rely on the other species sustained by the River.

 

All living entities, including the River, must mature and diversify or shrink and die.  The single best measure of the River's overall health is the cold-water wild fish population.  Human intrusion is changing the River and its natural processes.  We all must reconsider and modify our behavior for the River to prosper and sustain the Valley into the future.

 

The River needs a single-purpose non-profit entity which monitors, educates, and advocates for the River and its health.  This entity must cooperate and encourage all of the others doing good work on the river.  There is plenty to do and too few to do it.” 

 

Nick's favorite pastime on the Wood is “thinking like a trout.” And his favorite time of day to be on the river is whatever time the Hatch is going on. He tell us that his most memorable fish on the wood “was a 4 inch rainbow--the little guy took the dry fly at full speed, coming straight at me, flying out of the water at least 4 feet in the air.  He and I talked about it,  We both agreed it was a most remarkable athletic event.”