National Conservation Awards

Transcription

1 National Conservation Awards 2015

2 TU NATIONAL CONSERVATION AWARDS Since the early 1960s, Trout Unlimited (TU) has bestowed awards to publicly recognize the outstanding achievements of its members, chapters and councils that have embodied the values of TU and fulfilled its mission to conserve, protect and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. TU also recognizes the contributions and accomplishments of individuals and groups outside the organization that have demonstrated significant leadership and success in the world of coldwater conservation. Today, TU is proud to showcase an exceptional group of achievements by these award winners who represent grassroots conservation successes, professional commitment to conservation excellence and organizational strength within our chapters and councils. Congratulations 2015 TU National Conservation Award recipients! Chapter / Council Awards State Council Award for Excellence: Tennessee Council Gold Trout Award: Tiadaghton Chapter (PA) Silver Trout Award : Kitsap-Olympic Peninsulas Chapter (WA) Volunteer Awards Distinguished Service Award for Leadership: Tom Jones Distinguished Service Award for Conservation: Howard Johnson Distinguished Service Award for Youth Education: Judi Sittler Distinguished Service Award for Communications: Frances Oates Partner Awards Corporate Conservation Partner: The Orvis Company Corporate Conservation Partner: Tiffany & Co. Foundation Conservation Professional Award: Phil Hulbert Conservation Communications Award: Hal Herring 2

3 STATE COUNCIL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE TENNESSEE COUNCIL When considering the strength and impact made by a state council, it s often difficult to draw comparisons because each council is unique and all offer a wide variety of accomplishments to consider. The Tennessee Council started the year off with a bang, announcing a $20,000 grant to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part of a continuing efforts to support the Park s fisheries program. The grant, which included $10,000 from the state s Little River Chapter and $10,000 from the conservation license plate fund managed by the council, supported native brook trout restoration efforts and brook trout genetic studies. Perhaps nowhere more than in the southern end of their range in the Smoky Mountains are native brook trout more imperiled having lost up to 75 percent of their range due to climate change, habitat loss, logging, invasive salmonid stocking and water quality issues. Side-by-side with the park service, the Tennessee Council and the state s chapters have actively worked to help restore native brook trout populations and restored over 14 miles of stream habitat. Trout Unlimited continues to be a champion of brook trout restoration in the Smokies, said Acting Superintendent Clay Jordan. We are grateful not only for this generous donation, but also for the countless hours of hands-on volunteer labor served in the park. Far beyond simply awarding grants, the council has continued to be a driving force in growing Trout Unlimited in the state, increasing awareness of coldwater conservation through public education and advocacy efforts and supporting and strengthening the eight local chapters. The council s week-long youth camp continues to grow in its fifth year, drawing youth from across the state and region to learn about coldwater conservation and fishing. Perhaps the hallmark of the Tennessee Council s successes, though, are the strong and longstanding partnerships it has built with the state and federal agencies and other conservation nonprofits in the state. This willingness to work collaboratively was honored this year when the Tennessee Chapter of American Fisheries Society awarded the council it s 2015 Friends of Fisheries award, stating that the council had received overwhelming endorsements and support from the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. 3

4 GOLD TROUT AWARD 688 TIADAGHTON CHAPTER The Tiadaghton Chapter in Pennsylvania is an excellent example of the great contributions angler scientists can make to protect their local waters. Located in northcentral Pennsylvania, in what is quite possibly the most concentrated overlap of high quality trout streams and intensive Marcellus and Utica Shale development, the chapter has effectively engaged grassroots volunteers to collect high quality data in streams threatened by energy development. As part of Pennsylvania TU s Coldwater Conservation Corps, over 25 volunteers have collected data at over 50 monitoring locations. These monitoring efforts have been extensive, creating valuable and robust data sets. Volunteers serve as the eyes and ears on the ground protecting streams in watersheds experiencing shale gas development. They also conduct regular monitoring in watersheds with no shale gas development, but that are likely to experience development in the future, to document baseline conditions. The Tiadaghton Chapter has expanded on those efforts to develop a focused study assessing the impacts of shale gas development and stream passage barriers to wild trout and their habitat in the Little Pine Creek watershed. The chapter has been effective in developing strategic partnerships to further their research efforts, teaming up with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Tioga County Conservation District, Mansfield University and TU staff. For this study, chapter volunteers and partner groups will conduct fish sampling, macroinvertebrate sampling, stream barrier assessment, water quality monitoring, nutrient assessment and data summarization and dissemination. Focused on headwater streams in the watershed, field work for projects is ongoing with analysis and reporting to take place in the next 1.5 years. The Tiadaghton Chapter is an excellent model for the great potential in TU s burgeoning angler science efforts. Their impressive engagement of grassroots volunteers in high quality data collection and important research deserves great accolades. 4

