Trout Unlimited 50th Anniversary Meeting to be held in Traverse City in 2009

June 21, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rich Bowman, 616-460-0477, or Steve Moyer, 703-284-9406

Trout Unlimited 50th Anniversary Meeting to be held in Traverse City in 2009

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Trout Unlimited (TU) has selected Traverse City as the site for its 2009 annual convention, which will celebrate the group’s 50th anniversary.  The announcement was made today as Charles Gauvin, TU President and CEO, and Carl Hueter, Chairman of TU’s Michigan Council, toured the city and kicked off planning for the event.

“Like an adult salmon returning to its natal stream, TU is delighted to return to its birthplace to celebrate its 50th annual meeting,” said Gauvin. 

“TU was founded in 1959 by a group of conservation-minded, Michigan anglers on the banks of the Au Sable River,” explained Hueter.  “From that humble start, TU has grown into the nation’s largest trout and salmon conversation group, and we are proud to have Traverse City host what we hope will be a grand 50th anniversary celebration.”

Founded in Grayling, Michigan, by a small group of dedicated conservationists, TU now has over 160,000 members in 400 local chapters spread across every state in the nation.  TU’s mission is to conserve, protect, and restore North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.  TU has over 80 staff who work closely with committed volunteer members on a wide range of projects.

Michigan Trout Unlimited is one of TU’s strongest and most effective state councils.  The Council has 23 local chapters engaged in watershed restoration, small dam removal and policy advocacy work from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula.  Rich Bowman, the state council’s executive director, also leads an effective advocacy program with the state legislature and state resource agencies.

“Details of the site and agenda for the 2009 meeting are still being developed, but it will be a time to celebrate TU’s accomplishments and the people who made them possible, as well as discuss and plan for the next 50 years of trout and salmon leadership,” said Hueter.

The 2006 annual meeting will take place September 14-16th in Minneapolis.  More information is available at www.tu.org [1].

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