September 2026 Newsletter
As summer comes to a close, we hope the 100-plus degree temperatures will soon be behind us. We are receiving some much needed rainfall. Fall is a wonderful time to get outside in Arizona—whether fishing, hiking, or simply enjoying the outdoors.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its plans to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which protects public lands nationwide that provide irreplaceable fish and wildlife habitat, including some of the last strongholds for native trout and salmon, along with valuable hunting and angling opportunities for all Americans.
Trout Unlimited’s report, Roadless, America’s Sporting Lands provides an in-depth overview of the importance of roadless areas for fish, wildlife, and sporting traditions and the balance provided by the rule to actively manage our national forests to mitigate fire risk. The report is available here.
Please the Public Policy Section of this newsletter to get more information about this important issue and follow the provided link to make your voice heard.
Last month's newsletter featured an article on the culvert replacement work being done on Paradise Creek. This project will be completed in early September. The project replaced 3 undersized culverts which will result in opening up 9.3 miles of Apache trout stream habitat. Trout Unlimited worked on a cooperative basis with the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to complete this work. Google Cooperation provided $600,000 in funding that went a long way in making this project a reality. Thanks to all our partners for their contributions to make this important conservation project a reality.
The Zane Grey TU Chapter focuses its efforts in the areas of conservation, education and advocacy. As we move into the fall there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved and volunteer to support Zane Grey’s efforts in all these areas. Please read through the newsletter as it provides further details on upcoming events that we’d like you to get involved with. We greatly appreciate those individuals who do show up and volunteer. Your efforts really do make a difference!
Tom Goodwin
Chapter President
| | Coming Up in Zane Grey Land | | |
Silver Creek Restoration Project
Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 9:00 to 3:00
A great opportunity awaits those wanting to improve the conditions at one of Arizona’s premier fishing locations!
On Tuesday, September 22, volunteers and Arizona Game and Fish employees will gather to remove reeds along the banks of Silver Creek near Show Low, in the White Mountains.
Work will start at 9 am and be done no later than 3 p.m. The work involves gathering reeds cut by game and fish and bringing them to the bank for removal. It is not strenuous and actually a lot of fun. You will also get to spend time with like-minded outdoor friends along the beautiful Silver Creek.
Registration must be completed through AZ Game and Fish. Don’t delay; spots fill quickly.
For questions, contact Mike Whitney at elkfever22@gmail.com or 541-390-5389
Sign Up for the Silver Creek Stream Vegetation Removal
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Club Meetings
Arizona Flycasters Club (AFC) AFC meeting is September 8th at 6:00pm, Speaker is Chris Rich with AZ Fly Shop, topic to be Redfish Fishing in the Gulf and Bay Flats. They meet at the Italian American Club in Phoenix.
Desert Fly Casters Club (DFC) DFC's meeting will be on September 9th at 7pm; Speaker will be Vince Deadman covering the annual Fall Puerto Penasco Fly Fishing Trip. They meet at the Elks Lodge in Chandler.
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And, if you need to renew your TU membership you can do it here easily.
This link should take you directly to the renewal page.
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Secure Your Fish250 Sticker Pack
2 Community Waters 5 Lakes or Streams
0 Bad Days
Once you have completed the Fish250 challenge, submit the Fish250 completion form to document your achievement and receive your Fish250 sticker pack.
It’s our way of celebrating your time on the water and recognizing your participation in this statewide outdoor initiative.
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Fish250 is part of the national celebration marking 250 years since the founding of the United States. To mark the occasion, Arizona Game and Fish Department is encouraging everyone to get outside, explore our waters, and connect with the landscapes that shape our state.
Now through August, sign up to participate in Fish250 and be eligible to receive a Fish250 sticker pack. Through fishing and outdoor recreation, Fish250 helps celebrate Arizona’s heritage as part of the work led by the Arizona America250 Commission.
The challenge is simple. Just take a selfie at the following locations:
- Fish 2 community waters.
- Fish 5 lakes or streams.
- Have 0 bad days.
