Currently browsing… brook trout
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Winter blues, cabin fever and Appalachian envy
April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. —T.S. Elliot It’s still cold and gray here in the steppe country of eastern Idaho. Snow still covers the yard. Snow is still in the immediate forecast. Winter’s not done yet. Not even…
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The beauty of close
Sheer granite cliffs rose out of Lost Lake where I pulled my first small brook trout out of the water, an elk hair caddis in its mouth. Scarlet Indian paintbrush, yellow glacier lilies and purple elephant head padded the banks of the next lake like a cheery grandmother’s doormat. White and blue columbines clung to…
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Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative hits the ground running
By Jacob Fetterman In the first official year of Trout Unlimited’s Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative, we are thrilled to have completed two restoration projects and one reconnection project within the watershed. The projects to enhance cold-water and spawning habitat took place on three tributaries — Camden Creek, Juniper Swamp Brook, and Coulter Brook — all supporting native brook trout. …
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Is it spring yet?
It’s cold here along the northern fringes of the Snake River Plain — snow blankets the ground, and the wind has a sinister bite, even though it’s not even Thanksgiving yet. As I’ve gotten older, this is the time of year I like the least — it’s cold, but it’s going to get colder. There’s…
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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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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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Mourning summer before it’s over
As Phoebe danced around the truck, anxious to start the walk up the familiar trail past a few bends in the creek, I donned my wading sandals for what would almost certainly be the last time this year. I was in a gloomy mood. Changing seasons, earlier sunsets and, of course, the inevitable prediction of…