January/February 2023 News & Updates |
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Calling All Chapters
Our Northwest Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Academy needs your help!
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First - they need your help financing the $500 tuition scholarships for students who cannot afford the camp. A donation of any amount helps ensure that no child gets turned away who wants to attend. Some chapters even choose to sponsor an individual child from their area. Wouldn't it be great if we had youth from around the state this year attending this fantastic camp??
Second- The WCTU is asking every chapter to find 2 TU members to spend one day at the camp volunteering their time, during the week of camp (6/18/23 - 6/24/23). We are calling it the "Gimme Two" Program. This camp, even with only 15 youths attending, is action packed and very busy, and our new directors could really use our help! For more info on what type of help they need, or to learn more ways you might be able to assist at the camp Click HERE.
Pat Hesselgesser - WCTU chair had this to say.....
"I attended the entire week of camp last year, and I have to say it was a real blast! We had lots of fun teaching and working with a great group of students! It was a joy and an honor to also work with our past directors Mike and Jim, and all the volunteers from FFI. Getting to know our team of new co-directors John, Bruce and Carol was a treat, and we are so grateful for their talent and leadership! I can't wait for opening day this year."
For More Information on NWYCFF visit there website HERE
To Give a Donation or Volunteer your time you can contact the NWYCFF team HERE
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Legislative Day - Olympia
Tuesday February 7th, 2023
Making Our Voices Heard!
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WCTU Advocacy Committee sponsoring a Legislative Day in Olympia, WA on Tuesday February 7th, 2023.
Still time to join but you must register now!
or use the QR code below.
All those attending will receive a WCTU T-shirt!
Lunch is provided!
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After registering please email your name & size (S-XL) for a Unisex T-shirt HERE and we will have your T-shirt at the event in Olympia----see you there!!!
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Catch this film at 'Under The Valley Film Festival' in Yakima - Sat. 2/25/23 |
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The Washington Council of TU helped fund the production of this film which was written, and directed by Judy Larson. Congratulations to the entire production crew for making it into 3 film festivals! Read about the film ------->
Judy is the current VP of the Three Rivers Chapter of TU, and the newly appointed membership chair for WCTU. Many thanks Judy, for offering your talents to help with membership!
We are excited to view this film soon in Yakima! ---------------------->>>>>
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"Set in Texas, Michigan, and Oregon, "All in the Water" raises the volume on the stories shared by people of color who are not only passionate about fly fishing, but passionate about opening up the outdoors and more specifically, the fly fishing world, to people of color so that everyone can find their way to the water to cast to a rising fish. The narratives find a common thread in seeking to move beyond just being able to walk into a river or stream to fish but to truly welcome and enjoy all that the water provides. These are stories of ardent optimism in the face of long-entrenched barriers that are just beginning to fall in outdoor spaces."
The film is entered in three film festivals and was just shown at the Denton Black Film Festival in Texas. You can catch the film here in WA at the 'Under The Valley Film Festival' in Yakima Saturday Feb. 25th. Click HERE for tickets and more information. |
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What The Heck is CX3??
CX3 is the new name for Trout Unlimited's National Meeting & this year it's here in Spokane!!
Start Planning Now to Be There!
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COMMUNITY ×
A celebration of
COLDWATER × coldwater &
CONSERVATION
conservation.
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Volunteers from Spokane Falls Chapter and the WA Council are hard at work helping staff plan the coming CX3 event held in Spokane 9/27/23 - 10/1/23.
The WCTU is asking Chapters to budget now to help at least one member of your chapter attend this amazing event right here in our state. We won't get this change again for a very long time and it means showcasing what WA Trout Unlimited is all about! The CX3 event will feature fun for all and is a family event. The website is being updated often and will go live soon for registration. So keep checking and visit often to get registered. GO HERE
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WCTU ANNUAL AWARDS START NOW |
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Attention Chapters!! The WCTU had decided to start annual awards in 2023. You gave us your input on what you wanted to see for awards at our state council meeting in September and we heard you. Your ballots were tallied and here are the winners!! There will be 4 Awards total as follows:
The Chinook Awards for Conservation/Advocacy
- The Chinook Award to a WA Trout Unlimited member
- The Chinook Award to a WA Chapter or Alternative Engagement Group of Trout Unlimited
The Steelhead Awards for Special leadership/commitment to excellence.
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The Tim Gavin “Steelhead Award” to a WA Trout unlimited member.
- The Phoenix “Steelhead Award” / to a WA Chapter or Alternative Engagement Group of Trout Unlimited
Our AWARDS Chairman is Larry Hill - Thank you Larry for stepping up to lead this committee!! We will need 3 more volunteers to serve on this committee to review the nominations. They will be using a point system criteria for judging nominations to decide the winners. Please email us HERE if you are interested in serving on this committee.