Whether you’re a lifelong angler or picking up a rod for the first time, Fish250 is about discovering new places, spending time outdoors, and making great memories on the water. Learn more
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August Meeting Summary
The AZ Council of Trout Unlimited Public Policy Committee (AZ TU PPC) held its normal monthly meeting on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at 7:00 pm. Jaclyn Corbin, PhD was our guest speaker. Jaclyn is the new Arizona Field Representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Jaclyn provided the committee members with a slide presentation on her goals and activities planned for Arizona. Jaclyn resides in Flagstaff and she is an avid angler.
Jim Strogen, an AZ TU PPC member, also provided an update on Lake Powell and the cool mix water flows through the bypass tubes of the Glen Canyon Dam. The Department of Interior is NOT going to continue the cool mix water flows through the dam this season. The water level is currently less than 23% of its capacity. There is concern that the water level could drop low enough, to about 3,490 feet, where electrical generation at the dam would cease which might occur in the spring of 2027 if there is not enough 2026 rains and snowpack this winter. The water temperature through the dam could rise enough for the water temperature in the Colorado River below the dam to reach above 60 degrees where the small-mouth bass (an invasive species) could begin to spawn. The small-mouth bass are harmful to young trout and humpback chub. The water temperature below the Glen Canyon Dam could reach into the high 70's this fall.
Legislative Update
The State of Arizona 2026-2027 budget includes the AZ Game & Fish Department's appropriation request for $11 million to modernize the Tonto Creek and Bubbling Ponds hatcheries!
The State of Colorado has obtained enough signatures to put an initiative on the ballot for the voters to decide this fall to amend the State's constitution for a Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish!
We are pleased to report that the Oregon Initiative Petition 28 (IP28), also known as the Peace Act, officially failed to qualify for the November 3, 2026, ballot in Oregon after falling short by about 14,000 valid signatures. This Act would have made it unlawful to fish, hunt, ranch, farm, etc., if animals were harmed in any manner.
In June 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its intention to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. The rescission notice was posted on August 27, 2025, in the Federal Register. Without the Roadless Rule, nearly 45 million acres of National Forest land across the country will be open to harmful development impacting irreplaceable fish and wildlife habitat including some of the last strongholds for native trout and salmon, along with valuable hunting and angling opportunities for all Americans! The US Forest Service (USFS) has nearly $11 billion of deferred maintenance currently on 370,000 miles of roads in our National Forests; do our forests really need additional roads? TU National is encouraging all state Councils and chapters to start a mailing campaign from TU members to congressmen and congresswomen to stop the discontinuance of the Roadless Rule. On August 18, 2026, the USFS filed a proposed rule to rescind the Roadless Rule in its entirety. The public comment period has opened and runs through midnight on September 21, 2026. Our voices need to be heard now before the USDA and the USFS finalizes their decisions!
Please follow this link to ensure your voice is heard on this important issue: TU Roadless Rule Action Form
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The National Office of Trout Unlimited has created a new TU Advocacy Champions online community group. If you are interested in receiving the periodic emails from the Advocacy Champions, please email Doug Agee at doug.agee@tu.org and request to be put on the email list.
Groundwater Management in Rural Arizona
Tom Osterday - Past Chair AZ TU PPC
The Rural Water Working Group (RWWG), which AZ-TU is a member, should be incredibly proud of its efforts to defend Arizona’s groundwater resources against a significant number of legislative proposals that
threatened to weaken existing safeguards. Among the most notable victories was the defeat of
House Bill 2758, legislation backed by New York-based Water Asset Management that would have
facilitated the transportation of groundwater from the McMullen Valley Groundwater Basin
without adequate protections for the affected communities. The proposal was supported by a well-
funded coalition of influential interests, making the RWWG’s successful opposition campaign a
significant accomplishment.
Upcoming Public Policy Events
The next regular scheduled AZ TU PPC monthly meeting will be held on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 7:00 pm. Our guest speaker will be Rachel Ellis, associate director, of the Southwest River Protection Program. She will discuss the Wild and Scenic Designation for the upper Verde River, and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act from 1968.
The AZ TU Public Policy Committee hosts a virtual meeting on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm. If you are interested, please contact Ron Stearns at PublicPolicyChair@az-tu.org.
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Planning for the 2026 - 2027 school year program is well underway.
The statewide program is expanding from 44 to 49 schools.
The annual workshop for new teachers and volunteers is scheduled for September 19th at the Chandler Nature Center.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has tentatively planned for eggs to be available for delivery on October 29th.
