Trout Unlimited

Last updated
Trout Unlimited, Inc.
AbbreviationTU
Formation1959
Founded at Michigan, United States
Type Nonprofit
Legal status Charitable organization
PurposeConservation, protection and restoration of American cold-water fisheries and their watersheds
Headquarters1777 North Kent Street
Location
Coordinates 38°53′51″N77°04′10″W / 38.89746790324031°N 77.06931103714035°W / 38.89746790324031; -77.06931103714035
Region served
United States
Membership (2018)
150,000
Official language
English
Subsidiaries 387 local chapters in 42 councils [1]
Budget (2018)
$50 million
Website www.tu.org

Trout Unlimited (TU) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. It is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The organization began in 1959 in Michigan. [2] It has since spread throughout the United States and has local chapters in nearly every state.

Contents

History and profile

Trout Unlimited was established in 1959 along the banks of Michigan's Au Sable River by a group of 16 anglers who were interested in protecting trout in that and other popular fishing rivers. Founders included Art Neumann and George Griffith, the creator of the popular fly pattern Griffith's Gnat. The first president was Dr. Casey E. Westell Jr, and Art Neumann was the first vice president. [3]

TU is a national organization with more than 150,000 formal members organized into about 400 chapters in nearly every state. The organization's annual budget is approximately $50 million. [4] Trout Unlimited has achieved a rating score of 93% [5] from Charity Navigator.

Trout Unlimited currently has approximately 220 staff members. About 25 of those members are based in the organization's national office in Arlington, Virginia. The others work throughout the country in regional offices.

The staff is organized into several departments, including Volunteer Operations, Science, Eastern Conservation, Western Conservation, Government Affairs, Development, and Marketing.

The organization has developed various tools to help prioritize protection, restoration, and conservation efforts. These tools include the Conservation Success Index (CSI), [6] a framework for assessing the health of cold-water fish species throughout their native range, and the Brook Trout Portfolio Analysis, [7] which utilizes GIS technology to assess brook trout habitat strongholds.

Activities

Trout Unlimited undertakes projects, programs and awareness campaigns at both the volunteer/chapter level, and at the staff level. TU members tallied more than 734,000 volunteer hours in 2017. [8] Local chapter activities typically include stream restoration work, participating in citizen science, advocacy, educational programs, group fishing outings, and outreach activities for youth, women and veterans. The organization publishes a quarterly magazine titled TROUT, which all members receive upon signing up for the organization. [2] The magazine has featured angling authors like John Gierach.

Stream restoration focuses on improving habitat for trout and other cold water species, including aquatic insects. Tactics can include planting trees and shrubs along streams to reduce erosion while also increasing shade, strategic addition of boulders or trees to provide cover and improve water depth and flow, and removing or improving barriers that block fish passage, such as culverts and dams. To carry out restoration work, Trout Unlimited frequently partners with the United States Forest Service and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. [9] The work is informed by research from staff scientists and government scientists.

Trout Unlimited advocates on issues of interest at both volunteer and staff level. In recent years, for example, Trout Unlimited has publicly opposed a large-scale proposed mine (Pebble Mine) in Alaska's Bristol Bay. Trout Unlimited has also been active in opposing legislative efforts to transfer public lands from federal ownership. [10]

Trout Unlimited established a program in the early 2000s to train volunteers to monitor streams in areas of natural gas extraction in the East's Marcellus Shale region. [11] The program has expanded to include monitoring in areas where pipelines are proposed or being constructed. Several hundred volunteers have been trained in the program and they have helped to identify a number of pollution events that were subsequently addressed.

Trout in the Classroom is one of TU's largest youth education initiatives. Volunteers help teachers set up aquariums in the classrooms, and students raise trout from eggs during the school year. The program supports ecology-related curriculum and helps to educate students in the importance of cold, clean water not only for trout, but also for people. [12] These programs take place in classrooms all over the country. TU started a similar program for college students with the purpose of raising awareness for "public lands and native fish". [13]

TU's Veteran's Service Program provides activities and engagement for former and current military members and their families. The organization also has an active diversity initiative to expand the reach of conservation and fly fishing.

