Western Water Project

In the semi-arid West, coldwater fish and the rivers they swim are in trouble. Trout require clean, cold water to survive. In the West, every native species of trout has been listed or proposed for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. These fish suffer from water diversions, dams, and other alterations to natural river and stream flows. A major cause of the wide-spread decline of western fisheries is state water management systems that encourage the diversion of water to agricultural, municipal and industrial uses with little protection for the value of water flowing in streams to benefit fisheries, wildlife and recreation.

Trout Unlimited started the Western Water Project in 1998 with a commitment to working at the state level on water management issues. Trout Unlimited has hired professional staff in five states - Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming -- with the scientific, legal and organizational knowledge necessary to engage in this arcane discipline. Our effectiveness is leveraged in state legislatures and in local communities by thousands of TU volunteers in the region. We have also reached out to form alliances with non-traditional allies, including irrigators, landowners, water suppliers and state agencies. Three basic principles underlie TU's Western Water Project:

• Healthy rivers are essential to a sustainable western landscape.
• Restoring a river can result in stronger local communities as well as stronger aquatic environments.
• TU's Western Water Project acts as a focal point for broader coalitions promoting instream flows and the benefits to the western way of life.

For more information contact:

Western Water Project
1320 Pearl Street, Suite 320
Boulder, CO 80302
303-440-2937
303-440-7933 (fax)

Melinda Kassen, Director, Western Water Project
Contact Melinda Kassen

John Gerstle, Technical Advisor, Western Water Project
Contact John Gerstle

David Stillwell, Office and Internal Communications Manager
Contact David Stillwell