About Us

Eric Halloran – President

Eric is a retired math teacher who has fished all his life and lives on the North River just a few long casts from her confluence with the Deerfield. He has been fly fishing the Deerfield since the late 1980s. He has taught many how to fish with success and how to tie flies. Dry fly fishing is his first love, but he enjoys the most productive fishing subsurface, drifting nymphs and swinging wet flies. Eric has been a member of the Deerfield TU Chapter (#349) since the early 90s and was present at some of the meetings when the chapter was revived and rejuvenated. He aspires to continue the work of his predecessors in moving the Chapter forward as an effective conservation organization, one that values science-informed direct action as well as advocacy in collaboration with various partners.

Matt Chipman- Vice President

Matt is a full time Firefighter / Paramedic for the Town of Amherst where he resides. He first became enamored with trout as a young teen living in North Georgia, catching wild brook and rainbow trout on small mountain creeks. His fascination with salmonids was rekindled after relocating to Western Massachusetts in 2017 where he began his fly fishing journey. During many long days wading the Deerfield, without a single trout to show for the effort, Matt encountered other Deerfield anglers and was struck by their kindness and willingness to help him learn about the river and its offerings. The same mentors introduced him to the community within the Deerfield River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Matt is passionate about teaching others about fly fishing and the importance of conservation. Matt is an avid photographer, capturing fine art landscapes on film as well as digital media. Other interests include traveling, cooking, fly tying, and history.

Alan Sturmer – Secretary

Alan is an Executive Editor in Northampton, MA for Edward Elgar Publishing, a UK-based academic publisher of economics, business, public policy, and law. He specializes in working with authors to bring their research to publication and manages the editorial process in the US.  Alan grew up exploring the outdoors of Western Massachusetts and has been fishing the Deerfield River regularly since moving to Turners Falls in 2000. He has always been interested in the unique character of this area and is excited to be working with an organization that is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of one of its crown jewels.

Brian Miner – Treasurer

As a Franklin County native, Brian has had a front-row seat to the transformation of many of our local rivers: the Millers River post passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972, the completion in 1980 of the Turners Falls Fishway at the Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, and the sustained quality of the Deerfield River and Swift River. He is proud to be a part of an organization whose mission is dedicated to the long-term health of a local watershed. Besides fly fishing, he enjoys baseball, singing and playing guitar, and comics and animation. Brian also enjoys spending time with his wife Sue, their dog Tucker, and his adult daughters Emily, Danielle, and Sara.

Mike Vito – Past President

A Greater Boston native, Mike moved to the region in 1985 where, upon arrival, he’s been happily fishing the area rivers and streams. He has enjoyed several careers—as a newspaper reporter, aide to a Mayor and U.S. Senator, and his own communications and political consulting business. He enjoys hiking with his wife Anne and their dog Daisy.

Sheila Comstock (2025-2027)

Sheila is a resident of the town of Florida, living along the Deerfield River. She is passionate about protecting and restoring the Deerfield River Watershed and recognizes the value and critical importance of doing so while respecting the natural world. She enjoys fishing, kayaking, snowshoeing, gardening and bird watching along the Deerfield. She also serves on other boards within the community such as the Deerfield River Watershed Association and the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts.

Jim Krupa (2024-2026)

Jim graduated from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture in 1982 and has been working for the University of Massachusetts ever since. He’s been a research technician for over 30 years at the University’s research orchard. He was also a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for 25 years before retiring.

Dan Lass (2025)

Dan Lass was raised in New York State on a dairy farm that had a river running through it—the Neversink. Dan learned to fish and canoe on the Neversink, spending his free time with his brother exploring the river. He and his brother came to call the Neversink “their river.”  Their passion got them in hot water as youngsters after repeatedly removing survey markers for a road project that threatened “their river.” Dan came to Massachusetts in 1985, joining the Department of Resource Economics at UMass Amherst teaching and researching topics in microeconomics and econometrics, including topics on water resources. He is a retired Professor and Chair of Resource Economics, focusing his time now on fun! He and his wife, Libby Lass, enjoy hiking, birding, cycling, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, kayaking—whatever gets them outside. Dan is passionate about the existence of wild trout and spends many hours hiking to small streams seeking wild brook trout.

Randy Prostak (2024-2026)

Randy is a University of Massachusetts Extension Weed Specialist where he works with agricultural producers, green industry professionals and land managers to solve a variety of weed problems. Randy fell in love with fishing and the great outdoors at a very early age while fishing a small stream on his grandparents’ dairy farm with his father. Randy has been on the board for several years, including a stint as Board Secretary. Randy continues to be excited about the chapter’s various conservation projects focused on improving the Deerfield River watershed.  

Paul Beaulieu (2025-2027)

BIO PENDING

Anthony Ciak (2025-2026)

Although Anthony is a native of the West Coast, his family’s roots in Western MA afforded him the chance to visit every summer growing up. As a long-time fly fisher, it wasn’t until he moved to Greenfield, MA in 2018 that he grew to appreciate the value of conservation organizations like Trout Unlimited. After finding out about the chapter through a friend, he quickly joined and is proud of the hard work and dedication the small but mighty Deerfield River Watershed Chapter invests to protect and preserve this unique angling resource.

Dara Benton (2024-2025)

Dara moved from her home state of Maryland to Western Mass to finish college. She fell in love with the region and is delighted to call it home. Dara enjoys anything that will get her outdoors and moving: fishing, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, canoeing, and just plain exploring. She also enjoys playing piano, tying flies, and cooking. She joined the DRWTU Chapter to learn more about the Deerfield River Watershed and to play an active role in protecting it. She finds a lot of joy in being a part of this engaged and committed TU community. Dara lives in Greenfield with her wife, Susanna, and works at a circuit board manufacturer in South Deerfield.