5 SILVER TROUT AWARD 383 KITSAP-OLYMPIC PENINSULAS CHAPTER In just a short time the Kitsap-Olympic Peninsulas Chapter in Washington has evolved from a small fishing club to a true service organization. A growing membership, a diverse and vibrant community, and a dedication to conservation have been the results of chapter leaders focused efforts. The drivers of the chapter s success have been conservation activities, outward facing membership events, and effective communications. On the conservation front, the Kitsap-Olympic Peninsulas Chapter has brought much-needed attention to Dogfish Creek. Working in cooperation with the local parks department, which owned a major stretch of river in the middle of a town park, the chapter rebuilt the stream bed to enhance chum salmon spawning, installed habitat structures and planted vegetation along the banks. Downstream they worked with a commercial shopping center to clean trash and debris from the river and remove obstructions to salmon between the spawning grounds in the park and the Puget Sound. With the help of an Embrace-A-Stream grant, the chapter has initiated a steelhead smolt migration study on Grover s Creek to gather crucial information on the health and abundance of wild steelhead spawning. The chapter also installed, and continues to maintain, a fish ladder in a vital salmon spawning stream. Chapter members feel good about contributing to meaningful projects and as chapter programs have increased and developed, members participation has increased as well. Fun, community-building events like the F3T and Wild Reverence film tour screenings, chapter fishing outings, a monthly fly-tying event at a local pub called Bar Flies and more have allowed members to build relationships with chapter leaders and each-other. A range of family-friendly activities such as family fishing days, partnerships with several community-based festivals and more have drawn a new, younger demographic into the chapter as well. A strong website, frequent s to members and a consistent stream of news articles and releases in the local media have raised the profile of the Kitsap-Olympic Peninsulas Chapter and primed it for even more growth in the months and years ahead. 5

6 TOM JONES DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: LEADERSHIP In memory of Stan Griffith Being a TU volunteer means a lot of things to Tom: an advocate, a contributor, a donor, an advisor, an angler. To us, Tom means: a leader. With his uniquely low key, even-keeled, self-effacing style, Tom has made enormous contributions in every corner of this organization through his leadership. As a volunteer leader for the Five Rivers Chapter in Durango, Colorado, Tom has been involved in a myriad of projects and initiatives. As an advocate, he has worked to raise awareness for the importance of continued protections for the Alpine Triangle, an area situated at the headwaters of three trophy trout rivers the Animas, Lake Fork of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre. Additionally, his involvement was critical in helping to push through the locallycrafted and consensus-oriented bill that protected the Hermosa Creek watershed. No small victory. As a mentor, Tom helped establish a chapter one watershed over from his under an alternative chapter start-up model, the first in the country to try this. Working at the state level, Tom served many roles including as regional vice president a position designed to help nurture and support chapters in his southwestern Colorado region. He was an early advocate for strategic planning at both the chapter and council level, and his efforts to encourage longer-term, strategic thinking have paid off in Colorado and beyond. When Tom joined the National Leadership Council in 2010, he quickly became chair of two workgroups, Western Native Trout and New Initiatives. His unique style of leadership allowed him to maneuver those workgroups through potentially divisive issues like setting the National Conservation Agenda and nominating NLC officers and Grassroots Trustees. For the nominations, he pioneered an open, inclusive process, seeking guidance and feedback from a variety of sources. That s vintage Tom, said Mick McCorcle, chair of the National Leadership Council. Tom s approach is always cordial, reasonable, and unflappable he is a real gentleman. Whether helping his local chapter, making the Colorado Council stronger, or leading efforts across the country in his national roles, Tom s impact on TU is incalculable. His dedication and service have truly made TU stronger. Through all of these efforts and many more, Tom Jones has been and continues to be a model of a Trout Unlimited volunteer leader bringing all aspects of TU s mission to life. 6

