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Drought and native trout: Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers
Finding resilience in a summer of reckoning across the Rockies and Southwest We’ve all seen the headlines: fast growing wildfires, record low snowpack, drying reservoirs, heat waves, hoot owl restrictions, mandatory fishing closures and other worrisome conditions for our favorite coldwater critters. But for humans, too, these challenges remain stubborn after 25+ years of drought in a lot of the West. Across the Colorado…
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San Luis Valley, Colorado: A case study in trout and farm recovery
Nestled in south-central Colorado, the San Luis Valley boasts 14,000-foot peaks, Gold Medal waters, incredible biodiversity and even Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. As the largest alpine valley in the world, this area has been called home by the Navajo, Ute, Apache, Kiowa, Comanche and Spanish before becoming part of the United States. Today, that means the valley distinguishes itself…
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Trout Unlimited names inaugural “Conservation Towns” list
Five rural communities from across the country are staking their futures on conservation In America’s “Conservation Towns,” rural communities that survived the past century’s boom-and-bust cycles are building new blueprints for economic success by tapping into their most important assets: the rivers and streams, public lands and wild landscapes that have always sustained them. At Trout…
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TU’s resident river doctor on finding a prognosis for the Colorado
Meet, Dr. Sara Porterfield.
Meet, Dr. Sara Porterfield. With a PhD in transnational history of the Colorado River Basin and a background as a raft guide with the Colorado Outward Bound School, Porterfield brings a unique perspective to both the high-level policy discussions happening about the future of this watershed and the impacts of the historically low water levels…
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An unlikely case study for trout conservation: Arizona
From securing national monuments to scaling up multi-million-dollar projects, Arizona’s policy and restoration work is ready to take center stage. Yes, Arizona has native trout. And, yes, we have quite an advocate for them in Nathan Rees, Trout Unlimited’s Arizona state lead. Apache trout country A family man in the Phoenix Valley, Rees’s role is…
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This Land is Your Land: The best job at Trout Unlimited
Our public lands are the foundation of healthy watersheds and strong communities. From remote trout streams to working forests and rangelands, these places provide clean water, vital trout habitat and public access for all Americans. But pressures like efforts to sell off and privatize public land threaten what makes them so valuable. This blog series…
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This Land is Your Land: Public lands and waters fuel Karenna Elliott’s recovery for the 2026 Winter Olympics
Our public lands are the foundation of healthy watersheds and strong communities. From remote trout streams to working forests and rangelands, these places provide clean water, vital trout habitat, and public access for all Americans. But pressures like efforts to sell off and privatize public land threaten what makes them so valuable. This blog series…
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