Posted by Samantha on August 31st, 2010

In the upcoming fall 2010 issue of TROUT we have a story about Stefan McLeod who is standing up for the Paiute cutthroat, one of the rarest trout in North America. There is more to McLeod than his fishing talents and activism though, he proudly displays a variety of fly-fishing tattoos.

Here’s just one of McLeod’s tattoos, the TU fish logo.

We want to know if you have had your love of fishing permanently inked on. Send your photos to skinsella@tu.org then check back to see what others have done, including TU staff members!  Also don’t forget to look for McLeod’s full story in the upcoming issue.

Posted by Erin Mooney on August 16th, 2010

Today’s New York Times story on invasive species, felt soles and didymo, features TU’s senior scientist, Jack Williams, and targets fly fishermen as some of the biggest offenders in the transport of aquatic invasive species.

It’s not news to most of us in the angling community, but nice to see the issue get some ink in a major publication like the New York Times.

Posted by Samantha on August 13th, 2010

Last month, TU and Orvis teamed up to introduce thousands of new anglers to fly fishing through free fly-fishing classes every weekend in July. All told, 2,700 people—kids and adults alike—attended classes at over 100 Orvis retail stores and dealers to learn the sport from scratch or brush up on their skills.

Orvis’ Retail/Wholesale Marketing Manager Tory Myler credits TU volunteers for helping make the effort a success. “We hope that class attendees will not only enjoy the sport of fly fishing for years to come, but also get involved with TU’s critical conservation efforts around the country,” Myler said.

Posted by Paula Dobbyn on August 3rd, 2010

Paul Greenberg’s new book, “Four Fish: The Future of Last Wild Food,” is a must-read for anyone interested in wild salmon, or, as the title indicates, the future of fish and other wild food in general. The book garnered a positive review in the New York Times on Sunday. In an interview with the Oregonian today, Greenberg mentions Bristol Bay salmon and the proposed Pebble mine. In Greenberg’s words, “For every piece of salmon you buy, you should write a letter to try to stop the Pebble mine from happening.” We could not have said it better ourselves. Thanks, Paul, for speaking up and energizing your readers to do their part to protect Bristol Bay. Read more about Paul.

Posted by Paula Dobbyn on August 3rd, 2010

Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador

A little over a year ago the Pebble Pedalers, a two-man team of conservation-minded cyclists left Alaska on a  17,000-mile journey to raise awareness of and garner support for protecting the Bristol Bay watershed from the  proposed Pebble copper and gold mine. The journey by this pair of brothers from the San Francisco Bay Area is also a fundraiser for Trout Unlimited Alaska’s efforts to stop this high-risk mine project and to protect Bristol Bay, producer of  the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon run.

In their quest to ride through 15 countries—from Prudhoe Bay, the northernmost point accessible by road in Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of Argentina—the Parker brothers recently made it to Peru. They’ve  been updating their blog regularly and have some fascinating and very entertaining entries to share. Read more on the Pebble Pedalers’ blog and check out their web site.

Posted by Paula Dobbyn on July 29th, 2010

Dorothy Larson of the Curyung Tribe, at left, greets EPA chief Lisa Jackson. (Margaret Bauman, Alaska Newspapers)

The nation’s top environmental official heard blistering opposition from Bristol Bay residents to the proposed Pebble mine on Wednesday. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson held a listening session in the fishing community of Dillingham where tribal leaders and many others told her that the risks associated with Pebble are too high and that her agency should not allow the project to move forward. Read more in this Alaska Newspapers Inc. article or listen to a public radio story filed by KDLG.

Posted by Erin Mooney on July 21st, 2010

In its July Water Issue, Outside magazine names TU as one of the nation’s top river advocacy organizations, along with American Rivers, Save Our Wild Salmon, Waterkeeper Alliance and American Whitewater.

The sidebar on page 95 says this:  “TU originated in Michigan 50 years ago and now has 400 chapters. The current focus is on restoring native fish–Atlantic salmon, westslope cutthroat, golden trout–to native habitats. BEST FOR:  Tobacco chewers.”

Tobacco chewers? We were a little stumped. So, we ask you, TU members, to weigh in on this one. What do you think about this distinction? We would love to hear what you have to say.

Posted by Paula Dobbyn on July 19th, 2010

Earlier this month, Trout Unlimited Alaska enlisted the help of several dozen restaurants and markets in the Pacific Northwest to help spread the word about the risks facing Bristol Bay. In this guest blog entry, Elizabeth Dubovsky, Trout Unlimited Alaska’s Why Wild Program Director, talks about Savor Bristol Bay 2010…… Continue reading this post…

Posted by Randy Scholfield on July 16th, 2010

Hey, have you seen the Contemporary Sportsman yet? Check it out — it’s a beautiful new online fishing/hunting mag. Great articles about steelheading, wingshooting, etc. Yours truly has a column (see p. 54) in the most recent summer 2010 edition about Idaho’s Teton Canyon and the need to protect this great wild canyon and its Yellowstone cutthroats.

Posted by Erin Mooney on July 16th, 2010

Read TU’s July newsletter and find out the latest…