Message from Steve Trafton

My name is Steve Trafton, and I am TU’s new Managing Director of the Coldwater Conservation Fund.

I am fortunate to have had a long connection to Trout Unlimited. I first became a member in 1979, when my father bought a family membership and we would occasionally participate as chapter members in restoration work in Southwestern Wisconsin. Years later, after college and four years in the Marines, I was hired to create a TU staff presence in California, something that I did for nearly five years before moving to Idaho to be the Executive Director of the Henry’s Fork Foundation. Now, nine years later, I am back in the TU fold, and delighted to be here.

My real connection to TU, though, is more fundamental than working for the organization, and is the same connection that each of you has to TU: A deep love of trout fishing, and the conviction that without Trout Unlimited’s vigilance and leadership, the future of trout and the places that trout live would be far less positive. The challenges that these remarkable fish face are numerous, complicated, and difficult, but TU’s conservation record gives us much to be proud of, and great cause for hope.

The CCF is a huge part of TU’s proud history and its bright future. By extension, the CCF is vital to the future of America’s trout and salmon themselves. Thank you for your generosity to this great organization, and to America’s coldwater fisheries! I hope to meet many of you soon.

Steve
strafton@tu.org
(703) 284-9415, direct line