Funding

Trout Unlimited draws some of its funding from membership fees and contributions. Chapters often undertake fundraising activities to pay for their restoration work, or they may seek grants through TU's Embrace a Stream program. [14]

Projects undertaken by scientists and conservationists working for Trout Unlimited are funded through competitive grants as well as cost-share agreements with federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. These grants fund large projects such as dam removal and culvert removals or repairs, bank stabilization and restoration, in-stream habitat building. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Hole River</span> River in Montana, United States

The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately 153 miles (246 km) long, in Beaverhead County, in southwestern Montana, United States. It is the last habitat in the contiguous United States for native fluvial Arctic grayling and is a historically popular destination for fly fishing, especially for trout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow trout</span> Fresh-water species of fish

The rainbow trout is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coastal rainbow trout(O. m. irideus) or Columbia River redband trout (O. m. gairdneri) that usually returns to freshwater to spawn after living two to three years in the ocean. Freshwater forms that have been introduced into the Great Lakes and migrate into tributaries to spawn are also called steelhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brook trout</span> Species of fish

The brook trout is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus Salvelinus of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout have been recognized by the US Forest Service. One ecological form is short-lived potamodromous populations in Lake Superior known as coaster trout or coasters. The second ecological form is the long-living predaceous anadromous populations which are found in northern lakes and coastal rivers from Long Island to Hudson Bay, which are referred to as salters. In parts of its range, it is also known as the eastern brook trout, speckled trout, brook char, squaretail, brookie, or mud trout, among others. Adult coaster brook trout are capable of reaching sizes over 2 feet in length and weigh up to 6.8 kg (15 lb), whereas adult salters average between 6 and 15 inches in length and weigh between 0.5 and 2.3 kg. The brook trout is characterized by its distinctive olive-green body with yellow and blue-rimmed red spots, white and black edged orange fins, and dorsal vermiculation. The diet of the brook trout is restrictive to the season and location of the fish, but will typically consist of terrestrial and aquatic insects, fry, crustaceans, zooplankton, and worms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cutthroat trout</span> Species of fish

The cutthroat trout(Oncorhynchus clarkii) is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus Oncorhynchus, it is one of the Pacific trout, a group that includes the widely distributed rainbow trout. Cutthroat trout are popular gamefish, especially among anglers who enjoy fly fishing. The common name "cutthroat" refers to the distinctive red coloration on the underside of the lower jaw. The specific name clarkii was given to honor explorer William Clark, coleader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources</span>

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, is responsible for the conservation of wildlife resources and for boating projects in the state. A commissioner appointed by the Fish and Wildlife Commission heads the department. The commission—which oversees the department's commissioner and promulgates regulations governing fishing, hunting, and boating—is a nine-member bipartisan board appointed by the governor from a list of candidates nominated by active hunters and anglers in each of nine geographic districts in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daylighting (streams)</span> Restoring covered streams to more natural conditions

Daylighting is the opening up and restoration of a previously buried watercourse, one which had at some point been diverted below ground. Typically, the rationale behind returning the riparian environment of a stream, wash, or river to a more natural above-ground state is to reduce runoff, create habitat for species in need of it, or improve an area's aesthetics. In the United Kingdom, the practice is also known as deculverting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Department of Natural Resources</span> Government agency of Michigan

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission. Since 2023, the Director is Scott Bowen. The DNR has about 1,400 permanent employees, and over 1,600 seasonal employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermillion River (Minnesota)</span> River in Minnesota, United States

The Vermillion River is a 59.6-mile (95.9 km) waterway that meanders through Scott County and Dakota County in Minnesota, entering the Mississippi River floodplain just south of Hastings. 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of it are designated as a trout stream, which is unusual for being so close to a metropolitan area. Trophy-sized trout used to be found in the river often but not much anymore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George F. Grant</span> American author and conservationist (1906–2008)

George F. Grant was an American angler, author and conservationist from Butte, Montana. He was active for many years on the Big Hole River.

