Work Philosophy Statement

Over the past few years, my writing has taken on a new direction. The intersection as being an avid angler and outdoorsperson to a conservation writer might seem like a logical path. But seeing the natural world slowly slipping through our fingers due to human impact has led me to take action. I edited this video from footage of past years to highlight an important issue to the North Umpqua River. The Winchester Dam is a harmful obstacle causing serious harm to an endangered run of very valuable fish: the steelhead. This video is an example of how I aim to use my communications and journalism for conservation efforts being down throughout the Pacific Northwest.

As all of us get older, we become to realize how our influences, observations, and experience shape how we view the world around us. These and many other aspects of our lives begin to shape how we show up for those around us, how we participate in society, how we hope to make a difference. I am outdoors person. I am a fly fisherman. I participate in nature. Over the three decades I have been wandering into far flung corners of the natural world, from New Zealand, Australia, to the wild rivers of southwest Alaska, my backyard rivers and streams of northern Colorado, and to where I live in the Pacific Northwest, I have watched in real time as the human footprint encroaches further on the last remaining wild places around us. These places are becoming more threatened by the day. And because of this, I have chosen to dedicate the rest of my life to becoming an advocate for these places.

Depending on who you talk to, a calling can come from anywhere. My calling came from interacting with a fish. Steelhead are a species of trout endemic to the Pacific Northwest rivers, those that terminate in the Pacific Ocean. They are born trout in the streams ranging from southern Alaska all the way down into northern Mexico. Through a calling of their own, they make a remarkable change. After spending their young juvenile life in the stream they were born in, these fish slowly make their way out into the vast void of the Pacific Ocean where they feed, grow, and get strong. Eventually, they make their way back to the river which they were born to birth the next generation. They overcome seemingly impossible obstacles – most of which are manmade. In the fleeting moments where my life connects to theirs, when I get to hold one in my hands to wonder about all that they have witnessed in the ocean and on their journey back into their homewaters, I have found my calling.

These fish are the purest expression of nature. They are resilient. They are adaptable. Yet they are fragile. Seeing their world shrink around them because of the impact of humanity has forever left an unforgettable impact on my life. These animals, and they places they have evolved in over hundreds of thousands of years, deserve to remain intact. Here is where I have found my calling.

Having gained skills and experience writing about conservation issues, I found myself in a unique position to combine my writing background to speak out for the things I hold near and dear to me. Time spent on the river is started to become less of a past time and hobby, and more of a purpose. I now focus my writing on expanding protection and awareness to conserve and protect the last great places we have on this planet where wild things can thrive into the future.

I am Nick Basaraba and this is my calling.