7 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: CONSERVATION HOWARD JOHNSON Howard Johnson is known by many in Michigan as the unofficial river-keeper of the South Branch of the Au Sable River and the 11-mile stretch of land surrounding it donated to the state by George Mason, one of the 16 founders of Trout Unlimited. Over the course of the last 30 years, he has been at the center of almost every conservation project on the Au Sable, from cedar tree plantings to telemetry studies, redd counts and more. His work is everywhere, and his love for the river his family has lived alongside for 100 years is more than evident. When members of the William B. Mershon Chapter brag that Howard s efforts have led to more than 20,000 white cedar trees being planted along the banks of the Au Sable, you re impressed. When you learn the way he did it by engaging youth and having them bring their parents and grandparents to the river in multi-generational stewardship projects you re in awe. You begin to realize that Howard truly understands how to build a community of conservationists. From building long-lasting and powerful partnerships with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to holding that same agency to task when it was not using science to drive its inland fisheries management plans, Howard is well-liked and respected by all who have encountered him in his quest to protect his river. More importantly, Howard has built a conservation mindset among the many landowners along the Au Sable convincing them to adopt practices that will ensure the river remains a healthy haven for wild trout for generations to come. 7

8 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: YOUTH EDUCATION JUDI SITTLER Judi Sittler is a dynamo of a volunteer in every sense. She has taken countless volunteer roles within this organization, including serving as the president for the highly active and effective Spring Creek Chapter. Locally she s been successful focusing the chapter s efforts on a number of different youth education programs from youth fishing events to an innovative program called Y Trout that looks a lot like Trout in the Classroom, but in a YMCA. However Judi s efforts aren t limited to her local community, she s been active and engaged as a leader on the state council, and in the last four years she s been an instrumental volunteer at the TU Teen Summit. When Franklin Tate, Director of the Headwaters Youth Program, began working with local level leaders to help plan the first Teen Summit in State College, he realized he had hit the jackpot with Judi. As a retired special education school teacher, she jumped at the chance to help guide and shape the Teen Summit. She organized the service project, set up guest speakers, coordinated trips to local streams and rivers, led a tour of Penn State, and took hundreds of photographs at the event. She was a natural with the teens, listening to them and asking questions, and making them feel welcome on her home waters. But the story didn t end there. Judi has been a key volunteer at every Summit since. In Wyoming, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, Judi has given an enormous amount of her time and attention to TU s teen leaders. She does it all. She washes dishes, drives vans, organizes breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, keeps track of the small details, joins discussions, offers perspective, fishes and helps others fish, and gets up early and makes coffee. Judi loves to fly fish, and she loves TU. But the real reason she puts in these countless, often thankless, volunteer hours is because of her enormous faith in the ability of the next generation to make a difference. 8

9 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: COMMUNICATIONS In memory of Jean Bollinger FRANCES OATES A former newspaper woman with a penchant for telling stories and paying attention to the details, Frances Oates has been the backbone of communications for the Clinch River Chapter and the Tennessee Council. A strong chapter and a strong council can not succeed if the communications to members, partners and the public are not well thought out, timely and well written. Frances makes sure that all website posts, bulk s and other efforts go out the door on time, with compelling content and messages and designed to excite, inspire and engage members and volunteers. The chapter s Facebook page provides a sense of community in an online setting. Sharing great photos and stories from chapter events, invitations and reminders of ways members and friends can get involved and a whole host of interesting fishing and conservation content shared from the best of the web on a regular basis. One could argue that the strong success of the annual Big Clinch River Cleanup and the partnerships it has created including with local breweries and other community groups would not be possible without the Facebook and other communications efforts that have made this event such a fun, engaging and exciting day! A recently re-designed website has made it easy for members and the community to find the Clinch River Chapter online, connect, learn about coming events and be inspired by all the members do to protect the local river. Frances knows that the success of all chapters in Tennessee requires a simple mix of fun events, welcoming leaders and good communications. Not only does she help her own chapter and council develop a calendar full of all of the above and more, but she also helps neighboring chapters do the same. Much of the growth and strength seen in Tennessee in the last few years can be attributed to the skills, time and effort Frances has dedicated to TU. 9

