Nigel grew up in rural Wisconsin, spending much of his time exploring the outdoors and playing sports. This affinity for the outdoors fostered accelerated learning in high school math and science curriculums and led him into the Natural Resources program at the University of Wisconsin Stevens-Point, where he earned a B.S. degree in Wildlife Management. During his undergrad degree and after graduating he held multiple seasonal and tech level positions in multiple states working with owls, passerine and marsh bird studies, and conducting management actions on wildlife management areas for waterfowl and upland game. After a few years of work, he furthered his education at the University of Arkansas at Monticello with a M.S. in Wildlife Management from the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources. Shortly after graduating, he started a career with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife that extended 12 years. While working for Oregon, he gained experience in wildlife research, worked as a manager of a wildlife management area, and spent 10 years facilitating development compliance with the state habitat mitigation policy and becoming the administrator of the Sage-grouse Mitigation Program. At TerraWest, his experience helps bridge the gap between development permitting, requirements of state policies, and biological consideration for appropriately siting mitigation. Outside of work, Nigel enjoys fishing, kayaking, hiking, traveling, and hunting with his family.