Volunteers are still needed in many different roles and the amount of time is minimal over the school year and is very rewarding.
Drivers are still needed for delivery day. If you have up to 3 hours available to deliver a bag of 100 rainbow trout eggs to a school near you, please consider volunteering by signing up at volunteer.
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Zane Grey TU had the opportunity to provide fishing resources for Robinson Ranch, a non-profit, equine-assisted learning, and horse therapy center located in South Phoenix. Every summer, the owners of the ranch sponsor summer camps open to clients and their families at various locations around the state of Arizona.
As a result of a chance meeting between Trout Unlimited and the owners of the Ranch at an AZGFD Expo a couple of years ago, the local Zane Grey Chapter had an opportunity this summer to provide the fishing experience to the camp’s itinerary of weekend events. This summer the locations were at Jackpot Ranch (Verde River) in Camp Verde and Aspen Lodge (Big Lake) in Alpine. TU volunteers provided the spincast rods, bait, and tackle. The kids and their parents had an opportunity to learn about fish habitat and species, casting safety, and of course fishing.
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The young kids enjoyed playing with the worms and casting as much as actually having a bobber in the water waiting for a fish to bite. The activity was a big success and much appreciated by the participants. We look forward to the continued partnership with Robinson Ranch both in our local waters and future camps around the state.
Arthur Greenway
Education Chair-ZGTU
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Counting Flies
Last week participants from this summer’s AZTU Fish Camp participated in counting the fly inventory for the AZ Fly Shop. The campers provided a huge asset in the counting and sorting of thousands of flies for the shop. The service they provided helped the staff at the shop determine what flies have been sold and what needs to be reordered. The campers were able to receive cash or store credit to use to add to their fly fishing gear. It was a unique opportunity to be in an environment where all things fly fishing was the language spoken. The staff at AZ Fly Shop convey a huge thank you to all that participated.
Arthur Greenway
Education Chair- ZGTU
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The Arizona Council consolidated the Arizona Trout Unlimited chapters. Effective January 1, 2025, much of eastern and southern Arizona, Kingman and Navajo County east and south including White Mountains: Show Low, Greer, etc., is becoming a part of the Old Pueblo Chapter based in Tucson.
The Mogollon Rim, and areas west of Kingman, including Flagstaff, Lees Ferry and the Colorado River down to Yuma become part of the "new" Zane Grey Chapter based in Phoenix. The below map will give you some idea of the new alignments. The Green areas are the new Zane Grey Chapter, while the Blue areas are the Old Pueblo Chapter's new alignment. The non colored areas are National parks, Military reservations, or other government areas, do not have postal delivery Zip code, and few if any residents.
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The Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC) license plate fund is derived from the sale of wildlife conservation license plates and member organizations as well as non-member organizations are eligible to apply for those funds.
The Arizona TU Council and Chapters have received funds over the past thirteen years to support the Annual Native and Wild Trout Conferences, Fish Camp, Trout in the Classroom program and various conservation projects.
The next time your registration comes up for renewal, choose the conservation license plate option at registration to show your support for conservation and our projects.
| | Looking for a Fishing Opportunity? | | Below is a list of fishing organizations in Arizona. Feel free to join, explore, visit their websites or attend a meeting to find out more information: | |
Arizona Flycasters Club
@ The Arizona American Italian Club
7509 N 12th St
Phoenix, AZ 85020
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Fly-Fishing Social Event night - 2nd Tuesday of each month. Great speaker and awesome raffle. Donations support our Community outreach partners from Veterans to Youth activities.
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Desert Fly Casters Club
@ Chandler Elks Club
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Home - Desert Fly Casters
General meeting 2nd Wednesday of each month. Social Event 6-7 Meeting @ 7PM Great speakers; check website for details.
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Sun City Grand Fishing Club | | | | | | |
Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club | | | | | | |
White Mountains Fly Fishing Club | | | | | | |
White Mountains Lake Foundation | | | | | | |
Arizona Veterans Fly fishing | | | | | | | |
Join Trout Unlimited Today!
Not a member yet? Looking for a gift idea? Join today at Trout Unlimited!
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Committed to
Protecting, Connecting and Restoring Arizona's watersheds and fisheries.
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| | Protect. Reconnect. Restore. Sustain. Conserving coldwater habitat in the desert southwest. |
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