May 6, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erin Mooney (703) 284-9408
Trout Unlimited Hires Upper Connecticut Home Rivers Project Coordinator
ARLINGTON, VA--Trout Unlimited (TU) welcomes Joe Norton as the Project Coordinator of the Upper Connecticut Home Rivers Initiative. Norton joins TU from the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation where he served as executive director.
“Joe’s depth of experience will be a huge asset in implementing the protection and restoration efforts that TU and our partners have identified as priorities in the watershed,” said Elizabeth Maclin, TU’s Vice President of Eastern Conservation. “We are thrilled to welcome him to TU.”
In his role as Project Coordinator of the Upper Connecticut Home Rivers Initiative, Norton will work throughout the watershed area to protect and restore the river and its tributaries in New Hampshire and Vermont. Habitat protection and restoration will benefit native fish including brook trout, as well as wild trout species. Norton will also work with community partners and volunteers in hands-on conservation activities and create a coalition to achieve the project’s goals. His office will be located in Lancaster, New Hampshire.
“TU members in New Hampshire are very enthusiastic about having Joe in this position” said Paul Doscher, Vice President of Land Conservation at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and member of the Trout Unlimited Board of Trustees. “We've come to know and respect him in his past role with the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, and his background in fisheries science and management means he has the right combination of formal training and the ability to work well with all kinds of people.”
Although the Upper Connecticut initiative will be spearheaded by TU, a variety of other partners will play an active role in the project, including TU’s New Hampshire and Vermont state volunteer councils, state and federal agencies, local industries, landowners, land trusts, and other organizations.
TU's Home Rivers Initiatives are collaborative, community-focused multi-year efforts that combine research, outreach, protection, restoration, and youth education projects. TU selects watersheds where it can both make a significant difference in the condition of a particular river or fishery and also demonstrate transferable protection and restoration strategies and techniques.
Before joining Trout Unlimited, Norton was the executive director of the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, a statewide conservation organization in Concord. Previously, Norton owned and operated a specialty fly fishing store in Lewiston, Idaho. A New Hampshire native, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Montana State University. He currently resides in Lancaster, New Hampshire.
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation group with 150,000 members and 400 chapters around the country.
Date: 5/6/2008