10 CORPORATE CONSERVATION PARTNER TIFFANY & CO. FOUNDATION For generations, the iconic little blue box from Tiffany & Co. has come to represent special gifts, even heirlooms. But the greatest gift from Tiffany & Co. may be what they give back in the way of their support for abandoned mine clean up in the West. The recent release of toxic mine drainage in the Animas River in Colorado has brought this issue to the forefront, but well before it was a hot-button issue, Tiffany & Co. was paying attention. Tens of thousands of abandoned mines dot the riverbanks of the West, perched like ticking time bombs waiting to, or already releasing their toxic soup of lead, zinc, cadmium and mercury. Tiffany & Co. Foundation is the single largest supporter of TU s work to clean up these mines that were abandoned in some cases over a century ago. From California to Idaho, Tiffany & Co. s support for cleaning up abandoned mines has improved dozens of previously degraded rivers and streams. Tiffany & Co. is also one of the most visible supporters of the Bristol Bay campaign, which adds considerable impact, seeing that the proposed Pebble Mine sits atop a massive copper and gold deposit (it also happens to be at the headwaters of the world s most prolific salmon and trout fishery). When the EPA announced its decision to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine, Tiffany & Co. ran full-page advertisements in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle and Seattle Times, underscoring its support of that decision. We know there will be other gold and copper mines to develop. But we will never find a more majestic and productive place than Bristol Bay, the ad read. Thanks to longstanding and outspoken support from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, TU continues to be a leader in the work to clean up abandoned mines and prevent future damaging extraction. 10

11 CORPORATE CONSERVATION PARTNER THE ORVIS COMPANY Orvis has been synonymous with American fly fishing since 1856, and conservation has been at the core of the company s business philosophy all along. Many of us learned to cast with an Orvis rod (many still do through the company s free Fly Fishing 101 programs that come with a free TU membership), and many of us learned the importance of stewarding resources in the books and catalogs Orvis produced over the years. Today, Orvis dedicates five percent of its pre-tax profits to conservation causes. A strong percentage of those dollars go directly to support trout and salmon fishing through TU programs. For example, Orvis and TU are working on an ambitious 1,000 Miles campaign that seeks to remove outdated culverts in trout waters. The campaign will literally reconnect 1,000 miles of fishable trout habitat throughout the United States. The campaign started in 2012, and projects that have either been completed or are in the process now total over 500 miles. But it isn t just about the money. Orvis also has a bully pulpit, producing some 70 million catalogs annually. And management has mandated that valuable real estate in the midst of those catalogs gets dedicated to conservation messages thus reaching more anglers with important information than all the outdoor magazines, television shows, websites and blobs, combined. Add to that the books, podcasts and other ways Orvis reaches out to the angling world, and it s easy to understand just how trout and salmon friendly Orvis is, and how lucky TU is to have them as a partner. 11

12 PHIL HULBERT CONSERVATION PROFESSIONAL Philip Hulbert, Chief of the Bureau of Fisheries for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation has served the ideals of Trout Unlimited since joining the state agency in An influential leader with a sprawling network across multiple agencies, Phil has always brought the voice of TU to his colleagues and provided the New York volunteers with the counsel and guidance of an experienced biologist and state official. His career path within the agency has allowed his work to touch on every aspect of TU s work in the state of New York. From the thriving Trout in the Classroom program with more than 200 tanks, to state fisheries management policies, Delaware River watershed flow concerns and invasive species protections, Phil has been at the forefront of many topics tied closely to TU s mission. Perhaps most importantly, Phil s work to preserve and protect native brook trout has earned him the respect and admiration of many TU members and volunteers. New York has the second largest brook trout habitat east of the Mississippi, and harbors native strains that are unique to the region. Phil was instrumental in helping develop the brook trout strategy developed by the New York Council and has spearheaded efforts to explore, research and classify streams that had remained unknowns for years on the brook trout mapping of New York. His cooperative efforts with New York chapters have helped classify miles-upon-miles of unknown streams, affording them special protection under New York stream regulations. Phil Hulbert has done more to protect and restore our gorgeous native brook trout population than any one else in the state, and is a leader in effective efforts to preserve their habitat, said Dr. John Braico, TU Board of Trustees Member and New York Council leader. 12

