In Appreciation: Nicolas C. Osborn

Some people’s indelible presence, steadfast influence, and lingering first- and- lastimpressions bring full-on guffaws when they come to mind.

Such was Nic Osborn, The Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council’s (BLEC) long-serving stalwart trustee and our Connecticut Vice President, as well as enduring friend to so many in the Northwest Corner.

Where to begin with remembrances of this one-of-a-kind man who wore the bear’s-head winter hat seemingly year ‘round. Maybe by saying that Nic inhabited space with more wry authority than anyone could ever mimic. Or that he was a true BLEC “mountain man” more at home on a ridgeline, in a canoe, or at a pub than in formal settings, although he was comfortable in the latter too, given his unflappable personality.

Or maybe with the many nights around bonfires under starry/moonlit skies, enjoying adult beverages and howling like wolves. Or Nic’s friendly greeting and farewell – a softly rising “AAAHHHOOOOO;” or his legendary expeditions by canoe or on skis. Or his deep environmental concern for the myriad wetland obligate creatures — especially bog turtles — in whose wild ecosystems he was most happy. Or his annual uber-surprise homemade Halloween costumes at Camp Sloane rocking to brother Eliot’s Outerspace band. Nic’s outsized costumes were elaborate in natural themes — a 12-foot tall T-Rex; a birch tree of similar stature — or sundry mythical creatures, from which Nic eventually emerged as if a giant chrysalis broke open to reveal our hirsute friend.

Nic loved water in any of its states — solid, liquid, and even vaporous while enjoying the morning mists of Race Brook Swamp that rose from behind his Undermountain Valley home. An avid canoeist, he happily competed in white-water rapids or flat-water races. But he also enjoyed sitting in the stillness of a beaver slough simply watching wetland wildlife move about. Along with former competitors and friends Bill Tingley and Schuyler Thompson, Nic was among the few to paddle the entire length of the Housatonic River from its “Source-to-Sound” several times, raising awareness of the river’s plight as they joined up with other groups along the way.

When water fell as snow, he strapped on back country skis and headed up the Taconic Hills or northward to the Green and White Mountains, as well as out to the Rockies or the Wasatch. Whether the runs were ‘steep and deep’ with powder, or slick and icy, Nic loved the thrill of ‘earning his turns,’ by first ‘skinning’ up steep slopes to a high point whence he would launch his graceful choreography with gravity.

I recall many winter gatherings at Butternut Basin with similarly inspired friends from around the northeast, where we raced on our free-heeled skinny skis through slalom gates. It mattered not who won. Nic’s bear-head hat never blew off nor was it shed at the Telemarkers’ apres-ski party.

His other great loves were more interior — steadfast devotion to his wife Robin, and his consummate artwork that included everything from canvas to multimedia and even fabric, as well as community dedication to annual fundraisers for SWSA, the Jane Lloyd Memorial Fund, and others. We especially recall many a jolly late-afternoon BLEC executive committee meeting at the Norfolk Pub where serious environmental issues/solutions were discussed as Nic effortlessly “doodled” frameable works on paper tablecloths.

There was something essentially “BLEC” about our trustworthy Nic, and our utter symbiotic respect-for-the-wild gestalt. We were a perfect fit for a long productive run. He is now the “stuff” of treasured local legend and will be forever missed by the trustees and executive board. God speed, Nic…

With Immense Fondness,

The Berkshire Litchfield Environmental Council

Starling W. Childs, President

Ellery “Woods” Sinclair, Executive Secretary

B. Blake Levitt,

Communications Director

Tim Gray,

Massachusetts Vice

President