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Delaware River Basin Commission bans fracking in watershed
As infrastructure to support natural gas extraction expanded across the Appalachians over the past decade, the Delaware River Basin remained untouched as the group responsible for the coordinated management of the watershed considered the practice. Now, after years of uncertainty, a vote by the Delaware River Basin Commission has formalized a ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing — often called “fracking” — in the basin. In a special business meeting on Feb. 25, 2021, commissioners…
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Grand Valley State students shoot ‘Tree Army’ film
Last fall, Grand Valley State University students from the ‘Producing for Clients’ class worked with Trout Unlimited staff in Michigan to produce a video covering the exciting new initiative called the Rogue River Tree Army. Students filmed footage and interviews over multiple field days as the Tree Army, made up of staff and volunteers, planted thousands of…
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Are you keeping more secrets these days?
I think I’ve come full circle on the whole “secret fishing spot” argument. I’ve written three guidebooks over the years, with the intent of helping anglers enjoy the public lands resources here in Idaho and in nearby Yellowstone National Park. I also made a little money for the work, and I feel like I earned…
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Aventuron is a big player in small business support for TU
This little retail outdoor shop in a city of 50,000 midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay punches way above its weight when it comes to selling great gear and supporting great conservation.
I didn’t know much about Sheboygan, Wisc. I had the vague idea that it was in the eastern part of the state on Lake Michigan. I knew that Carl and Kathryn Martens, the owners at Aventuron, had been great TU Business Members for some time. But I didn’t know how great. This little retail outdoor…
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Introducing ‘Tying One On,’ with TU’s own Nick Halle
Like a lot of us, Nick's passion is fly fishing, and, like a lot of us, he ties his own flies
At TU, many of us live to fish. For many of us here at the organization, the art of angling is what drew us to the need to protect the trout and salmon that we spend much of our lives chasing. Nick Halle is no different. As a volunteer operations coordinator, Nick is well-known among…
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The gift of the skunk
One learns not to expect much when fly fishing during the winter months. At least around here, or if you’re me. Regardless of the season, sometimes you step into a river and just know something’s off. The water’s not moving right, or the sound of the wind rings particularly empty and distant. I envy steelhead die-hards their familiarity with this feeling, the impending, inevitable void, and how they march into it undaunted. A guy I know…
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Tying the Ruptured Egg Cluster for the spawn
In just a few weeks, spring spawning trout, whitefish and suckers will migrate and begin clearing redds in rivers and streams all over America. Between late February and even into June or July at higher elevations, there will be eggs in the water, and that means predatory trout and char will be on the prowl. Fly fishers…