Headwaters Matter.
To be honest, all the water in the Yakima and her tributaries matter. When we started this new Trout Unlimited Chapter in January of 2015, the idea was and is to build conservation communities. As we have learned, defining what we do and how we do it takes contributions from everyone. This is not just a Chapter of a few, it is a conservation organization that spans a wide geographic area; so broad, that many of its members are an hour or two away from where we meet, work, and build our community. This is an opportunity. What have we done, and what’s to come? First, we believe that “Headwaters Matter” is more than just a bumper sticker, it is our strategy to protect the entire system, beginning in the very highest peaks of Kittitas County, flowing into the Columbia. This is where winter’s snowpack and summer’s heat dance the delicate seasonal dance. Too much and she floods, too little and she withers away. The reality is an ever-changing ecosystem that we work to protect, reconnect, restore, and sustain – the hallmarks of Trout Unlimited. In a short time, many have noticed our work and our stewardship is growing. This is our strength.
As a new Chapter, and in a basin that is already the focus of many other conservation organizations’ (many of which we partner with) work, clearly defining who we are, what we do, how we do it, and why takes time. We’re almost two years “old” so perhaps this weakness isn't really one. Financially, your membership and donations have supported the conservation work done to monitor stream flows and temperatures, reduce trash around access areas and riverbanks, support youth environmental education and outreach programs, and more. In leadership, we have members initiating stream cleanup days, a Board that will hold elections in April 2017 to continue our work, and a growing Chapter continuing to represent local and national TU initiative’s – The Women’s/Diversity Initiative, TIC (Trout in the Classroom), and developing a partnership with a new Fly Fishing Club at Central Washington University focused on community and conservation. Being “new” at this is a weakness.
What I’ve described could be called threats. Not physically, but to the future of our conservation work. Our membership is geographically dispersed; this river and its wild fish are at subject to nature’s whim. The work to be done is daunting; there are species in this system that are endangered, threatened, and “of concern.” It would be easier to just give up. But Headwaters Matter.
In 2017, we will continue to invest in and engage our membership towards understanding and being an integral part of the work being done in the Yakima basin, who the key players are, the critical issues, and how to support your conservation organization of choice. In short, we want “YOU” back in TU. Attending meetings, work days, clinics, fishing the Yakima River, and thriving in a community of conservation-minded anglers: for you, for your children, and for the future.
Regards,
Derek Young
President Yakima River Headwaters TU 090