Ernest George Schwiebert (1931–2005) was born in Chicago on June 5, 1931. An architect by profession, Ernest "Ernie" Schwiebert was a renowned angler and angling author. Schwiebert spent his childhood in the Midwest, attended high school at New Trier, north of Chicago, earned his bachelor's degree in architecture from Ohio State University, and earned two doctorates at Princeton in architecture and the history and philosophy of architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chewaucan River</span> River in Oregon, United States

The Chewaucan River is part of the Great Basin drainage. It flows 53 miles (85 km) through the Fremont–Winema National Forests, Bureau of Land Management land, and private property in southern Oregon. Its watershed consists of 651 square miles (1,690 km2) of conifer forest, marsh, and rural pasture land. The river provides a habitat for many species of wildlife, including native Great Basin redband trout, a subspecies of rainbow trout.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fishing:

The New Hampshire Wildlife Federation (NHWF) is a non-profit member organization promoting conservation, environmental education, sportsmanship, and outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, and photography. Its mission statement is "To be the leading advocate for the promotion and protection of hunting, fishing and trapping as well as the conservation of, and access to, fish and wildlife habitats."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parks' Fly Shop</span>

Parks' Fly Shop is a fly shop and licensed fly fishing outfitter in Gardiner, Montana. In business since 1953, the shop located at 202 2nd Street between Main and Stone is the oldest business in Gardiner under continuous family ownership.

Eagle Lake trout is a subspecies of rainbow trout endemic to Eagle Lake, in Lassen County, California. It is a type of trout known for its ability to withstand high alkalinity. Its unique adaptations to the harsh environment of Eagle Lake make the fish a specialist with a very narrow environmental specificity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kern River Preserve</span>

The Audubon Kern River Preserve is a riparian nature reserve owned by the National Audubon Society in the US state of California, near Weldon in Kern County.

Fly Fishers International (FFI) is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Livingston, Montana. It was founded in 1964 and formalized a year later in 1965. FFI is an organized voice for fly fishers around the world; they represent all aspects of fly fishing, which include the art of fly tying, casting, and protection of the natural systems that support healthy fisheries and their habitats. Today, the organization's goals are to ensure the legacy of fly fishing worldwide. They focus on conservation, education and a sense of community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert J. Behnke</span> American fisheries biologist

Dr. Robert J. Behnke was an American fisheries biologist and conservationist who was recognized as a world authority on the classification of salmonid fishes. He was popularly known as "Dr. Trout" or "The Trout Doctor". His seminal work, Trout and Salmon of North America, was published in 2002. He wrote a regular column for Trout Magazine, the quarterly publication of Trout Unlimited. He was a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and a professor at Colorado State University in the 1970s. He became a Professor Emeritus at the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University.

The South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River is a 7.1 mile-long tributary to the Kinnickinnic River in northwestern Wisconsin, USA.

The Margaree Salmon Association is a wildlife conservation group that was established in 1982 in Margaree, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The association is a nonprofit organization, that dedicates itself to restoration ecology, through conservation, protection and enhancement of spawning and rearing habitat of the salmonid lineage; specific to the Atlantic salmon and trout species. The association engineers habitat enhancing structures into tributaries of the Margaree River watershed. The Margaree River is public domain, attracting yearly visits by anglers near and far. The Association was involved in the nomination and designation of the Margaree River-Lake Ainslie watershed; as a Canadian Heritage Rivers System. As well, the Association works in collaboration with the Inland Fisheries Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to assist with scientific study in areas of broodstock collection, stock assessment and water quality sampling.

References

  1. "Find your chapter". Trout Unlimited. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "TROUT Magazine Exhibit". American Museum of Fly Fishing. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. "History of Trout Unlimited". Trout Unlimited. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  4. "2017 TU Annual Report". Trout Unlimited. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  5. "Charity Navigator - Rating for Trout Unlimited, National Office". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  6. "Conservation Success Index". Trout Unlimited.
  7. "Focal Area Assessment" (PDF). Trout Unlimited.
  8. "Trout Unlimited Annual Report" (PDF). Trout Unlimited.
  9. 1 2 Stauffer, Tim (8 December 2022). "Reconnecting rivers". USDA Forest Service.
  10. "Pebble Mine Permit Denied". NY Times. November 25, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  11. Blockus, Gary (17 March 2015). "Trout Unlimited keeps eye on shale gas drilling impact". Poconos Record.
  12. Mcconnaha, Michelle (8 January 2023). "Trout in the classroom: Bitterroot Valley students study fish ecology". Ravalli Republic.
  13. Moore, Larry (28 October 2019). "Sharing experiences America's best fisheries". USDA Forest Service.
  14. "Embrace A Stream". Trout Unlimited.