Liam Wood Fly Fishers & River Guardians
Who was Liam Wood?
Liam Wood was a talented fisherman and river steward who died tragically at the age of 18. He died while fishing on Whatcom Creek, just outside of Bellingham, Washington, in 1999. Liam drowned after suffocating on gas fumes from an upstream Olympic pipeline explosion. In addition to being a skilled fly fisher, Liam was an aspiring writer who admired the work of local author David James Duncan. In fact, it was Duncan, moved by Liam’s story, who worked with Liam’s parents to establish the original river guardians school at Western Washington University. This is the fifth year Missoula’s WEN has put on the high school version of the program to educate future generations in honor of Liam.
What is the program?
Liam Wood Fly Fishers & River Guardians Program is a week-long collection of workshops for high school students. Tuition is $300 per participant and scholarships are available. Students who have graduated 8th grade through high school are eligible. We strongly encourage young women to apply. It takes place August 15th-19th, Monday through Friday, from 9am – 4:30pm. During the week students will learn to tie flies, cast, fly fish, field journal, and identify local fish and macroinvertebrates. Teachers will guide students with a river restoration project, and students will learn about and discuss concepts of river stewardship through the scientific and social lens of fly fishing. The week of fly fishing is taught by expert river guides and fly fishing gurus Chris Dombrowski and Kitty Galloway.
How do I register?
To register, please fill out the application below and either mail to us or bring to the WEN office. The deadline for submission is August 5th, 2011. If you have any questions about the program or application process, feel free to e-mail us at water@montanawatershed.org or phone us at 541-9287. Applicants should hear back from us within one week of application submission.
2011 Liam Wood Program Application
2011 Liam Wood Scholarship Application
*Similar to the Liam Wood Flyfishing and River Guardian School at Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment, WEN’s program teaches fly fishing with the goals of engendering respect for the natural world and its river ecosystems and compelling action toward conservation and stewardship.