Nicholas was born in Butte, Montana, but spent the bulk of his formative years in Spring Creek, Nevada; the Ruby Mountains serving as a perennial backdrop in an otherwise endless sea of sagebrush and stars. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Humanities from Gonzaga University, he spent three wonderful years as the Environmental Director for the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone on the South Fork Reservation in Lee, Nevada. Since then, he has continued his focus in conservation and education through various mission-driven non-profits, including the Nevada Outdoor School and as the Programs Director for Friends of Black Rock, a grassroots environmental organization serving one of the nation's largest National Conservation Areas, located in the remote beauty of Nevada's Black Rock Desert. 

A lifelong-learner and passionate educator with an emphasis in the history, cultures, and ecology of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, Nicholas is personally and professionally committed to the sustainability of its lands and lifeways, aiming to engage with diverse audiences to better understand, appreciate, and improve our relationship to the natural world, to our communities, and to our shared past, present, and future. Needless to say, he feels right at home at MLC and looks forward to building upon all their excellent work both at Fozzie's Farm and in Southwestern Colorado at large.

When he isn’t working, he can be found doing other things that he loves, like reading, writing, gardening, cooking, spending time with friends and family, and wondering and wandering throughout the West's many still-wild spaces.