By Chrysten Lambert, Oregon Governor Kate Brown did a tough thing last week. In a letter to Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Brown took a bold position on creating a better future for her constituents by committing to finding collaborative, science-based solutions for restoring the Snake River. As salmon and steelhead populations continue to dwindle, the Pacific Northwest faces a choice: Maintain the status quo or come together…
Conservation programs on the administration chopping block once again
The Trump administration is once again proposing significant government funding cuts that that would hamstring critical clean water programs and weaken TU’s federal partners. If these cuts were enacted, they would undermine efforts by Trout Unlimited and our conservation partners to protect coldwater habitat in places like the Colorado River basin, the Chesapeake Bay and…
Management matters
By Garrett Hanks Wolf Creek pass in the San Juan mountains of Colorado serves as the tipping point between the westward San Juan basin, home to the recently rediscovered San Juan cutthroat trout, and the Rio Grande cutthroat’s namesake river to the east. Unlike trout, bear, mule deer and other wildlife are unhindered by the ridgeline; their tracks freely cross the divide. Look north and you’ll notice the burn scar from the West Fork fire of 2013. Setting off south along the Continental Divide Trail, you quickly…
New Streamflow Improvement Plan helps coho in key Russian River tributary
Coho salmon are native to California coastal streams north of Monterey Bay, but populations of “silvers” in this region have been declining for decades and the species is now listed as Endangered in the Golden State. Trout Unlimited is heavily invested in cooperative efforts to recover California coho. One product of this work is development…
Newsletter highlights successes in Great Lakes region
Trout Unlimited continues to increase its efforts in the Great Lakes region. The past year saw a wide range of success across the “Protect, Reconnect, Restore and Sustain” components of our mission. Projects included habitat restoration of more than 17 miles of high-priority coldwater streams and improving/replacing several barriers to fish passage to open additional…
Of chukar and steelhead in the Snake River country
By Michael Gibson Nothing clears the mind like a good chukar hike. So, when the boss called for a work/chukar retreat in lower Snake River Country, I got excited. Late-season chukar in some of the best, and most rugged, chukar country the planet has to offer. About now, you are probably wondering, what’s this got to do with fish? We’ll get…
Lessons from Warren and Scott
Trout Unlimited members, and many of our staff, love to fish. Perhaps none more than Scott Yates and Warren Colyer, both of whom co-lead our largest staff cohort, the Western Water and Habitat program. One of my favorite memories at TU was fishing on Wyoming’s Gros Ventre River at dusk. I was working the far…