These awards will be given, in a typical year, at our annual meeting in September. However, this year that meeting will be in October due to the CX3 taking place in Spokane in late September. There is one exception and that is the first Tim Gavin Steelhead Award will be presented on stage with Chris Wood, at CX3, and Tim's immediate family will be invited to the event.
For more information on the awards and the criteria visit HERE.
Nominations should be submitted to the State Council no later than August 1st, 2023. Nominating forms can be requested and completed nominations returned with all supportive documents to the council email HERE
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More BAT Trainings coming in March |
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This is fun and interesting work, so if you like to get your boots wet, consider joining us in March. |
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Get ready for two new BAT trainings coming this spring in March. The long awaited Tacoma training will be re-scheduled finally, and we have a second training that will be taking place in Clark County.
We are excited to get teams ready to go for work in Pierce County and in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Steve Miller aka Batman has been hard at work lining up new opportunities to get more culverts assessed in these areas. So STAY TUNED for announcements coming so you can register for the Training in your area!
To learn more about what BAT is visit HERE
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The Kitsap Olympic Peninsulas TU Chapter is helping to raise money for the youth fly fishing expo in May and WCTU NW Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Academy by partnering with Bainbridge Island Fly Fisher to have a fundraising auction..
Check It Out!! Come on out and join the fun, it's family friendly, and support your local chapter!
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2023 brings new reasons to support WCTU and the Green River Valley Alliance in their efforts to protect the Green River Valley by Mount St. Helens from the threat of mining!
SW Washington has new representation in Congress as Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was recently sworn into office. We need all the help we can get to make it clear to Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and our other federal representatives that Mount St. Helens and the Green River Valley are no place for a mine! This area is beloved by hikers, mountain bikers, backcountry horsemen, hunters, anglers, botanizers, foragers, and more for its remote and peaceful location and numerous recreational opportunities. The area is also incredibly historically and culturally significant to the local Tribes including the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, both of which oppose mining on this landscape. The Green River itself is a gene bank river for wild steelhead, is eligible to be nominated as a Wild and Scenic River, and provides clean water to downstream communities.
You can get involved and help us get the attention and support of our elected officials by signing the Alliance’s petition and sharing it with your friends and loved ones. The petition asks our congressional representatives to support our call for a legislative mineral withdrawal, a federal land management tool which would provide permanent protections against mining without impacting any other regularly permitted activities such as recreation, trail maintenance, or timber harvesting.
Together, we can make 2023 an incredible year of advocacy and show once and for all that this is no place for a mine!"
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American Fisheries Society gives statement on the
Lower Snake River Dams
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The Snake basin historically supported nearly fifty percent of the Chinook and steelhead in the entire Columbia Basin, but over the past 25 years, the Snake has averaged less than two returning adults for every 100 smolt.
“It is clear that breaching the four lower Snake River dams is necessary to (1) substantially improve the probability of recovering these cultural and ecological keystone species to healthy and harvestable populations and (2) safeguard those fishes from extinction.”
The AFS resolution confirms the path forward: the dams must go.
The AFS represents over 7,500 professional fishery scientists and resource managers across the world with the common mission of improving the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems.
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Coming Soon To The WCTU Website |
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The Washington Council of Trout Unlimited is proud to support this film on our website and it's coming soon! Watch the trailer to get a glimpse and then check our website for the full featured film. Check Here
"A Steelhead Story: The Legacy of Bill McMillan."
Produced by Waist Deep Media
This film pays homage to Bill's years of volunteer work and his shining example of citizen science. This short documentary offers insights into Bill's work and a cursory introduction into spawner surveys, and additionally interviews other conservation stakeholders and proponents in the area with knowledge on this project.
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WCTU Advocacy Committee is following these headline issues:
Click on the blue or green links for information on each topic.
*Salmon Recovery & SMA/GMA
*Warm Water Fish Policy
*Nelson Dam Puyallup River
*Electron Dam
If you would like to join the advocacy team and represent your chapter or just find out more about all these issues in our state; please contact the
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Not a TU Member Yet?
Support your cold water conservation for future generations and become a Trout Unlimited member today! Your membership helps support so many conservation efforts around our state. Annual memberships start at $17.50 Click HERE to find out more. If you don't know your local chapter name just put unknown and you will be placed in your closest chapter.
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Haven't started using TU Eventgroove for promoting your Events Yet? We are encouraging all chapters to use this tool to spread the word and register folks for your events.
Check it out HERE and get started!!
Then your events will appear HERE
We want to share your chapter events and important conservation work in this newsletter. Spread the word across the state about fun and informative events you are hosting. Let us know how your events turned out so we can share your stories!!
Engagement is the way to Grow your chapter!! Learn more HERE
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