The impacts of dams on anadromous (sea-run) fish are well documented. But today, many dams have outlived their usefulness, or become unprofitable or unsafe. Removing such dams is now a proven way to recover salmon and steelhead populations. Trout Unlimited has supported the removal or retrofitting of dams on a number of high-profile salmon and…
Efforts to fix habitat are as much for people as they are for the planet It’s legislature season in New Mexico, a time I’ve come to abhor for how it represents my species and, perhaps more likely, my deficiencies as a chess player. Sausage making is a circus, spectacular flights of ethical and logical acrobatics…
Flowing from Manchester, Vt., to the Hudson River near Schuylerville, N.Y., the Battenkill is a historic river. It is a significant contributor to the surrounding economy – drawing fly-fishers, paddlers, and outdoor explorers from near and far. Additionally, several successful agricultural operations that enjoy the fruits of a highly productive and functioning watershed. To ensure the long-term stability of this amazing resource and economic driver,…
Trout Unlimited had a productive year in New York in 2019. Some of the major accomplishments in the state, by both TU staff and a large group of dedicated TU members/volunteers, are highlighted in a new newsletter. A PDF can be downloaded HERE or a Word document (with live links) can be downloaded HERE. The…
In praise of urban trout streams The thought occurred to me while I was fishing under the Highway 20 bridge over the lower Yuba River in California’s Gold Country. To reach the water I had crossed a floodplain so altered by quarrying, mining and off-road vehicles that it more resembled a moonscape than a functional…
By Joel DeStasio During the 2019 summer field season, Trout Unlimited field staff completed strategic wood addition habitat restoration work on Gunstock River and its unnamed tributary in Gilford, N.H. This project was initiated by the Belknap County Conservation District with the assistance of grants provided by The New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts and the New Hampshire Conservation…
Editor’s note: The following was delivered today to Govs. Kate Brown (Ore.), Steve Bullock (Mont.), Jay Inslee (Wash.) and Brad Little (Idaho) from a coalition power companies, conservation groups, the transportation sector and community utility coops. Feb. 24, 2020 Dear Governors Brown, Bullock, Inslee and Little: The debate over the management and impacts of the…
