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ACE Act a big win for fish habitat
Decades of hard work pays off with passage of the American Conservation Enhancement Act This week, anglers across the nation are celebrating the passage of a sprawling conservation bill, the American Conservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 925/S.3051), or ACE Act for short. Earlier this month, the package was approved by the U.S. Senate, and on Thursday, it passed…
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A Wyoming storm turns into a restoration opportunity
When an early snow storm with hurricane-force winds toppled trees in a Wyoming town, TU saw an opportunity to help the community recover and support our work Nick and Hilary Walrath have learned not to be surprised by Wyoming snowstorms in September, but even they were caught off guard by the cold front that hit…
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Remembering Oak Brook’s fly-fishing Pied Piper, Fred Hodge
I first met Fred Hodge over a decade ago, when I was still new at TU and was on the road all the time, meeting chapter and council leaders and listening to their stories of teaching and mentoring kids. Fred and other Oak Brook TU members had a booth at a huge outdoor show in…
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Are we raising the conservation generation?
These days, I have a habit of starting my morning with too much coffee and a big fat bucket of guilt. The mornings start with Rooster mistaking the kitchen light for the sun, unhappy dogs whining in their crates, a growing pile of unfinished third-grade homework, a to-do list with a pathetic one or two…
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The question we should all be asking ourselves
How can we ensure a brighter future for our public lands? We have spent much of the past month reflecting on the role public lands play in our lives. But now is the time to make a plan. Safeguarding our outdoor traditions takes more than one month of celebrating public lands. The challenges are many: from habitat threats, to transfer of…
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Plan and then plan again
The year 2020 has been a year of wrecked plans
The year 2020 has been a year of wrecked plans. Any sort of travel – cancelled. Celebrations with friends and family – done through Zoom. Even the regular trip to the grocery store or out to eat – reimagined with a mask and attempts at social distancing. This is even truer for me dealing with the ravages…
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These hips don’t lie
Crawling around small creeks was an exercise in bad yoga, as I dragged myself to standing by grabbing branches and logs. When I finally had the hip examined, I was told what I already knew
Two summers ago, I agreed to join a backpacking trek with some friends I hadn’t seen since college. Our mission -- honoring the life of a mutual friend who’d passed away -- took us deep into the Sierra Nevada range, a 54-mile journey filled with golden trout and jaw-dropping views of ice-etched peaks and verdant hanging valleys. As…