F.S. “Buck” Ryan III, J.D. | Boise
Buck began trout fishing and tying flies at age 7. Reading Ted Leeson and John Gierach, he developed a strong conservation ethic at a young age. Through spending most of his childhood hunting birds in rural Alabama and trout fishing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Buck’s family took annual summer family roadtrips to Idaho and Montana. From the first time he waded the waters of the Railroad Ranch outside Last Chance, he felt drawn to experience and protect the Snake River’s pristine waterways and limitless fishing, backpacking, and camping opportunities. He guided on the North Platte River in Wyoming and the Talachulitna River in Alaska, and researched wildlife ecology in Costa Rica and Ecuador before pursuing a career in public interest environmental law. His career goal since childhood has been to protect and restore fisheries for future generations. He is the Executive Director of Snake River Waterkeeper and lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife and two sons.