5 Rivers College Outreach Program

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TU College and University 5 River Fly Fishing Clubs

The emphasis of these clubs is to organize campus groups around TU's mission and provide students an opportunity to not only learn fly casting and fly tying but to also participate in off-campus volunteer activities on the members' home waters. Students in the 5 Rivers Clubs have the chance to join a sponsoring TU Chapter in their region and participate in programs such as Trout in the Classroom, First Cast, and kids' fishing days.

For College and University 5 Rivers Clubs FAQs, click here.

Alternative Break Service Trips

Many colleges and universities have turned to these week-long volunteer excursions to introduce students to particular social and environmental issues and give them a chance to make a difference through direct service, education, and reflection. Groups travel both domestically and abroad to participate, and some of the trips are coordinated through academic courses while others are more stand alone exercises in civic engagement.a

For Alternative Break Service Trips FAQs, click here.

Service-Learning and other forms of experiential education

Service-learning is defined as a method of teaching, learning and reflecting that combines academic classroom curriculum with meaningful service throughout the community. Faculty members interested in service-learning are often on the lookout for meaningful partnerships with organizations like TU, and many of our current watershed projects offer prime opportunities for students to "learn through doing."

Recent 5 Rivers Success Stories:

• Ferris State University Sub-Chapter

Ferris State students have partnered with the Pine River Area TU Chapter to launch a successful campus TU program. The group has participated in such events as stream clean-ups and Trees for Trout, plus spent time fishing and socializing with each other. 25 members and growing!

• Deschutes Restoration Outreach Project

Project manager Darek Staab has developed a relationship with Oregon State University's Cascades Campus and Extension Program in Central Oregon and currently has several local college students participating with regional TU members in his Deschutes Basin Stewardship program.

• California Sustain

TU staff member Dave Lass has taken a very active role with the colleges and universities in northern California and has done everything from discussing TU's mission to classes and groups during campus visits to leading students into the Golden Trout Wilderness on extended backpacking and angling trips.

• New River Valley Chapter's Embrace-a-Stream Project

Virginia Tech doctoral student Ryan McManamay taught a Stream Restoration Class that engaged undergrad students in restoration work on Virginia's Stony Creek. Part of the credit for the class was to create information for the public to use in learning about restoration, and students produced a brochure about the project.

• Potomac Headwaters Home Rivers Initiative

During a spring alternative break service trip, students from Warren Wilson College participated in planting and stream assessment activities in the Potomac Headwaters. The group met with private landowners and community members to hear more about the future of the clean water resources in West Virginia.

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For more information about TU's 5 Rivers College Outreach program, contact Franklin Tate ftate@tu.org.