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Table Rock Chapter of
TU
Michael R. “Squeak” Smith’s dream is to create “a
world-class trout fishery” on the upper Catawba River, including the section
that flows through Morganton. Given all he has
accomplished so far, and the obstacles he has overcome, don't bet against him.
Though suffering from multiple sclerosis, the Morganton
resident has become a leading conservationist in the area, volunteering
countless hours on stream improvement projects and other efforts.
Much of his conservation work is done in
association with the Table Rock Chapter of Trout Unlimited, where Smith has been
a steadfast member and driving force since 1986. “Trout Unlimited has been kind of my second career,” said Smith, 50.
Serving in most of the leadership roles in TU, he's
been involved in a host of conservation projects. He's now working on a
watershed restoration project in the Muddy Creek watershed with a goal of
reducing sediment flowing into the Catawba, which ultimately will improve the
fishery. He's helped build a canoe portage site on
the Catawba, worked on a trail restoration project on South Mills River,
established camp sites on Upper Creek, helped build a fishing pier on the
Catawba, and worked on stream improvement projects on Steels Creek, Grandmother
Creek and Upper Creek. He established the annual
Catfish Derby at Western Carolina Center and continue to volunteer in the N.C
Wildlife Resources Commission delayed harvest stocking program, among other
projects. “Even considering my medical condition, I
feel very fortunate to be able to do these kinds of things,” said the upbeat,
talkative Smith. “Most people never have the time because of work
schedules and kids” Smith presents fishing and
fly-tying classes and gives lectures on environmental issues to civic and
environmental groups throughout the Southeast as well, and is active in the
Morganton Kiwanis Club. One of the most rewarding
activities, he said, is working for the past three years as a volunteer with
Western Carolina Center resident Bill Smith, a handicapped artist. Squeak
introduced the artist to fly-tying, which helps improve motor skills.
“ It's been a very interesting three years, and
very rewarding,” he said. Smith knows all about the
loss of motor skills. He was stricken with multiple sclerosis, a
degenerative nerve disease, in 1978 at the age of 30, and has used fly-tying to
retrain his own hands. “My 30th birthday I spent in
the hospital,” he recalled. The disease temporarily
paralyzed him, and he still has numbness in his hands and feet. He's had
to retrain his muscles to perform ordinary functions like holding a coffee cup.
The disease ended his career in the Air
Force. He was a captain when he left the service in 1983, medically
discharged with full retirement benefits at age 35. It was in the Air
Force that he earned his nickname “Squeak” a reference to the pitch of his
voice. Smith has refused to let multiple sclerosis
defeat him. “You just have to learn to live with
it. You have good days and bad days, and you hope the good days outnumber
the bad. I've always been a positive person. You can give up or you
can go on. You've got to use what you have. I try to do that every
day.” A Michigan native and graduate of Michigan
State University, Smith was living in California at the time of his discharge
from the Air Force. He decided California was not where he wanted to be.
“I was ready to get out of California, the land of
fruits and nuts,” he said with a grin. He found
Morganton almost by accident. In 1985, he and his father-in-law, Dr.
Walter McKeen of Michigan, who was retiring and also wanted to relocate, decided
to spend 30 days traveling up and down the East Coast looking for a new
home. In looking at the map of the region while in Asheville, he noticed
an abundance of streams in the Morganton area and the two came to check out the
town. “It took about a day of driving around the
countryside and driving around the lake and the mountains,” he said.
“I said, ‘Oh man, I can live here.’ I thought, if I live here I'll have 20
to 30 trout streams within 30 to 45 miles. What better place could there
be?” Within three days, he was buying a
house. He stunned his wife, Lynn, and children, Heather and Aaron, who
were still in California, when he phoned them with the news that the family
would be living in Morganton. Smith’s mother and
his wife's extended family, who all lived in Michigan, liked the area so much
during visits that they, too, have since moved to Morganton.
Don't get the idea that Smith spends all of his
time doing conservation and volunteer work. He estimates he spends 150
days a year trout fishing. He caught the fever as a toddler and has been
hooked ever since. “I grew up living on a river in
Michigan. Because my grandfather was a fishing guide, it got in me
early. I caught my first fish on a fly rod at age 3, a bluegill.”
Smith received a 1997 Governor's Award as N.C.
Sportsman of the Year. He says his longe-range goal
is “turning the upper Catawba into a world-class trout fishery,” a dream he
insists is realistic. Improving water quality in the river from Lake James
to below Morganton would be “a win-win situation,” both environmentally and
economically, he said. “It would come right down
through the middle of Morganton,” he said. “It would be a huge draw for
this area.” A big part of the effort is sediment
reduction, he said. The ongoing project on Muddy Creek, which dumps tons
of sediment into the river, should greatly improve water quality in the Catawba,
he said. A bumper sticker on the back of Smith’s
pickup truck reads, “Eating...Sleeping...And fishing.”
That's a pretty good summation of the man, but it
doesn't tell the whole story. Better add “Conservationist,” and
“Volunteer,” maybe even “Visionary.” reprinted from the August 3, 1999 News Herald Keep up the good work Squeak!!!!!  Back to TRTU!!!
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