13 HAL HERRING CONSERVATION COMMUNICATIONS If you met Hal Herring on the street, you probably wouldn't suspect that he's one of the most influential outdoor writers in the country. You might think he works a blue-collar gig somewhere, and that the smile on his face is always there, even as he's yanking the guts out of a tractor, hammering nails on a roof or mucking out a barn. What many in the conservation world respect most about Hal is his uncanny ability without reserve or hesitation to speak truth to power. As an independent outdoor writer catching assignments as they come with some of the best-read publications in the industry, you might think that, in order to preserve the next job, the next paycheck, that he'd be cautious and maybe a bit reserved. But like a good baseball umpire, Hal Herring "calls 'em like he sees 'em. If you have the chance to read some of his work, you'll quickly catch on to the fact that Hal has a knack for identifying solutions, not just lamenting the problems. When Hal covered some of Trout Unlimited s Best Wild Places" tours through Field and Stream magazine, he brought that same care and attention to his writing. The tours, a collaborative project designed to shine light on some of our country's best public lands sporting destinations and describe the threats to the persistence of these places, provided powerful testimony far beyond our small window of the conservation community. Over the last few summers, Hal has visited Colorado's Roan Plateau, where natural gas drilling threatens a relic population of native Colorado River cutthroat trout, and the Clearwater country of north-central Idaho, home to the largest swath of unprotected backcountry left in the Lower 48. Inspired by wild country, and a shameless advocate for wise conservation, Hal's work has very likely played an influential role in the effort to protect these and other "best wild places" around the country. 13

14 2015 Board of Trustees 14 Chair of the Board Jim Asselstine, Tyler Hill, Pennsylvania Chair of the National Leadership Council Mick McCorcle, Fairview, Texas President/Chief Executive Officer Chris Wood, Washington, DC Secretary Mark Gates, Palo Alto, California Treasurer Barrett Toan, Santa Fe, New Mexico Secretary of the National Leadership Council Paul Doscher, Weare, New Hampshire Legal Advisor David Armstrong, Esq., Greenville, South Carolina Trustees Kai Anderson, Washington, DC Nick Babson, Chicago, Illinois John Braico, M.D., Queensbury, New York Sherry Brainerd, Rancho Santa Fe, California Charlie Breithaupt, Clayton, Georgia Stoney Burke, Ketchum, Idaho Valerie Colas-Ohrstrom, New York, New York Mike Dombeck, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Bill Egan, Jackson, Wyoming Scott Hood, Broken Arrow, Oklaoma Wallace Henderson, New York, New York Richard Johnson, Wilmington, North Carolina Howard Kern, Westlake Village, California Henry Koltz, Brookfield, Wisconsin Nancy Mackinnon, Manchester Center, Vermont Walt Minnick, Chevy Chase, Maryland Dan Needham, Winnetka, Illinois Ken Olivier, Hillsborough, California Daniel Plummer, East Branch, New York Kevin Reilly, Santa Fe, New Mexico Thomas Stoddard, Montclair, New Jersey Steve Strandberg, San Francisco, California Mark Taylor, Tulalip, Washington Raiford Trask, Wilmington, North Carolina Dan Vermillion, Livingston, Montana Jim Walker, Scottsdale, Arizona John Willis, Chicago, Illinois

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16 Photo courtesy Andrew Kimsey TU.ORG/AWARDS LeTort Spring Run This section of river was recovered by the local TU chapter after a sink hole was created by a nearby limestone mine that nearly swallowed the whole stream. Trout Unlimited 1777 N Kent Street Suite 100 Arlington, VA