Trout Unlimited recommends utilizing the Good Samaritan Remediation program to advance the initiative
Last week, the White House Make America Beautiful Again (MABA) Commission released its strategic initiative MABA 250 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States. Trout Unlimited looks forward to working alongside the commission and federal partners to advance shared priorities including: “balancing stewardship and economic growth, encouraging responsible conservation, restoring America’s wildlife, lands and waters, and protecting our Nation’s outdoor heritage for the enjoyment of the American people.”
By emphasizing voluntary conservation and partnerships, this initiative aligns with the collaborative model that has restored thousands of miles of trout and salmon habitat across the country. Landowners, states, tribes, and non-governmental organizations are critical conservation partners, and programs that support cooperative restoration can accelerate on-the-ground improvements in water quality, stream flows, and aquatic habitat while sustaining working landscapes.
In seeking to advance the MABA 250 initiative, Trout Unlimited recommends utilizing the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Program, passed into law unanimously by the 118th Congress. Across the country, abandoned mine reclamation projects through this new program are a ripe opportunity for the Environmental Protection Agency to cultivate collaborative partnerships that brings together state agencies, mining industry, and conservation interests to implement voluntary restoration for the benefit of clean water, improved fish and wildlife habitat, and healthy communities.
Furthermore, the initiative’s focus on expanding outdoor recreation and improving access also directly benefits conservation outcomes. When sportsmen and woman can reach public waters, they become invested in their care, helping fund conservation through license revenues and supporting local economies built around healthy fisheries. Strategic access improvements also go hand-in-hand with habitat restoration projects. Repairing culverts reduces road washouts while improving fish passage and stabilizing streambanks reduces erosion while improving river access. These examples highlight how restoration efforts and access for recreation reinforce each other, aligning with the goals of the MABA 250 initiative.
By supporting collaborative restoration, voluntary conservation, and public access, the MABA 250 initiative has the potential to accelerate recovery of native fish populations and ensure future generations inherit clean water and healthy rivers.
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Trout Unlimited is the nation’s leading conservation organization working to care for and recover rivers and streams and their trout and salmon populations. We bring people together across the country to be champions for their rivers and help make our water cleaner and our communities healthier. Founded by a small band of Michigan anglers in 1959, we have grown into a national organization with more than 350 staff, 400 chapters, and 300,000 members and supporters. We bring science-driven restoration know-how, state and national policy muscle, and local volunteer energy to bear on behalf of clean water, healthy trout and salmon and thriving communities.